Imagine with me for a moment…your boss calls and you have to go into work. The factory is in such bad shape, you have to work all night. One by one, you sort through the problems, toiling away. And one by one, one problem leads to another, to another, and to another. You feel like you are not making any headway. As you watch the clock, you finally start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel – nothing is working out, but the daylight has come through he windows and you realize its about time to go home and another will take your place. Work didn’t “work out,” but at least its over for a few hours. Time to go home, rest and refuel.
As you are wrapping up, people start arriving. One gentlemen approaches…a newer fella. He works in a different department…seems nice enough. He walks up and says, “If you will __________________, it will all work perfectly.” Two pretty realistic reactions: (1) ‘Go mind your own business! Don’t tell me how to do my job!’ or (2) ‘Think you know how to do it…here you go!’ At least, those are my initial thoughts.
It’s not a perfect illustration of Luke 5, but there are some obvious parallels. We find Jesus, having begun His earthly ministry (already cast out a demon, preached, and performed miracles), walking along the shore with a crowd following. He looks up and sees a couple fishermen. They are, “cleaning their nets.”
I had to do a little research…I’m not an expert in former fishing methods (not an expert in current methods either…another post, another day). It turns out cleaning your nets is not the most exciting job in the world. It is one of the most necessary jobs – your nets are your livelihood and keeping them in the best of condition is paramount.
Apparently, fishermen would throw their nets into the sea and let them sink. At just the right moment, they would pull on a string/rope attached which would pinch the net together and they would capture anything inside. Unfortunately, this technique produces what the Little Mermaid’s friend called “watchamadoos and doo dadgets.” A fisherman would catch debris, rocks, sea shells, and an assortment of other unappealing things; most of which could cut the nets and make them unusable. Therefore, one of the most important and last things they would do as they wrapped up a day/night’s hard work is “clean the nets” so that they were ready for the next expedition. “Cleaning the nets” probably refers not only to ridding the debris and trash, but also repairing the nets for the next days work. Time consuming, nasty, messy…just an unappealing task at the end of a long day.
Importantly, we note from verse 5, these men in our story had been fishing all night. Simon, specifically, says, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!” Apparently, they were fishing in the same ponds I do!
Anyway…something interesting happens. Jesus appears with a crowd. He desires to speak to the crowd but create a little distance, so He asks if the men are willing to let Him use their boat a little ways from the shore. They agree and, when He is done, He decides to offer a little unsolicited fishing advice to these professional men.
Jesus says, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (5:4b). Two thoughts…First, what does Jesus know about fishing? Second, from my research, His instruction to go “out into the deep and let down your nets” is the opposite of good advice. The key is, apparently, being just the right distance from the shore so that your net can be loosed and then retrieved, scraping the bottom and trapping everything inside. Moral of the story – Jesus gives bad advice (from a worldly understanding) and does so when the men were already worn out, speaking to an issue He presumably knew nothing about.
But notice there is no question in Jesus’ vocabulary. He doesn’t suggest they should merely give His advice a try. Nor does he suggest they have nothing to lose. He doesn’t even offer it as a mere possibility between choices. He commands them to go into the deep and He promises they will receive a catch.
Simon’s response is interesting in verse 5, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” It’s as though he is saying, ‘This seems like a really dumb idea. I think we know what we are doing by now…but you tell us when we have arrived at the right spot and we will give it a try.’
I have a question – “What did Simon know about Jesus?” I think how you answer this question, shapes your understanding of what happens next. There is no denying that Simon knew something…Luke shows us that Jesus’ ministry is already gaining some traction. He has a crowd following Him. Most people believe that the events of John 1:35-42 precede chronologically the events of Luke 5. If you are not familiar, in John 1, we are told that John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus and a couple of men followed Him. One of those men was Andrew, Peter’s brother. Then, verse 41, tells us that Andrew went and found his brother Simon and told him he had found the messiah. If that is true, which it most likely is, then Peter and Andrew have already met and “followed” Jesus from a limited perspective.
So the best way to answer our question – “What did Simon know about Jesus?” – is to assume that Peter had heard of John the Baptist’s profession, heard Jesus preach, perhaps seen a miracle or two, and was following on the fringe. He was intrigued by Jesus. He was maybe even hopeful that Jesus was the Messiah. He was interested in Jesus’ message. He was probably even aware of Jesus’ miracles and power.
But…he was not so convinced that he had quit his day job. He hadn’t given up fishing…he was just kind of following along…
Maybe it was out of curiosity or maybe it was because he had seen Jesus do a miracle or two, whatever the reason, Simon decides to go along for the ride. He tells Jesus, “Ok…you tell me ‘when.’ I’ll go ahead and give it a try. Tell me when to drop the nets…even though we are professionals, despite the fact we’ve been doing this all night and caught nothing, and regardless of my weariness; I’ll give it a try. Tell me ‘when’ and I’ll lower my net and see what happens.”
Luke 5:6-7, “And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, as their boats were beginning to sink.” It’s predictable for us who believe! We read the story as those who have heard it a thousand times, who have believed in the power of Christ, and have seen His hand. They caught so many fish their nets broke and their ships began to sink!
But for Peter, this was life changing! His reaction was not one of apathy…he was not unimpressed by a charlatan’s tricks…he wasn’t just impressed or filled with wonder.
NO – he realized he was in the presence of God! Verse 8, “But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’” A declaration only worthy of deity. A clear statement concerning the divinity of Christ.
In the Old Testament, man did not stand in the presence of God. The miracle of the fish confirmed for Peter the divinity of Christ. And confronted with the divinity of Christ made him painfully aware of his own sinfulness!
That awareness led him to repent of his sinfulness and confess his belief in the divinity of Christ!
I suggested that how you view Peter’s view of Jesus at the beginning of this story is fundamental to how you apply the remainder of the passage. There is so much I could say here that is appropriate. But in the consideration of time, let me get directly to the point – Peter came intrigued and left convicted.
I think “intrigued” is the best word for Peter’s pre-miracle mentality. He is aware of Jesus, following Jesus (at least on a fringe level), and interested in Jesus. But when God wrecked his boat and ripped his nets, Peter is “convicted.” He’s controlled by the truth that Jesus is God, he’s repentant about his own condition in the presence of God, and he is eternally changed by the application of Jesus’ divinity.
A couple of thoughts:
First, I am so thankful that God knew how to wreck my boat and break my nets. I am a great sinner. According to Romans 3 and attested through personal experience, I am utterly devoid of even the slightest spiritual inclinations. I am depraved, suffering from the sin-sick-soul. My sin has so tainted my inward being, that I had not even the slightest inclination to turn to Christ. But God knew what to do to wreck my ship and rip my nets. He knew how to reveal Himself in such a way, that I could not come to any other conclusion but that – (1) Jesus is God, (2) I am sinful, (3) and I need His forgiveness. I’m thakful he didn’t “leave me on the shore” with the crowd. He “foreknew me and predestined me to be conformed to the image of his Son…and…he called me…justified me…and glorified me” (Romans 8:29-30, emphasis added).
Sometimes God breaks our ships with pain. In the case of Luke 5, it is with an overwhelming blessing. God will use whatever necessary to reveal Himself in Christ…and tonight, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude with His grace toward me!
Second, to the one who might have read my meandering thoughts – hanging around Jesus is not enough. Being in wonder about Jesus is not enough (even the demons are amazed). Being interested in Jesus is not enough. Following Jesus from a distance is not enough. Only when you come face to face with the divinity of Christ, confess your sin, and faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord can you experience salvation.
Here’s the thing…God’s probably sunk your ship and ripped your nets before – did you notice? “Do you suppose, O man…that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:3-4).
Here’s my challenge – look around. Observe all that God has done. See His hand in your life. Consider your blessings. Meditate on the miraculous. Do you think that all happened by chance? Do you think your family is a result of randomness? Your job, is it merely a result of your ability? Consider the events you can’t explain…could they have been God’s grace toward you, to reveal Himself in Christ?
Hanging around the things of God, the people of God, and the works of God is not enough. Being a good person is not enough. You have to be “of God.” And that only comes one way – “But all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).
Today, will you trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross of Calvary for the forgiveness of sin? Here’s how I want to end…I want you to experience what Peter experienced, what I’ve experienced, and what an untold number from generation to generation have experienced – salvation. It’s not complicated.
Admit you are a sinner. You have failed. You aren’t perfect. You have violated God’s standard of perfection. Like Peter, come to grips with your condition – lost, undone, and desperate for God.
Believe that what Jesus did on the cross was good enough to pay the penalty for your sin. Put all your faith and trust in Christ, convicted of His divinity, personhood, life, death, and resurrection. Trust that Jesus’ sacrifice was enough to pardon you, satisfy God’s righteous wrath against you, and redeem you.
Confess your faith. Write a post below. Send me a direct message. Go to a local bible believing church and find a pastor and a people. Write your own post. Tell your family. Let the world know that you have decided to follow Jesus.
I’d love to help you in your spiritual journey, understand your decision, and support you in your faith! Contact me and let’s celebrate together!
Held by Grace, PC