Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
This wasn't exactly convenient for Simon, or the way he imagined spending the rest of the day. The fishermen were already washing their nets after what was, for Peter, a long night without success. He was no doubt ready to pack it in and head home. Being asked to continue to put the boat to use was at least a vague reminder of the earlier failure. But it was not just anyone who was asking. It was Jesus. And so, while from a natural perspective he might have wished to do otherwise, he put up with it. The fact that he had now become an instrumental part of the proclamation of the Gospel caused him to hear it in a more close and personal way than those listening from the shore. It probably needed to be this close to get through the distraction of rumination on his failure to catch anything.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."
That Jesus was able to capture Simon's attention was evident from the way he responded to Jesus' invitation to put out into the deep and lower his nets. From anyone else this would have seemed absurd. Even from Jesus, it probably still seemed a little absurd to Peter. But he compared his own opinion of it with that of Jesus and decided that the one whom he called "Master", and not his own impulse or instinct, was the one worth heeding.
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
There was a limited amount of success and fulfillment Peter could find by pursuing his profession in the natural order. There was always going to be an ample amount of frustration mixed in. But there was no limit to the reward that could be found by listening to the words of Jesus and pursuing his Kingdom in the supernatural order. Even doing things he had done before would take on new meaning and importance when done for the sake of the Kingdom. By seeking the Kingdom more than a catch of fish he received the catch of fish as well. Not that he would never encounter frustration or always have his endeavors, natural or supernatural, meet with success. But in the light of Jesus they all took on a true and luminous meaning. Even when he failed, his failures became lessons that helped him adhere more closely to Jesus in the future. Would he always have enough fish? Not necessarily. But would he always have enough to do what Jesus expected of him for the sake of the Kingdom? That much was guaranteed.
Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Peter experienced a sense of being out of his depth, in this case, in a particularly literal sense. He became acutely aware of his own unworthiness before Jesus who seemed to stand to gain very little from what Simon had to offer, and perhaps to lose much from his liabilities and flaws. Simon was being asked to operate at a higher level of life, one based on faith, lived in response to the words of Jesus. And this could not help but be intimidating.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
Although the new life to which he was called was not entirely without continuity with his former life, it still required a willingness to let go of everything that had defined him until that point. He could no longer think of himself as a fisherman, but instead as a follower of Jesus who would henceforth catch men in response to his command. Jesus redefined Peter, incorporating the good natural elements of his previous life in new ways that could never have been predicted in advance.
Are we still clinging to a self-definition apart from Jesus? Are there aspects of our life apart from him that we have yet to surrender into his hands? Apart from Jesus even the things we want the most tend to lead to frustration. The more we desire them apart from him the more frustrating we often find them. But if we learn to surrender them to him we may find ourselves receiving them again in new and better ways. He proved to Peter that he was trustworthy by the reliability of his words. And has he not done so for us as well? Hopefully we too have experienced moments when the sheer intensity of the presence of Jesus overwhelms us, as it did for Peter. And hopefully we too respond by letting go more and more, following Jesus in ever increasing freedom.
MBL Worship Featuring Brennan Joseph - One Look + My Eyes Have Seen The King
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