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The
Fifth Sunday after Trinity.
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The
Collect.
RANT, O Lord, we beseech thee, that
the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that
thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
St. Luke 5:1-11
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nd it came to pass, that, as the people
pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by
the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the
ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from
the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking,
he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a
draught. 5 And Simon
answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken
nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done,
they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other
ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the
ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon
Peter saw it, he fell down at
Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all
that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also
James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus
said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their
ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
Jesus is once again by the shores of
Galilee (Gennesaret). As usual, people of all stripes are pressing around Him,
either for the sake of healing and hearing, or for a glimpse at a popular
figure. Many today are no different from this latter crowd. They enjoy the ‘popularity’ of Christ and being ‘called’ Christian. Have you ever asked yourself what it is
about Christ that most appeals to your own heart? Is it itching ears you have
to hear a sensational new word, or is it the Word of Truth that you truly seek?
We observe in today’s
Gospel text the third call of Peter, James, Andrew and John - this time to Apostleship. There were two
previous calls of increasing import -John 1:35-42 & Matt 4:18-22. This
third is the chief call. It is much like our level of ministry in
Holy Orders.
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake:
but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. The ships of fishermen usually
dock in the morning after a long and weary night of fishing. Night is the best
time to fish for fish, and it is the best time to fish for men.
Those who walk in darkness have great need of Light, and this Light we present
to them so that “The people who sat in darkness have seen a
great Light” and that Light is Christ! Fish are easily caught at night due
to the dangers of limited vision. Those who walk in darkness as well fall prey
to the snares of the devil.
The two ships are notable. The one into which Jesus steps are
much like the Jewish nation to which He came first. The second is like unto the
Gentile nations. In the end, both who follow Him are filled to capacity with
great blessing.
3 And he entered into one of the
ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from
the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
The multitudes are great and press
closely on Christ. He can hardly move an elbow for the press. He enters Simon’s ship and
asked him to cast out some short distance from the shore. This vantage point
will separate Him from the crowd and its worldly concerns of His popular
appeal. They represent the world, and He sits apart from the world and preaches to those who
stand in it. It is often necessary for a minister to separate himself from the
petty politics of the parish and get a deep-seated stand on the Word of God
that he may preach with power and conviction, unmoved by public opinion.
Jesus, unlike many modern “Jumping Jacks
of the Pulpit”, often
sat down to preach and teach. He spoke in even and calm accents. He sat as one
having authority and not needing to scream to awaken heaven and hell to His
Person.
Jesus now gives a command that would
seem ridiculous to a seasoned fisherman of little or no faith: 4 Now when he had left speaking, he
said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and
let down your nets for a draught. It might seem at
first strange that so common a teacher as Jesus could command the immediate
obedience of rough men of the sea, but Jesus was no common teacher, and His
disciples would be, no more, rough men of the sea. Christ, through the
disciples’ knowledge
of Him gleaned from past observation, commanded respect, obedience, and
action. He has full authority over the lives of those who consider
themselves His disciples – that includes you and me.
The
bright morning sun would preclude a reasonable possibility of catching fish;
yet, these fishermen knew that whatever Christ commanded was reasonable even if
a miracle were required to bring about the result.
Of course, obedience to Christ will
always result in munificent reward.
Do
not simply “launch
out”, but
also “let
down your nets,” and not
simply “let
down your nets”, but let them down for a draught of fish! Even
if God’s
commands may seem unreasonable to us, we obey to the letter and wait for the
miracle.
We
might prefer to fish for bait fish along the near shore, but Christ commands us
to launch out far into the deep – that is where the large catches are made – Africa,
India, Asia, America, the darkly lit streets of New York!
So
what response do we expect from a faithful disciple?
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master,
we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word
I will let down the net. The labors of the hands of men profit
nothing apart from the hand of the Lord working in, and through, him. Working
all the long night will avail no riches in heaven unless it is in obedience to
God’s
Word.
Even though the disciple has labored
all night, at the opportune time for fishing, and achieved nothing at all, yet,
the Lord’s
commands are not empty of
meaning. Peter acknowledges that he has failed in his own strength to catch any
fish, but, “at Thy Word” Peter will
let down the net. We can fish for men all we like under our own power, but we
will change no hearts, nor save any souls. It is the Holy Ghost
working in the hearts to draw them to the NET that counts.
6 And when they
had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. Even when we begin with faith, we are
overcome in amazement at the surprising power of God to bring victory from
hopelessness. It is
unlikely that these men had ever caught so many fish that their nets began to
break, but at the most inopportune time of day for fishing, this is the very
thing that happened. Obedience to God ALWAYS pays dividends.
The laborer may look at his pitiful
seven loaves of bread and wonder how can this ever provide sufficiency to feed
a family, or a household with guests, but he then remembers the One who fed on
one occasion four thousand, and on another, seven thousand, with such little
provision of bread. That increase, which God gives, though seemingly small,
will always be sufficient to meet the needs.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship,
that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships,
so that they began to sink. Instead of constantly struggling for
the greatest mansion of a building, or for pride and prestige, the churches
should be working for the greater need – the
salvation of souls and
propagation of the Gospel. Instead of playing petty politics with sex and sin,
they should be manning the rescue boats for the saving of souls. And they must labor together and not
at odds with each other or the Word of God in doing so. The number of boats
will never be sufficient to land the haul of souls caught in the net of the
Gospel if we are obedient to God.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying,
Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were
with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken
Are you astonished at the work of
Christ in your own life and that of others? If not, perhaps you need to be more
diligent in prayer and study. Do
you believe that Simon Peter really desired Christ to depart from him? Not at
all! He could not suppress his humility and gratitude that such a Majestic Lord
would bend ear to him. Though Peter had come to expect the unexpected, he was
nevertheless surprised at the Grace and Power of God evidenced by Jesus.
We note, first, the awakening of
conscience in Peter. When he observed the righteousness and glory of Christ in
comparison to his own poverty stricken soul, he was ashamed of his own sins.
Have you been?
Following the awareness of our sins
comes the cry of fear and contrition! How can Christ receive poor Peter in view
of his past sins? How can Christ receive you and me in view of our past sins?
But He does!
10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee,
which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou
shalt catch men. If Christ abides with you, FEAR
NOT! Yes, you have been heavy laden with sins, but He will remove that unbecoming
yoke from your shoulders and place His own yoke upon you that does not bear
down, but rather lifts up. Your earthly nets may break with sin, but Christ
will make you fishers of men and that NET will never give out for abundance. In
the two previous Gospel accounts of fishing, Christ had told them that He would
make them fishers of men. Now, they are told that they SHALL catch men.
11 And when they had brought their ships to
land, they forsook all, and followed him. The disciples
had abandoned all to follow Christ on previous occasions: And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
(Matt 4:20)
And following the Crucifixion, they did so again: Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto
him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship
immediately; and that night they caught nothing. (John
21:3) Following this event
when Christ again commanded them to drop their nets, Peter and the others never
returned to their secular professions. They left the life of fishers of sea
creatures, and took up the full mantle of fishers of men according to Christ’s command to
them – and
to us! Are you?
