Luke 5:1-11. KJ2000
(1) And 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 asked 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 ceased speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.
(5) And Simon answering said unto him, Teacher, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.
(6) And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish: and their net broke.
(7) And they beckoned unto their partners, who 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 catch of the fish which they had taken:
(10) And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from now on you shall catch men.
(11) And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
Fish, it would seem, are where you find them. Anyone who has worked with rod and reel will tell you that sometimes they are just not biting. Each year the marketplace brings us new gadgets which promise miraculous results when fishing, and the next year finds them rusting in the bottom of the tackle box.
So often in our work for the kingdom of God we wonder: just why am I not more successful? Whether it is in our personal lives or in reaching out to others, it is common to wonder. We ask ourselves, "What's wrong?"
The disciples could have asked themselves that on this particular night. It certainly wasn't a lack of experience. They were born and raised as commercial fishermen. They knew the lake well. It wasn't a lack of hard work. They'd been at it all night. Then the Carpenter tells them to let down the net one more time. Was Peter being sarcastic when he agreed to do it?
If he was, it didn't last long. He pulls in a record catch, swamping the boats. Suddenly the professional fisherman sees the master of earth and sky, and realizes just exactly who he's been speaking to. The revelation is a shock. Peter does what many in the Old Testament did: he wants this man far away from him, for he knows what a sinner he is.
It also means he knows that sin cannot exist in the presence of true righteousness. His very life is at stake. But Christ has a different purpose in mind. He is teaching Peter a most important lesson. In the work of the kingdom, hard work and diligence are necessary—but not sufficient. The presence of the living Christ is required as well.
But with the living Christ, the catch is overwhelming. Peter must call to his partners for help, and even then the boats almost sink. So it is with us. If we labor hard at "being a good Christian," and omit the presence of the living Christ in our lives, we will spend the night in fruitless labor. But once we open up our hearts and genuinely invite him in, all is changed. The long night of the soul's dreary toil gives way to a morning so full of his blessings that we cannot contain them. We must then call to our friends and share such things with them. Have you ever noticed that the most blessed Christians are those who are most willing to share the blessings?
The matter is one of the heart. Invite the Living Lord into yours, completely—and experience the Lord's bounty.
