A great fishing tale
Do you have a great fishing tale? My greatest exploit is that once while fishing I caught a seagull!
Peter’s great fishing tale
Our gospel reading (Luke 5:1–11) is an amazing fishing story. The tale would have had the docks of Capernaum buzzing!
Jesus is teaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The people are crowding around him, so he asks some fishermen if he can borrow their boat. He pushes out a little from the shore to address the crowd from a better position. Simon Peter is probably in the boat with Jesus, listening as Jesus preaches.
Jesus winds up and suggests that Peter put out in deep water and let down the nets. This is a bit of a strange request. What could a carpenter turned preacher know about fishing?! This sounds a bit like a software engineer turned pastor (me) telling a local farmer how to farm. Imagine if I came around to your farm and told you what to do?!
Peter politely educates Jesus on how fishing works, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.” (Luke 5:5). That’s the nice way of saying, “Night time is the best time to fish — duh!” But something is going on in Peter’s heart. He’s been listening to Jesus preach. “Maybe this guy knows something,” he thinks. “Because you say so, I will let down the nets,” Peter decides. Peter is curious to see what might happen.
In his book Sent, author Dean Eaton writes about how conversion is (quite often) a gradual process. Following Jesus is a journey with various stepping stones.
I imagine Peter was moved from interested to curious. “What will happen if I listen to this guy?” he ponders. Well, an amazing fishing tale unfolds! They lower the net and a whole school of fish literally swims in. The net is so full it’s at breaking point. They signal for help.
This is a fishing story to rival fishing stories. You can almost imagine them at their equivalent of the local pub, “Do you remember the time that carpenter preacher guy netted that huge haul?”
Clearly this Jesus guy is someone we should listen to. He’s got pretty good advice. I wonder if Jesus could give us some advice about our harvest?! Maybe he could tell us what to sow and when, how much rain there’s going to be this year, or when to start harvesting. Then you’ll need to borrow the neighbour’s header because yours has been pushed to the limit with the bumper crop.
Not really a fishing tale
There’s only one problem: this isn’t really a fishing tale. The point of the miracle is not for Peter to receive a huge harvest of fish. Likewise for us, Jesus hasn’t come to earth merely to bless our fields and livestock to produce an abundant harvest. So what is the point?
Firstly, the story tells us who Jesus is. Here’s Peter, up to his armpits in fish, yet he has a strange reaction. “Go away from me, Lord,” he says. What?! He’s like curious Jack who’s climbed the beanstalk, found the goose that lays the golden egg (his ticket to infinite fish), but then says “Get away from me”?! Go figure.
What’s happening is that Peter is beginning to realise who Jesus really is. The Creator of the Cosmos, God himself, is sitting in the boat right next to him. This mere mortal is confronted by divine holiness. Peter knows his Scripture (our Old Testament): he knows that Moses wouldn’t look at God in the burning bush for fear of death; he knows anyone who touched the ark of the covenant died; he knows when the prophet Isaiah was called, God burnt away his unclean lips with hot coal; he knows God is so holy — so special — that if you look or touch him or his stuff, you’re a dead man.
“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Peter declares (Luke 5:8). How would you react if you’re sitting in your boat and discovered your fishing buddy was the holy, holy, holy God? What unclean behaviour or attitude in your life would this holy God be unable to tolerate? What does he need to burn away in your life to cleanse you?
Secondly, we hear we need not be afraid. Hearing the story, you can almost sense Jesus picking Peter up as he says, “Do not be afraid.” What sweet news this must have been to Peter’s ears. “Peter, yes I’m the holy God, but you’re not going to die today. I need some help fishing.” God has come to earth for a fishing expedition. This whole story is a metaphor for God’s work on earth. The fish are people, and catching them in the net is salvation. Jesus is here to net a massive harvest of fish. He’s here to save a great number of people.
Jesus does this by cleansing unclean sinners like Peter, you, and me. Jesus’ death and resurrection makes his followers holy. Jesus cleanses you and makes you holy. Because of the body and blood of Christ, we’re invited to sit in the boat together with the holy, holy, holy God himself. In fact, that’s what we’re doing right now. This church building is a boat. We’re in pews like a team of rowers. The pews are in the part of the church building called the “nave” (Latin for “ship”). As we gather for Sunday worship, the real presence of Jesus comes to sit in the ship with us. And he says, “Do not be afraid. I am here to cleanse you, to make you holy and worthy to be in God’s presence.”
Lastly, we’re called to participate in God’s work. I think this is the most amazing part of the story. Peter the unclean sinner is accepted, and then Jesus invites him and his mates to participate in God’s work. Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” (Luke 5:10). They get to join in with God as he goes on his fishing expedition. So Peter leaves the huge haul of literal fish to rot in the sun. He leaves everything and follows the Creator of the Cosmos, the best Fishing Buddy on Earth.
And guess what? You too are called to fish for people. We can be thankful for earthly provisions, but we can be even more thankful that God invites us to be part of his work here on earth fishing for people.
But how? How do you participate in God’s work of fishing for people? This particular fishing tale has been passed down from generation to generation. And like a fishing tale, God calls us to share his story with others. But it’s not like our fishing tales that get bigger and bigger — the stories in the Gospels are reliable, early eyewitness testimonies. So tell this fishing tale with confidence to your children and grandchildren before bed. On Monday morning, when someone asks what you did on the weekend, tell them you went to church and why. Continue to read, study, and learn the story so you can tell the yarn even better.
Yet as you tell this amazing story, be aware the hearer is on their own journey. Peter was curious and looking to investigate. But perhaps your family or friends are way back in the antagonistic phase, so try to spark interest in the Christian life: listen a lot and try to find some common ground. If they’re interested, share small stories or testimonies of how God is working in your own life, or the lives of people you know or admire. If they’re curious, ask them what questions they have about God or ask them what you can pray for in their life.
One step at a time the Creator of the Cosmos is netting a huge haul of people for his kingdom. May you, his holy fishing partner, tell this fishing tale to many others. Amen.
