Deo Gloria
Sermon for February 6, 2022
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Luke 5:1-11
Theme: The Catch of a Lifetime
(God’s Prescription for a Fisherman)
- One ordinary person
- An ounce of trust
- A commitment to Christ
“Man, you should have seen the fish we caught on our fishing trip up to Alaska. There we were, fishing out in the Pacific Ocean, a few miles out from Sitka, when we hooked this huge halibut. I mean, the thing was huge—over 100 pounds. And it took us almost an hour to land it! Oh man, you should have seen it!”
Here we go, right? Another one of those fish stories! Fish stories abound, don’t they? I still remember one my grandpa told me. He was fishing on Lake Dixon, a small lake just north of Lake Winnibigosh. It was mid-May and they were trolling for northern pike. My grandpa had hooked a fairly small one—one and a half, maybe two pounds. And as he was bringing it up to the boat and about to net it, suddenly there was this huge splash in the water. Apparently, a muskie had followed the smaller northern right up to the boat and made a lung for it just as grandpa was about to net it. Of course, not only did grandpa miss netting the muskie, instead of having a two pound pike, he now only had a one pound pike. The muskie had bitten his catch in half. Another big one that got away!
In our Gospel lesson this morning we heard about another fish story, an incredible fish story. You might very well call it “the Catch of a Lifetime.” It happened to three fishermen from Capernaum. Permit me to read their story again: (Read text.)
Quite a story, isn’t it? Ranks right up there with the best of them. Yet as we look at this story this morning, if all we see is another fantastic fish story, then we’ve really missed the boat. There’s a message in this story, a message for each of us, a message that has to do with God’s prescription for a fisherman.
Now you might think that all it takes to be a fisherman is a fishing pole, some bait, a fishing license, and a body of water. And ordinarily you’d be right. But in this case we’re not talking about your average fisherman. We’re talking about a very special kind of fisherman, one who fishes for people. A fisherman who fishes for people? That’s right, a fisherman who fishes for people, one who catches people for the Lord and for God’s kingdom. That’s what Jesus wanted Peter to be. “From now on,” he told Peter, “you will catch men.”
That’s what God wants us to be as well: people who catch other people for the Lord and bring them into his kingdom. Now granted, some of us may be better at it than others. Some of us may be more experienced at it. Some of us may even have a knack for it. Yet, regardless of our fishing ability or our success, we all are fishermen. Naturally, we want to do our best. This is, after all, something we’re doing for our Lord. And it’s something that is going to make an eternal difference for the people we catch. They will get to spend eternity in the heavenly fish bowl instead of the eternal frying pan. In order to be the best fishermen we can, together let’s take a look at God’s prescription for a fisherman.
It starts with one ordinary person. Yeah but, wouldn’t it be better to take exceptional people: you know, doctors, lawyers, scholars, famous people, big time executives—people like that? Maybe to us it would, but not to God. Look at the people Jesus chose: three fishermen named Peter, James and John. Jesus didn’t pick any of the religious leaders from Jerusalem. He didn’t pick any of the wealthy, upper class people or any of the political leaders. He didn’t choose any of the notable scholars of his day. He picked three ordinary fishermen.
Jesus does the same today. He selects ordinary people: a secretary, an accountant, a truck driver, a teacher, a student, a clerk, a homemaker. Jesus takes ordinary people like you and me. He catches them. And then he says, “Now, you go and catch others.” No previous work experience is required. No long list of qualifications; just one: trust.
In order to be a good fisherman and catch people for the Lord, you need an ounce of trust. Of course, to trust in Jesus you need to recognize him for who he is. Peter did. Peter recognized who Jesus was. If Peter still had any doubts prior to this day, they were buried under the pile of fish they caught. Never in his life had Peter or his partners caught fish like this! Nets so full they began to break! Two boats so full of fish they began to sink! Can you imagine? Peter realized that this was no ordinary catch of fish. This was nothing less than a miracle. And he knew who was responsible for this miracle: Jesus.
“Go away from me, Lord,” Peter said to Jesus. “Go away from me; I am a sinful man!”(v. 8) Peter’s words may seem somewhat strange at first. But they aren’t really, not for a man who was standing in the presence of God. As Peter knelt in front of Jesus, he was keenly aware that the man standing in front of him was no ordinary man. This was God standing here in front of him, the holy and righteous God of heaven, the mighty Maker of the universe, the one who made him and all the fish in the sea. Yes, this was God. And this was his Savior, the Savior God had promised to send, the Son of God, who had set aside his glory and power for a while that he might save people like Peter, that he might rescue them from the power of sin and death. This miraculous catch of fish impressed that truth on Peter. And he believed it.
Do you? Do you recognize Jesus for who he is: the sinless Son of God, the almighty Maker of the universe, your God, your Savior, the one who set aside his glory and came into this world of ours to rescue you sin and death? If you want to be a fisherman like Peter and catch people for the Lord, it’s essential.
So is trusting what our Lord and Savior tells you. Peter gives us a good example of that too. After finishing his lesson to the people on shore, Jesus told Peter to put out into the deep water and let down the nets. Now Peter was no dummy. Peter was an experienced fisherman. He knew that the best fishing on the Sea of Galilee was at night in the shallow water. And he and his partners had just spent all night fishing and hadn’t caught anything. Now here it was in the middle of the day and Jesus wanted them to go out into the deep water and let down their nets? “Ah, Lord, why don’t you stick to preaching and I’ll handle the fishing. OK? I mean, any good fisherman knows that you don’t catch fish in broad daylight in deep water. The best time to fish is at night when the fish come up into the shallow water. So let’s just row the boat ashore and we’ll try again tonight. OK?” That’s what Peter could have said. But he didn’t, did he? Oh yes, he did object at first. You know Peter, always speaking before he was thinking. But when his mind caught up with his mouth and he thought for a second about whom he was talking to, he changed his drift. “But, if you say so, Lord, I’ll do it.” And he did. As foolish and senseless as it may have seemed to Peter, he did it. He trusted that Jesus knew what he was talking about and he let down the nets. And guess what? Jesus did know what he was talking about. Peter probably caught more fish in that one afternoon than he normally caught in an entire week.
Do you have the same kind of trust in the Lord? Are you willing to take him at his word and do whatever he says, even when it doesn’t make sense to you? You know, Jesus says that if we put him and his will and his work and his kingdom first in our lives, if we make that our #1 priority, he’s going to take care of the rest. Do you believe that? In uncertain economic times, that may not seem very sensible. To us it may seem that our jobs and earning a living ought to be our #1 priority, at least until the economy gets back on the right track. To a person filling out forms at the unemployment office it may seem foolish to continue to trust in a God whom he feels has let him down. Do you agree? Do you trust in the Lord and his promises? Are you willing to live your life by what he says?
You see, trust is important for fishing, when you’re fishing for people. Let’s face it, if you don’t trust, you aren’t going to do much fishing. You aren’t going to do much witnessing to others about your Lord, especially since you can come up with a hundred reasons not to: “Ah, I wouldn’t know what to say;” “I might say the wrong thing;” “I might stumble over my words and stutter and make a fool of myself;” “And besides, Joe really isn’t interested in hearing what I have to say;” “Now’s not the right time. I’ll wait till next week.” “Somebody else could do a much better job than I could.” And yet Jesus tells us in his Word: “Don’t worry. I’ll be with you. I’ll help you speak. I’ll even give you the right words to say. And I’ll bless your words and your efforts.” Do you believe that? Are you willing to act on what Jesus says? It’s important when you’re fishing for people.
The third ingredient in God’s prescription for a fisherman is commitment, commitment to Christ and to following him. We can see this kind of commitment demonstrated for us in v. 11: “So they [Peter, James and John] pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” Peter, James and John were so committed to following Jesus that they pulled their fishing boats up on shore and left them there. Their fishing boats were their jobs. They were their livelihood, their source of income. In effect they quit their jobs to follow Jesus and be his disciples. Now that’s commitment!
Jesus doesn’t ask us to quit our jobs in order to follow him. (In some cases that may be necessary, but not normally.) Jesus does, however, still ask for commitment on our part. He stated that quite clearly when he said to his disciples and all those who were following him, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me”(9:23). That’s commitment.
And the thing that makes commitment so important in fishing is simply this: if you aren’t committed, you aren’t going to catch many fish. Why not? Because it’s too easy for people to see through insincerity. If you’re not committed to a cause, people can tell. And they’re not going to jump on the bandwagon with you. If you’re not committed to Jesus and his cause, people will pick up on that. And they’re going to be rather reluctant to jump in the boat with you. If you’re not dedicated to following Christ, why should someone else be interested in following him? If you’re not dedicated to living your life for Christ, why should someone else be interested in doing so? If your Lord and his work are not worth your time and money and effort, why should your Lord and his work be worthwhile to someone else?
Is that what people see demonstrated in your life—sincerity, commitment? Do you really believe what you say you do or is it just a bunch of hot air? Do you live by what you believe or does your life contradict what you say you believe? If people see contradiction, they’re going to swim away like a fish that sees weeds hanging from a minnow. “Now wait a minute. Something isn’t right here. Something smells kind of fishy. I think I’ll look for lunch someplace else.” If you want to be a fisherman, a good fisherman who catches people for the Lord, it’s important that you be committed to your Lord. Otherwise, the fishing is going to be pretty slow.
“From now on you will catch men.” That’s what Jesus said to Peter, and that’s what Jesus says to you and me. As you strive to fulfill that role and catch people for the Lord, be sure to keep God’s prescription for a fisherman in mind. It will help you become the best fisherman you can be. And then one day, when we get to that great campground in the sky, we can all sit around and listen as you tell story after story about the ones that didn’t get away. And you know what the best part about it will be? The “fish” you caught here in this life will be there too, and be able to laugh with you forever. Amen.