The Fisher of Men
Preached by Benjamin Vrbicek
November 20, 2016
The words from the song we sang during communion come from the book of Revelation, specifically chapter 4. In Revelation 4, we get a heavenly vision of people falling down in worship before God. The people in that vision have a sense of their own sinfulness and a sense of the holiness of God.Something similar to this happens in our passage this morning in Luke 5. We’ve been going through the book of Luke for the last few months. Each week, we take one passage from Luke’s story to learn about Jesus and how we ought to relate to Jesus. Last week, Jason noted the way Luke shows the authority of Jesus over demons and over disease. This week, we see his authority over nature. But that’s not all we see.Typically we read the whole passage and then pray. This morning, because the first half of the service was more full than normal, in the interest of time I’ll pray now, and we’ll read the passage in short sections as I teach them.
Introduction
I want to begin by getting right into the passage, but before I do, I want to put a question to you. The question this passage raises for us is this: What do you want to get out of life? If you had your wishes, what do you want? What do you long for, what do you hope for? What do you dream about? What keeps you motivated?You don’t have to have an answer now. But I tell you this. I think the way Simon Peter would have answered that question would be altogether different before the events in this passage happened and after they happened.I suppose we can break the passage down into three sections. First, there is teaching. Second, there is fishing. And then, finally, there is responding.
1. Teaching, vv. 1–3
Follow along with me as I read the first three verses.
1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
Here, the crowd is pressing in on Jesus. They want to hear him speak. He’s been traveling around teaching and doing miracles, and now a another crowd has cornered him. They were hungry for what God had to say. So Jesus taught them. He does this first from the shore and then from a boat—making something of a natural amphitheater.Peter and the other fishermen, however, don’t seem so interested. Or maybe it’s not that they are uninterested, it’s just that they had work to do. They had bills to pay, families to feed, and businesses to run. They couldn’t stop what they were doing to listen to some preacher. They had fished all night, and they were now washing their nets, presumably so they could go home and sleep.But Jesus sees them and brings them into the action, so to speak. Jesus gets into Peter’s boat, which was probably twenty to thirty feet long and had several hired fisherman on it.1One of the questions I had as I was studying this passage was what kind of relationship did Jesus and Peter have before this moment? Was Jesus some random guy that wanted to take his boat for a spin? Yes and no. In the last chapter, Jesus visited Peter’s house and healed his mother-in-law who was sick (4:38–39). So, there is some relationship already. Also, there is commotion about Jesus and his activity, and Peter was certainly aware of these things. But it would be fair to say that their relationship is not yet a deep one. Let’s keep going.
2. Fishing, vv. 4–7
Let’s look at vv. 4–7 and talk about fishing. Some of you who are fishermen might be thinking “Yeah, that’s right. This is what church is missing: we ought to have more sermons about fishing.” I’m not sure this part of the sermon is about fishing, but it certainly involves fishing. Let’s read vv. 4–7.
4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
A few things to think about. First, think about the inconvenience of what is being asked. Jesus tells Peter to put out into deeper water to lower down the nets to catch fish. Slow down for a minute and think about this. They were done working. Picture a bunch of construction workers who’ve been working near the back of a cement truck all night, and now they are washed up and heading home. It’s not a small thing to ask that they and their tools get dirty again, to tell them to go back to work.Second, think about the humor of all of this. I wouldn’t say that the Bible is a humorous book; it’s not like a TV sitcom where someone cracks a joke every 16 seconds. But rightly understood, there are some scenes which have a certain humor, a certain irony to them. This is one of those scenes.Jesus, the son of a carpenter, tells professional fishermen how to fish. They didn’t catch anything all night, but he says try again . . . during the day when fishing was, ordinarily, less productive than at night.You see the humor? This is like a single 23-years-old dude, and he tells the stay-at-home mom of five kids, “Hey, have you tried feeding your baby? Maybe that’s why she’s screaming?”Third, think about peer pressure. In Mark’s account of this story, we learn it was a whole fishing crew that was around, not just Peter and one or two others (1:20). I can’t be sure, of course, but I can only imagine that one guy leaned over to some other guy and said, “Rabbi Jesus gonna tell us how to do our job.”All of this—the inconvenience, the humor, the peer pressure—adds up to make Peter’s words so significant.
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word[, Jesus,] I will let down the nets.” (v. 5)
When Peter says this, albeit reluctantly, he is making the choice to treasure Jesus above his own wisdom and above the praise of his co-workers. And Peter doesn’t know it yet, but this small act of faith becomes a defining moment in his life. Nothing is the same after this. That’s often the way defining moments work; they are not recognized as such until after the fact. That moment when a boss asked you to do something shady, maybe even little; or that bad grade on a final exam; or that car crash; it set a series of events in place far beyond what was imagined.Maybe right now, you’re a lot like Peter. Jesus has gotten in your boat, so to speak, and it’s a little uncomfortable. You now have to make choices about what you will treasure most in your life: Jesus or something else.As the verses go on, we realize that Jesus knew what he was talking about. They catch so many fish that not only one boat, but the passage says both boats begin to sink. Apparently, he’s more than a carpenter. Let’s look at the final section.
3. Responding, vv. 8–11
In vv. 8–11 we see how Peter responds to all of this.
8 But 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 and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Peter is afraid for his life. Why? What’s going on? Why does he say, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man”? We need to slow down a bit to think more deeply about this.Note Peter’s words earlier: “We toiled all night and took nothing!” (v. 5).Have you ever had one of those moments where there are all sorts of things going on around you—people talking to each other, people talking to you—but inside your own head and heart you’re in another place? Have you had these moments? I have. If you asked my family, they’d tell you it happens way too often.It’s a moment when you’re thinking about one thing and doing so very intently. Usually, something didn’t go well. Perhaps you’re longing for something or you’re planning something. Perhaps it’s a moment when you’re angry and frustrated and you’re playing out conversations in your own head, which by the way will probably never happen.I wonder if Peter even heard a word Jesus was preaching while he was on his boat? We can’t know. But at the start of the passage, Luke certainly puts Peter in the peripheral as he’s over there washing his nets. I wonder if Peter is thinking about his career, thinking about feeding his family, thinking about getting all the things done in life he wants to get done. I wonder if Peter was terrified his fishing business was going belly-up, that he won’t be able to pay his crew. Remember, they hadn’t caught a thing. Peter was sure quick to point that out. Maybe he was stewing on that point. Maybe you’re here today and you’re distracted. You mind is on other things. I don’t know how to pull you back in, but I know how Jesus did it for Peter.They to deeper, they put down the nets, and boom! The boat is about to sink because of all the fish. They get some help and then head for shore. Nets are breaking, and fish are leaping all around the boat. There is this joyous panic. They are happy and scared. The crew is giving high fives and shouting. There’s an audience of a thousand people on the shore cheering them on.But what’s Peter doing? He’s on his knees. His chest is heaving. He’s in tears saying, “No, no, no. I’m so sorry, Lord. Get away; get away. I’m not worthy.” Peter is afraid for his life.This is strange, is it not? What’s going on? We better figure this out.There’s a story in the Old Testament has some similarities. After God saved Israel from Egypt, they sinned against them, and God made them wander the desert for 40 years, all the while they ate bread called manna.Well, in the first year after Egypt, there was this moment when quail landed around their camp while the birds were on their migration pattern (Exodus 16:13). I don’t think they really got to eat many of them. And in the second year, they are tired of the manna. They wanted the world to give them meat. In the book of Numbers 11:4–6 we read this,
4 . . . And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
In short, they were saying that what Egypt had to offer was more valuable than God. But God hears their complaint, and in vv. 18–20 tells Moses this,
18 And say to the people, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, ‘Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.’
Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat . . . until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, ‘Why did we come out of Egypt?’ ”
“Out at your nostrils”? Not to be graphic, but meat filling the gut, climbing up the esophagus, pressing out the cheeks like a balloon, and was then coming out their nostrils? God was saying, “You want stuff? I’ll give you stuff until you’re stuffed with stuff. Then will you be happy?”To Peter, fish were dollars. And he kneels down in his money and says, “Get away from me. I loathe myself.” When he did that, I think Peter realized that fish, money, career, glory, health—it’s all perishable. One day it will stink.Peter is afraid because he got what he wanted, and he knows now that he shouldn’t have treasured stuff more than Jesus.And there is so, so much mercy here, isn’t there? I mean, Peter had the blessing of discovering this now, in this life. How much worse for you if you stand before a holy God at the end of your life saying , “Look, Lord. Look at all the fish I caught?”These same things were a play when I became a Christian. I had thought that if I got good grades, I’d get a sweet job, have a good career, then I would be satisfied. And slowly, God began to show me how empty all of that was. Jesus got in my boat and started to mess up my plans. And then I realized his plans were better and he wasn’t messing them up, he was fixing them.In v. 9, Peter comes face to face with The Fisher of Men and is told that he—Peter—will now to “fish for men.”2 What does that mean—fish for men? It means that Jesus was saying, “No, Peter, I won’t destroy you. I’ve come to catch you up in my purposes for something better. And I want you to follow me and love me and spend your life sharing with others about how great I am and how much I love them too.”And Peter does. The passage ends with this line in v. 11.
11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
I want you to notice something about this verse. The passage widens out from Peter in v. 10 to “they” in v. 11, meaning some men with Peter. I think Luke wants us to keep going with this widening. God wants me and you to read this story and reflect on our lives and how we follow Jesus and what we treasure most in life.
Conclusion
So let me close with a few comments about discipleship, which is just a fancy word for following Jesus.First, discipleship is about finding the greatest treasure in the world. Here’s a question: When these men walk away from their nets and boats, leaving them on the shore, did they walk away from the greatest treasure or did they find a treasure in Jesus that was far better than anything the world could offer them? Sure, following Jesus means giving up stuff. But maybe following Jesus is less about giving up stuff and more about finding someone worth more than all of that other stuff. (Right now, I’m wearing a watch. I like my watch. It cost me $13. If, however, you want to trade me after the service for your Rolex, it’s a deal because he is no fool who trades that which real treasure for that which is not.3)Second, discipleship is to be all-consuming. Though it’s wrong, it’s possible to view Christianity as one option among many things in your life. You have work and hobbies and family and relationships and free-time and then, if you have some left over time, you have religion. That’s how many people view faith, perhaps many of us. But this passage—along with all of the Bible—is pushing us to see Christianity differently. The passage says they “left everything.” Faith in Jesus is not supposed to be one choice that we make among other equal choices. Rather, figuring out what it means to follow Jesus is supposed to be the choice we make, and that choice is to govern everything else that we do. Most of you shouldn’t quit your day-jobs. But all-consuming discipleship does mean that your whole life, day-job and free-time, are ruled by Jesus. That’s Christianity.Third, discipleship means sharing this treasure with others. It’s unfortunate when a wonderful phrase becomes clichéd through overuse. “Fishing for men” is one of those phrases. It just seems too weird and churchy for our ears. But over and over again, the Bible calls the followers of God to be those who share the treasure they have found in Jesus with others who have not yet found it. It’s never easy, it’s always uncomfortable, but it’s always worth it—because God is worth it. I think of the handful of people what I’ve been a part of their decision to follow Jesus. And it’s so wonderful to watch. Is there someone in your life that you could need to share the treasure of Christ with? Of course there is. Who is it?Finally, discipleship is about an initial commitment that changes everything, and it’s about 10,000 re-commitments to that same treasure. I know there are many here who have already begun to follow Jesus, in fact, you’ve been doing it for years. Perhaps, though, your faith has lost some of its passion. Maybe Jesus isn’t riveting to you anymore. To you, I’d put it like this. Peter did go back to his nets to fish again.At the end of the gospel of John, Jesus has died, risen, and appeared to the disciples. But it was a confusing time. They weren’t quite sure how to process all this change. So, Peter says to the guys, “Hey, I’m going fishing.” And the guys say, “We’ll go, too.”Now, if I looked at my co-pastor, Jason, on some lousy Monday after lousy Sunday and said, “Hey, I’m going fishing.” He would say, “That’s weird.” He’d say that because I don’t fish. But if I said, “Forget it; I’m going on a bike ride. He’s look at me and say, “I get it. Rest up, man. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Now, what if I said, “Forget it; I’m going back to engineering.” And he looked at me and said, “I’m going back to education.” Now, we are taking not about an afternoon to center ourselves, but a change, even reversion, of careers. Which was Peter doing? I think the latter.And guess what he caught that night? Nothing (John 21:3). Familiar?And a stranger on the shore yells out, “Hey, try the other side.” So they do. And the nets start to break. John yells out, “It’s the Lord!” And Peter leaps out of the boat and swims to shore to embrace Jesus. Forget the embracement of it all. And then on the shore, Jesus famously asks Peter three times, “Do you love me more than these?” Interpreters have struggled at the ambiguity of what “these” refers to, but personally, I think it’s clear enough. Peter had to be re-instated. “Feed my sheep,” he’s told.Additionally, in the second volume that Luke wrote, which we call Acts, we read of the story of the early church. In Acts chapter 2 and 4 (and other places), Peter is a great fisher. But in chapters 10 and 11 we read about how Peter wasn’t also great. He had a very narrow idea of who could be saved. And he said some very offensive things. Again, God had to call him back into his service. That’s because discipleship is about a first commitment that changes everything, and it’s about 10,000 re-commitments to that same treasure.I don’t know what specifically you need to hear today and how you need to respond. But generally for all of us the issues are the same. We think that if we get everything the world could offer us, then we’d be happy. We’d have our needs met. We’d be secure. We’d be fulfilled. But we won’t be happy, secure, or fulfilled. Our hearts were made for more. We need Jesus. And when we have him—though we do not deserve him—our lives are never the same.
1 Bock, Luke: NIV Application Commentary, 154. Cf. ESV Study Bible graphic on p. 1,851. Also, cf. Mark 1:20 which says, “And immediately he [Jesus] called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.”
2 Here, I’m using the wording from Mark 1 because it’s more familiar to us. The wording of this phrase in Luke is a little different, actually. Luke (likely) tweaked the phrase to emphasis that the men will be “caught alive,” for that’s his word choice indicates.
3 Yes, this is an intentional Jim Eliot allusion.
