We have all been there. You may be there right now. The Lord asks you
to do the unreasonable. It doesn’t matter if you have followed the Lord for a
length of time OR if you really don’t know Jesus very well at all. He asks you to do something that has an
entire list of justifiable “no’s.” Your very honest response is, “You can’t be
serious!”
That is exactly where we find Simon Peter in Luke 5:1-11. Take a moment and re-familiarize
yourself with this event, before we launch into the details.
These seasoned fishermen had just had a frustrating
night. Fishing was done at dawn and dusk
when the fish were most active, the lake calmer and the temperatures in this
semi-tropical climate more tolerable. That
night, dusk had drug into dawn when haul after haul resulted in catching
n.o.t.h.i.n.g! When I go fishing that is to be expected, however, not for them,
and not for the area where they were fishing.
Gennesaret was the fertile plains, approximately 3 miles in length along
the northwest bank of the Sea of Galilee.
This portion, referred to as the Lake of Gennesaret, was renown for fishing. Magdala to the south was known as the
“bulwark of fishing” and Bethsaida to the north was called “home of fishing.”
Josephus reported that Magdala at this time had a fishing fleet of 230 boats.
Capernaum and Bethsaide had their own abundance. There was a reason: this part of the lake
teamed with fish. Catching nothing at all was more than just frustrating; it
was weird.
They had pulled their boats to shore and were in the
processes of going over their large nets very carefully. Removing debris,
mending any breaks, preparing it to bleach in the sun to remove any fish-repelling
odors, looking carefully to see if the net was the reason for their exhausting
night of work with nothing to show for it.
They chose to do it here where there was a bit more room rather than
back at the dock where other fishermen were hauling in their catch. This was the very same spot where Jesus “just
happened” to stop. (A coincidence or a co-incidence – a demonstration of God’s
sovereignty?)
Up to now Jesus had been preaching in the synagogues
in the area, but the crowds were getting too big for these small places of
worship. The seaside provided ample room, but even there the crowd pressed in
on Him. Two choices: in the water or on
the water. Though we know from a later event (John 6:19) that He could have
actually just stood on the water, this early in His ministry no one was ready
for that revelation of who He was and what He could do. So He asked Simon Peter
if he would mind letting Him use his boat as a podium or pulpit. That meant stop what he was doing – washing
the nets, delay finally getting to bed and sit around while Jesus talked. It
was definitely a justified “no!,” but Simon Peter responded graciously.
Up to this point, Peter had probably been
eavesdropping, but now was a captive audience. From verse 9, Peter wasn’t the
only one in the boat. These boats were too large for one person to maneuver.
His brother Andrew was most likely with him, as well as an apparent small crew
– “his companions.” They all could have caught a much-needed
nap, but it is clear that at least Peter was listening very closely to
everything Jesus said. Unfortunately we do not have a record of this seaside
message like we have of a later sermon by the sea found in Matthew 13.
We also do not know how long Jesus spoke, but now that
He was done teaching, it is time to go home and go to bed. No, Jesus saw it as
time to go to work!
“When He had finished
speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep
water and let down your nets for a catch.’”
Here is where Jesus really asked for the unreasonable.
Let’s break it down.
1)
Inconvenient –
They are already exhausted. Now, again,
more! “You can’t be serious!”
2)
Illogical
– As mentioned earlier, fishing was done at dusk and dawn, NOT in the middle of
the day. They were the seasoned fishermen; they weren’t sure who He was – a
teacher, preacher, former tradesman (carpenter or stonemason). They knew when
to go fishing with any reasonable expectation of success. It wasn’t now.
3)
Irrational
– Jesus told them to go out into deep water.
The deep water of the Sea of Galilee was over 150 feet. Fish in that
area, at that time of day, went deeper than their nets could reach. Going out
where there was even less a chance of success also required more time and more rowing!
4)
Inane
– He was asking them to do again what didn’t work before (when it was the right
time and the right place). Isn’t the
definition of stupidity: doing the same thing the same way and expecting a
different outcome? At least this time
Jesus didn’t ask them to cast the nets on the right side like He did in John 21. The steering oar was mounted on the right
side, thus the net was always cast to the left. Thrown on the right risked
tearing the net on the oar or worse, damaging the oar and losing means of
control. (Jesus saved that unreasonable request when they knew Him a lot
better.)
5)
Inordinate
(unusually large or inappropriately demanding) – They had just cleaned those
huge nets. Again meant more work later.
Again meant they may “never” see their beds.
All these added up to a long list of
justifiable “no’s.” Peter was honest in
his response, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing.” Their failure wasn’t because they hadn’t
tried, hadn’t worked hard, hadn’t given their best. They worked all night when
it was logical to quit when it got dark and start over in the morning. “BUT
UPON YOUR WORD I WILL LET DOWN MY NET!”
In other words, “Because it is You asking me to do it, I will do
it.” Something Peter heard that day
convinced him that Jesus was worth the effort – worth the risk.
They rowed out and did the unreasonable
just because Jesus asked them to. The
result was a hauling of fish that was far more then they could haul into the
boat. They signaled James and John who were watching and waiting back on shore.
(That crew could have gone on home themselves, but apparently hung around to
see what came of this foray into the impossible.) Where Simon Peter expected to
catch nothing again, there was enough to nearly sink two fishing boats.
This was their first experience with Jesus being “able to do far more
abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20)
Peter’s willingness to do the
unreasonable had several outcomes: 1) He discovered how amazing Jesus
truly is. This was just the beginning. Over the next three years and the rest
of his life, he would be even more amazed as unreasonable was met by opportunities
of faith. 2) He got an honest look at himself in light of Christ. Unfortunately that isn’t always pretty, but
always revealing. 3) Changed his life, his priorities and his purpose forever. You have to love the fact that Peter wasn’t
the only one floored with amazement.
Let’s
make this personal.
What unreasonable thing is Jesus asking
you to do?
Are you resisting with your own list of
justifiable “no’s”?
What have you heard from or about Jesus
that makes Him worth making the effort or taking the risk?
Who is in the “boat” with you or
watching from the shore that you would also like to be amazed by who Jesus is?
He may ask the inconvenient, illogical,
irrational, inane and inordinate in order do the impossible, but you have to
“put out into the deep water and let down your nets.” How are you going to respond?