February 7, 2010
Going Deep for the Catch
- Luke 5:1-11
- Dr. Teri Thomas
My husband Jack does not cook. He does grocery shopping and he cleans up, but he doesn’t cook. I, on the other hand, have been cooking since I was a young child. I had an aunt who taught me, my grandmother taught me, and my mother taught me. I know a fair amount about cooking. So I am in the kitchen doing my thing and Jack walks in and watches for about 5 seconds. Then he proceeds to tell me how to cook. “Why don’t you try doing this?” “Why don’t you add this?” “Shouldn’t you being doing that a different way? ” Who died and made him Emeril Lagasse? Jack telling me how to cook is like me telling Peyton Manning how to throw a football.
We all have unique gifts and we have all attained specialized knowledge in our lives. Maybe we should stick to what we know and stay out of the stuff we do not understand.
My guess is that thought crossed Simon’s mind in this morning’s Gospel reading. This guy grew up in a fishing village. He came from a fishing family. He made his living fishing. He had been doing it for years and he had been doing it all night. Then Jesus comes along, a carpenter turned preacher, and says, “Hey Simon, go out there deeper and throw in your net.” Who died and made him a fishing pro?
Can you just see Simon rolling his eyes? See him wink at his partners? Can you hear the patronizing tone in his voice? “Sure Jesus, we have been doing this all night long with little success, we are the experts here, but sure Jesus, whatever you want, we’ll go out there where there are not any fish, at the wrong time of day with the wrong equipment and see if we can’t catch some fish just to make you happy.”
And they did row out.
And they did catch fish.
And they did make him happy.
Jesus asks Simon to go deeper, to move away from the safety of the shore, out into the lake
into an experience of God, into a demonstration of God’s bounty.
This is really not a story about fishing. It is a story of faith, of Jesus power moving people to consider acting in new ways even when they knew better, of Jesus offering an alternative to what they already knew and trusted. Faith is trusting God enough to try again
We know what happens next – Simon Peter catches so many fish that the other fishermen have to come out and help. And Simon has sense enough to recognize a miracle when he sees one. He falls down before Jesus utterly open to something far beyond his understanding, something that makes him painfully aware of his own limitations and his unworthiness, something that can, and will, transform his life.
Jesus has done something counter to all Simon knew as possible. "Don't be afraid," Jesus says.
"From now on, you're going to be fishing for people." Next thing you know, Simon Peter, James and John walk away from their boats, their sources of livelihood and security; they leave everything to follow Jesus.
We know it would take a lot for us to walk away from our homes, our jobs, our retirement savings, our health insurance. And it strikes us, if we're really honest this morning, as wholly unrealistic and perhaps even irresponsible to walk away from our work and the people it supports, including ourselves.
But then perhaps that's not the point of the story. When Mother Teresa was on the speaking circuitShe would tell of walking away from everything and spending her life serving the poor.
Mother Teresa said that Americans thought that sounded romantic. They were always saying they wanted to leave their lives here and go to India to work with her. And she said to them, "Stay here, right where you are, and love the people God has given you to love. Care for people right where you are."
Jesus comes to us in the midst of the life we have. Jesus came into a place of work. He came to the disciples on their boats, in their offices, doing what they do and invited them to do their work with him and for him. The last thing those tired fishermen were expecting was a showing of God's awesome power right there, at the end of another workday.
Jesus still shows up and surprises us, coming to where we live and work everyday, telling us to try what we know in our hearts will never work, calling us to trust, calling us to obey, calling us to try the impossible and next thing you know, our lives are changed forever.
Thanks be to God.
Amen