This year, we are following Luke’s Gospel in worship as we hear about the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. According to Luke’s account, Jesus’ ministry was to people on the fringe; those who were not considered respectable members of the community. These include people who were outsiders and foreigners, tax collectors and prostitutes. You get the picture. In fact, it has been said that the summary of Luke’s Gospel is found in the first two verses of Luke 15, which reads: “Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him [Jesus]. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:1-2). This verse is the filter through which we read all of Luke.

In the month of February, while still in the season of Epiphany, one of the appointed Gospel lessons comes from Luke 5:1-11 ESV - Jesus Calls the First Disciples - On - Bible Gateway. Take a moment to read this and then to reflect upon it. Here, Jesus is standing by the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Lake of Gennesaret, or the Sea of Tiberias. Because of the crowd that was pressing in on him to hear what he was preaching, Jesus got into a boat and taught the crowd from there. We’re not actually told what Jesus taught here, but what follows is vitally important.

Then as now, fishing is done early in the morning or at night. Simon Peter was a seasoned fisherman and made his living from the waters of the Sea of Galilee. So it may seem a little odd when Jesus, who grew up in a carpenter’s workshop, tells Peter, the seasoned fisherman, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). Peter could have made a very snarky reply here, but what he said was this: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5). Jesus called Peter to do the counter-intuitive thing; to do the very opposite of what he thought was the right course of action. Peter does express some misgiving, but he follows through with obedience to what Jesus directed him to do. And that’s the lesson for us. Jesus sometimes (maybe oftentimes) calls us to do the counter-intuitive thing in our lives. He asks us to do what seems to go against common sense, against our better judgment. But isn’t Scripture filled with examples of how God called his people to do things like this? Build an ark when it wasn’t raining. March around a city for seven days in order to take it. Anoint a young shepherd to be king of Israel. Accomplish salvation by sending God-in-the-flesh as a baby. You’d think we would understand this better than we do, but the truth is, we don’t. Every generation – every believer – has to learn the lesson that God does things differently than we do. We have to be willing to get over ourselves. We have to humble ourselves, let go of the control, and let God be God. Can we do this? Will we do this?

After following Jesus’ instructions, Peter finds that something beyond extraordinary happens. So many fish were now caught in the nets that the nets themselves began to break! And Peter’s fishing partners had to be called over with another boat to haul in the enormous catch of fish. In fact, there were so many fish that the two boats started to sink. It must have been an incredible moment for everyone involved, but Peter recognizes that this is beyond what humans could engineer. This event has only come about from the Lord. Again and again in Scripture, when sinful human beings find themselves in the presence of the holy God, there is an overwhelming sense of fear. Peter’s response reflects this fear and holy awe: “he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord’” (Luke 5:8).

Note that Jesus doesn’t even address Peter’s sense of his own sinfulness. He moves on to something more important. Jesus doesn’t leave Peter hanging; uncertain of where he stands. Jesus reassures Peter with these words of comfort and calling: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:10). “Do not be afraid” – those words were not just for Peter but are for each and every one of us today. We are afraid of so many things in life, and we can be paralyzed by that fear if we allow this to happen. Jesus calls us to something far better. He opens a new door for Peter and for us. Jesus moves us from wallowing in our own sinfulness to serve a greater purpose. He calls us to become fishers of men.

Jesus calls us to put out into the deep in our own lives today. Like Peter, we may have misgivings. We may hesitate to do what Jesus is calling us to do. We may think we know better. The question for us is: will we do what Jesus asks us to do? At the end of the day, that is what it’s about. We can choose to dwell in the land of fear; always wondering “What if?” Or we can choose to do what Jesus asks us to do. That, of course, involves risk, and we may be adverse to taking risks. What if this doesn’t work out? What if I’m not prepared for all that’s ahead? What if…? The simple truth is that when Jesus calls us, he also provides what’s needed for the way ahead. We are not left alone to fend for ourselves. Jesus himself is with us.

Perhaps the most amazing thing in this entire account is the response of Simon Peter, James, and John: “And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11). We may well ask ourselves: could I do that? Would I just leave everything behind and follow Jesus? Discipleship involves following, and that may look different in each of our lives. This same Jesus who accomplished this miraculous catch of fish on the Sea of Galilee is the same Jesus who loves us and laid down his life on the cross for us. He calls us to that full and abundant life which he came to bring (John 10:10). And it all begins by putting out into the deep. Let the fishing begin!