You will fish for people (Luke 5a)

 From now you will fish for people (David Yun)

Luke 5:1-11

Key verse 5:10b

When I visited Korea in January, I had a chance to meet with some of my college friends. We had not seen for almost 30 years. As soon as I got to the place where we were supposed to meet, one of my friends said to me, “Hey, you got old.” It was not a pleasant word to hear. So, I almost said, “You too.” Anyway, it was a nice meeting. We had studied together in the same classrooms for four years. However, after graduation we each went different ways. Some friends worked at big companies like Samsung. Some others went to graduate school. A few of us, including myself, joined the army. After I was discharged from the military service, however, I found that only I was unemployed. My friends seemed to be doing well at work and at school. I suffered a sense of loss. However, now after 30 years later we are all getting old whether successful or not. I see no difference among us but one thing. Some have fished for themselves while some others have fished for others. There are two kinds of people in the world - people who fish for themselves and people who fish for people. Which group do you think you belong to? Are you fishing for yourself or people? What is it to fish for people by the way?

In today’s passage, Jesus calls Simon at the lake of Gannesaret to fish for people. Let’s go to the lake of Gennesaret, which is also known as the lake of Galilee. The lake is about 600 feet below the sea level. It is approximately 33 miles in circumference, about 13 miles long, and 8.1 miles wide. It has a maximum depth of approximately 141 feet. The rabbis said, "Although God has created seven seas, yet He has chosen this [lake] as His special delight." To us, it is very special because Jesus did his ministry around there, teaching and performing miracles. Most of all, here he called his first disciples - Simon, John and James. How did Jesus call them and with what purposes? I pray that we can hear Jesus’ call for each of us through this passage.

I. Jesus asked Simon to put his boat a little from shore for his teaching.

1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat

One day Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. People were crowding around Jesus and listening to the word of God.  As he said in 4:43-44, Jesus continued to engage in preaching good news of the kingdom of God and more people came to him. While he was teaching by the lake, Jesus saw two boats left at the water’s edge and fishermen who were washing their nets. Usually, fishermen fished at night and finished in the morning by washing their nets to prepare for the next catch.

Here we are seeing a very interesting scene. From the early morning the crowd was flocking at the quiet lake, which was uncommon and intriguing. These fishermen saw this and should have showed some interest to it (like rubbernecks). But they shrugged it off, saying, “What is going on there? I don’t know. Whatever, I am tired and let’s finish washing our nets.” They did not seem to care whatever it was and just tried to get their job done.

Jesus, however, paid attention to this indifferent small bunch of fishermen. He came to them and got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon. Then he asked Simon, “Would you please push out a little from shore?” Jesus asked Simon for help so that he could use his boat probably to keep himself from the push of the crowd while teaching. Simon said, “OK” out of respect or a sense of obligation. In fact, Simon owed Jesus because Jesus healed his mother-in-law (4:38-39). However, Jesus was not merely collecting on obligations. He had a more important agenda with Simon as we can see later.  Anyway, Jesus was already in the boat and Simon could not reject Jesus’ request. He pushed out his boat out little from shore and Jesus sat down in it and taught.

Where was Simon then while Jesus was teaching? A boat does not remain at the same spot on the moving water. So, someone, who is skillful at rowing, must be on board to control it. So, Simon was likely with Jesus in his boat. That implied that he probably sat or stood behind Jesus and heard Jesus’ teaching and saw all the interactions between Jesus and the crowd. All of sudden, Jesus changed Simon’s fishy boat into a pulpit and Simon happened to be part of Jesus’ teaching. It must have been a very strange and odd feeling to Simon. It was a very different and unfamiliar experience because Simon had used his boat only for fishing from his childhood. (It is like if you borrow your friend’s smartphone who is playing games with it. But you are using it to read the Bible. How would your friend feel?) In the meantime, Simon was getting interested in Jesus and his word. He began to nod, “Wow, his teaching is very clear and profound. Yes, what he is saying is right…” He even said Amen. Gradually he got drenched with Jesus’ teaching. In this way, Jesus invited Simon to his teaching and to the spiritual realm for the first time.

II. Jesus told Simon to put out into deep water for a catch.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Now Jesus finished speaking and Simon thought Jesus would leave his boat. But Jesus turned around to Simon and told him to put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch. Previously, Jesus had asked Simon for favor - to push out the boat a little from shore. But now he asked Simon for much more than favor. Actually, it sounded like a command. What did Simon say?

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.” He hesitated to follow Jesus’ instruction because,

·         Simon already worked hard all night and he was dead tired. He needed to finish washing the nets quickly for the next day’s catch. Taking more time with Jesus could ruin his next catch.

·         To his best knowledge, Jesus’ instruction did not make sense. There is no fish in deep water in daylight. Jesus was a landlubber but Simon was a seasoned fishing captain. He knew a great deal about fishing. He knew well where fish were in the lake. Simon felt hurt since Jesus seemed to ignore his fishing expertise.

·         By the way, Simon already served Jesus long enough until Jesus was finished. “Why should I bother letting down the nets again?”

Simon’s voice was a little grumpy and he hesitantly looked at Jesus. He did not say further, and Jesus did not say either but was still waiting for Simon’s answer. An awkward silence continued for a while and then finally Simon broke it, saying “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

Simon would let down the nets. Why? Because Jesus said so. Probably he did not expect a catch. He knew that chances were little that he could catch fish. But he decided to try it out based on Jesus’ word. Just before, he learned that Jesus’ word was true and trustworthy. His word was powerful and living. His trust in Jesus’ word encouraged Simon to catch fish in deep water. So, he rolled up the nets and put them back into his boat. Probably, he must have convinced his companions and partners on what he was doing. They rowed out to deep water and let down the nets. It required a great deal of labor and time.

There may be a time when we are pushed to do something that goes beyond our understanding. Sometimes, God asks us to do something unreasonable to us. We may be unhappy or disgruntled. We can selectively follow some of his words that are feasible and reasonable to us. However, we should remember that God’s word is true and beyond our understanding. Actually, our faith grows when we obey God’s word even if it is hard to understand and accept.

III. When he obeyed Jesus’ word, Simon caught a large number of fish.

What happened when he obeyed Jesus?

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink…9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

When they began to pull up the nets, they felt something very heavy coming up. It was fish. A lot of fish! The fish they failed to find all night jumped from the water and splashed water in their eyes. They pulled up the nets but the nets began to break because there were a lot fish in it. So they needed help from their partners. James and John quickly came and threw the fish into their boats. The fish were flip-flopping in their boats. It was so many that the boats began to sink.

They had never have seen or caught such a large number of fish in their entire lives. “Simon, have you ever seen this kind of big catch? O my goodness, it is hilarious, crazy.” That was a dream catch they had wished. It was like hitting the jackpot! They were amazed and excited and shocked.

IV. They were astonished at Jesus’ divine power and Simon feared Jesus.

What might have went through Simon’s mind when he saw this miraculous catch? He was amazed and mesmerized at the sight. He could not believe what he was seeing. While the others were excited about the catch, Simon paid attention to Jesus. He wondered, “Who is this man? How did he know where all fish were? It looks like he commanded fish to come into the nets.” And then he remembered Jesus’ healing his mother-in-law and his powerful teaching in his boat. All of sudden, things got pieced together and clicked in his mind. “He is not a mere man. He is Lord!” Simon had thought that Jesus was a teacher and then a master, and now he realized that he was Lord.  He saw God in Jesus. Then, he knelt down and pleaded with him to go away.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Interestingly, he said he was a sinful man. Those days fishermen were middle-class people and Simon had his own boat and probably his own house too. Sometimes like that night he caught nothing, but he was pretty much satisfied with his job. Though it was not easy to stay on the water all night almost every day, he was happy to sell the fish he caught and buy something for his family. This was a kind of typical life even modern people live – work, buy, and have a family. What was wrong with that? Did he do some bad things we don’t know? In what sense did Simon say he was a sinful man? Of course, everyone is a sinner before God. But when Simon said he was a sinful man, it meant something specific.

From his childhood, Simon had never thought about something else other than catching fish. That was his only job supporting him and his family. Fishing was his life and priority. He and his companions always talked about fishing. (Like people who always talk about their professions) Simon plied his trade every day in the hope for a great catch. So, even when Jesus taught the crowd at the shore, Simon did not pay attention to Jesus’s teaching because such things were too luxurious and impractical to him. Surviving in this tough world was much more important to him. But when he heard Jesus’ teaching and then saw such a large number of fish when he obeyed, his thoughts began to change and his eyes were opened. Through Jesus’ divine word and power Simon saw a different realm, which was real and transcended anything he had looked for. He also wondered why Jesus did not use his knowledge and power for himself but wandered around, teaching and serving people for nothing. How could such things be more important to him than the large number of fish he had wished for? Simon was suddenly faced with a man who had made a real choice between God and money and challenged Simon’s priority and value system. Simon began to realize that he had lived a selfish life and toiled only for food in vain, which was a cursed life due to sin. His life and his fishing world were so futile and selfish in comparison with things Jesus showed. He realized that he was a sinful man struggling to survive in this cursed world. In some sense he was not much different from fish he caught from the lake. He would live like fish and die with fish in the end. He was doomed. And now the Lord who would judge sinners was standing before him, which made him very afraid.

Since I am a computer programmer, I work together with many other IT guys at work. In the morning they first go to the kitchen to brew coffee. They often talked with others there who also come in for coffee. What they talk about every day is computer and technologies. Some women talk about food and health. And then they begin to work in front of their computer all day long and then go home. They come back to work the next day. But one day a couple of years ago, a woman, who always talked about how to live a healthy life, did not come to work. Surprisingly, she died of lung cancer a week after she found it. One of my previous bosses was involved twice in car accident and that worsened his illness and then he died soon. One day in the afternoon while being busy with work, my other boss heard that his wife was killed in a car accident in the morning. I know they were all smart and hardworking people but they ended up with futility. People think that this world will last forever and they can live a happy life, working hard. But that is not the case. We struggle to survive and so live a selfish and sinful life. And then we all die in futility. But that is not all. We will face God’s judgment.  Simon trembled before Jesus with fear, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” But then he heard a surprising word from Jesus.

V. Jesus called Simon to catch people and they followed him, leaving everything.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

“Don’t be afraid” means “I will accept you as you are, so you should not fear.” Jesus was not there to judge Simon, but to meet him and accept him and even forgive his sins. What surprised Simon much more was Jesus’ next word – “from now on you will fish for people.” By saying this, Jesus meant, “I will make you a fisher of people. You should no longer catch fish for food and for yourself only. See what I have done for you and the crowd. I am fishing people alive. Come out of your futile life and join me. I will bless your life fruitfully as you caught such a large number of fish.”

So far Jesus had shown and demonstrated the life of catching people. It is a totally different life than the earth-bound life Simon had lived. It is not a life that perishes in vain. It is not a life cursed by sin. But it is a life that is meaningful and truthful and fruitful. It is a life to serve people and bring people to God. It is a life to follow Jesus and join his ministry. “You will fish for people.” Jesus invited Simon to the totally different realm, which was full of life and joy. How did Simon respond?

11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Simon and his partners, including John and James, pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. They did not hesitate to follow Jesus and become his disciples. Now that they knew what was the most important and who Jesus was, they made a real decision between catching fish and catching people. Later, as Jesus promised, they became the most powerful and fruitful men in the world. See how powerfully Peter and John brought thousands of people back to God in the book of Acts.

By the way, is Jesus’ call only for Simon? Read 1 Pet 2:9.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Simon Peter who received Jesus’s call said that we all believers are called to fish for people when we are saved. Jesus is also calling you to fish for people. Jesus has saved you from your sins. Jesus has taught you the word of life. Jesus has shown how good it is to love and serve people. Now he is also calling you out of your selfish, futile and earth-bound life into an unselfish, meaningful, and fruitful life as he has. He is calling you to declare his forgiveness and goodness to your family and to your friends. “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people. I will make you a fisher of people”

By the way, fishing for people does not necessarily mean that we all should be pastors or missionaries. Actually, most Christians are laymen like engineers, nurses, computer programmers, doctors, and mechanics. But what matters is what you do with your jobs rather than whether or not you serve God fulltime. Someone is good at fishing people. Some people are good at teaching. Some are good at administration or technologies.

One Korean man started a shoe business in Indonesia with 300 dollars and has grown to be a big business selling 25 million dollar shoes a year. The key to his success is his human-centered business. His primary concern is how to serve his employees. He begins a day, greeting 20 thousand employees at the entrance of the building. He has provided them with all kinds of good facilities and medical systems. His sincere love has won the people’s hearts (By the way, most of them are Muslims) and they really respect him and work hard. I researched on him out of curiosity and found out that he is a Christian. But he is not a pastor or a missionary but a layman. He declares the praise of Jesus among Muslims. This is an example of the life fishing for people.

At the beginning of my message, I said that I met some of my college friends. I also met another group of friends. We met in the same campus ministry and worked together for the same purpose, which was to serve college students with the word of God. We had not seen one another for many years. But no one said, “You are old.” Instead, we encouraged one another in God and gave thanks to God. Some of them still work for our ministry and some others in other ministries as pastors or laymen. No one regretted our decision to follow Jesus and fish for people. It was a great pleasure and honor to follow our Lord Jesus and serve people together with such friends. I never regret my decision to live up to God’s call. It is God’s grace to be called by him and be used for his work.

Now Jesus is calling you to fish for people. He is saying, “Do not live fish for yourself and food only, which is futile. From now you will fish for people. Come with me and join me in saving people as I have done for you.” Now our Lord Jesus is waiting for your answer. Are you following him to catch people or are you still catching fish in your boat?

By David Yun