A New Kind of Fishing Unit 1: The Spiritual Journey of Peter

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "A New Kind of Fishing Unit 1: The Spiritual Journey of Peter"

Meghan Hamilton
5 years ago
Views:

A New Kind of Fishing Unit 1: The Spiritual Journey of Peter SESSION 1 Scripture Focus Luke 5:1-11 The Word to Live By Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for people (Mark

1 A New Kind of Fishing Unit 1: The Spiritual Journey of Peter SESSION 1 Scripture Focus Luke 5:1-11 The Word to Live By Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for people (Mark 1:17). Session Truth Placing confidence in Jesus frees us to follow Him in spite of our shortcomings. The miraculous catch of fish. Peter s journey began when he recognized Jesus divine power and followed the call to fish for people (Luke 5:10). Light Rolls My Granddaddy was a great cook, and his specialty was homemade yeast rolls. He started from scratch the old-fashioned way. He called them light rolls because once he had baked a batch, he would set out to distribute them to the whole neighborhood in Jesus name, being a light in his community. One day a professional couple with a small child moved in across the street. Hurrying to the kitchen, Grandaddy got a batch of light rolls ready for delivery. But when he knocked on his neighbors door, he was treated harshly and immediately turned away. As night fell and Grandaddy prepared for bed with a heavy heart, there was a knock on his back door. Standing there in the dim light were his neighbors. They had tears in their eyes. They asked for forgiveness for their knee-jerk reaction to Granddaddy s act of kindness. With trembling lips they asked, Can we still have the light rolls? Granddaddy gave them their bread bag along with a big smile. From that day forward, those 2 June 7, 2015 ADULT FAITH CONNECTIONS

2 new neighbors were dear friends, even asking my Granddaddy to babysit their son. Although many men in my family growing up in coastal North Carolina were actual fishermen, my Granddaddy and his light rolls taught me what it really meant to be a fisher of people to live a life of obedience and watch the blessings flow! In this session, we discover that the apostle Peter learned a similar lesson about faithfulness when he received his call to fish to really fish. Scripture Exposition THE LUKE 5 text finds us early in Jesus ministry when much was happening. In the previous chapter of Luke, Jesus was tested in the wilderness and rejected in the synagogue at Nazareth. He also drove out an impure spirit at Capernaum and healed many. Things were very hectic, and in Luke 4:42, the Lord was in search of some solitude. But the crowds pressed in. They wanted more of Him. Jesus was teaching the Word of God from Simon s boat in the northwest region of the Sea of Galilee. The people listening were getting as close to Jesus as they could get without dampening their sandals. Jesus was taking advantage of the acoustic properties of the water to broadcast His message, and An Odd Order Luke 5 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. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch. Simon (a.k.a. Peter), no doubt, was wondering what he had gotten himself into. Then, Jesus gave Simon unusual instructions: Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch (v. 4). This WORDpicture Since the world of the New Testament was essentially that of the Mediterranean Sea, it should not surprise us that the fi shing industry was widespread. There were fi sh markets in many cities, especially around the Sea of Galilee, the small lake in the northern part of Israel where Jesus spent most of His time. Learn more about Fishing in the First Century in this week s Illustrated Bible Life article. JUNE JULY AUGUST June 7,

3 was odd for a number of reasons. First, Jesus was surrounded by many professional fishermen, but He was not one of them remember, He was a carpenter. I was raised in a fishing village; my dad operated a shrimp boat for many years. I can tell you that if a landlubber tried to give advice to a professional fisherman, he might be greeted by a polite smile at best, laughter at worst. No one, especially those who made their living at it, would have expected Jesus to have any particular expertise in fishing. It might be like your pastor diagnosing a problem with your Volkswagen. Second, it was clear that this was not the time for fishing. In fact, it was a rather bad time of day for it (v. 5). But it was what Simon Peter did next that reflected what Jesus was teaching in that moment. Obedience School Luke 5 5 Simon answered, Master, we ve worked hard all night and haven t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets. 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. WE DON T HAVE a clear picture of precisely what Jesus was teaching about as He preached from the boat (v. 3), but if the illustration that followed was any indication and it almost always was Jesus was teaching about the blessing of faithful obedience. This was often Jesus approach first He taught the lesson, then He applied it. Despite the fact that the Lord s command didn t seem to make sense, Peter did precisely as he was told. There may have been reasons not to obey Jesus instruction, of course. They were weary, they had put away their nets, and they had already proven that there were no fish to be caught. Despite the fact that logic was on the side of disobedience, Peter obeyed. Why? The text gives us Peter s reason because you say so (v. 5). Whatever you think about Peter, and however often he would later end up putting his WORDsearch We sometimes struggle with the word obey. Obedience seems like something intended for children, or worse, dogs. But God unapologetically calls for our obedience, even saying in 1 Samuel 15:22, To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 4 June 7, 2015 ADULT FAITH CONNECTIONS

4 foot in his mouth, we must never forget that he did what we sometimes fail to do: He obeyed simply based on Jesus words. He didn t measure the command against reason, check with the other fishermen for their opinion, or try to argue his way out of the order. He didn t spend time calculating reasons not to do what he was ordered to do. He simply obeyed. The result was such an overwhelming blessing that the boat nearly sank. Observers from the shore might have been chuckling to themselves as Peter and his mates wrestled their overloaded boats to the shore. The lesson to those on the shore was that if you are faithful and obedient, you can forget your limits and your expectations. Jesus will shatter them. He will bless you so much so that your boat (expectations) will barely be able to float because they will be so overwhelmed with blessing. That s really the point as Jesus made an example out of Peter s life. When I read this story, I can t help but think of my decision to pursue full-time ministry. When my wife and I first decided that I would pursue my call to preach God s Word, I owned a thriving business and had two young WORDPicture Peter was a fi sherman by trade. He knew that the best time for fi shing with nets was during the dark of night. In fact, he and his partners had been doing just that all night without success. Even beginners knew that it was senseless to fi sh with nets during the morning hours when the sun was shining on the waters. Peter knew that the Lord s request was ludicrous. What happened when Jesus went fi shing was contrary to everything that Peter knew about his trade. It was no mistake that this miracle was in Peter s own fi eld of training. Jesus knew what it would take to get Peter s attention. This was a turning point in Peter s life. children. Nevertheless, we sold most of our stuff, packed up what was left, and headed two thousand miles west to Bible school. It seemed crazy. Truth be told, it probably was crazy. It certainly didn t make much common sense. That was almost 25 years ago, and I m still gleefully wrestling full boats to shore as I help lead a thriving church that blesses me daily. What about you? Can you tell stories of obedience that deepened your commitment to God? Scared to Life Luke 5 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus knees and said, Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man! 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 JUNE JULY AUGUST June 7,

5 sons of Zebedee, Simon s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, Don t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people. 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. THE STORY of the miraculous catch of fish changed Peter. But first, it scared him. He realized something about Jesus that perhaps he hadn t before. In Luke 5:5, Peter addressed Jesus as Master. The Greek word is epistates, a term one might use to address a respected rabbi (teacher). But those two overloaded boats full of fish taught Peter who Jesus really was. So Peter said, Go away from me, Lord. And this time, by using the Greek term kyrios, Peter openly confessed that Jesus was far more than a teacher. In realizing who Jesus was, Peter also realized who he himself wasn t. Perhaps you ve known that feeling when you ve come face to face with the majesty of God. That is what is often referred to as the fear of the Lord. It is also the foundation of humility, an WORDpicture Names mean something, and that is especially true in the Bible. In John 1:42 Jesus said to Simon, You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas (which, when translated, is Peter). Both Cephas and Peter mean rock. This is probably a reference to Peter s foundational role in the building of the Church. important building block in our relationship with God. In this story, we learn two things about Peter that will be critical foundations for understanding him as we study the rest of his journey. First, he was a man of faith. He obeyed just because Jesus said so. Second, despite, or perhaps because of his many missteps, he was humble. He had a realistic understanding of his own stature in comparison with his Lord s. In light of those qualities not in spite of them Jesus had a place for Peter in His kingdom. As history has attested, it was a central place. Peter s shortcomings were not barriers to his journey with Jesus. In fact, those shortcomings may have helped him, since they helped him realize his desperate need for a Savior. In the end, obedience blessed Peter as it changed him. And you shouldn t be surprised when it has the same result in your life. Obeying God will lead to a greater commitment both for you and for those who observe you. As for Peter, from that point forward, he would fish for people (v. 10). The verb Luke uses in the Greek is zogreo to catch. Peter wouldn t just fish, floundering around and hoping for the best; he would spend his ministry wrestling 6 June 7, 2015 ADULT FAITH CONNECTIONS

6 overflowing boats to the shore. Obedience has that effect. Have you found your role in ministry? As we ve learned in this session, finding your place doesn t necessarily start with understanding your skills, but instead, with understanding how much you need God. by KERRY WILLIS Vision Pastor at Harrisonburg First Church of the Nazarene, Harrisonburg, VA JUNE JULY AUGUST June 7,

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the