Luke 5:1-11 At Your Word I Will Parkdale Grace Fellowship Sunday AM, March 23, 2014 This is actually the third time that Jesus has encountered Simon Peter in the scriptures. His decision to fully devote his life to following Jesus didn t take place suddenly but over a series of encounters. Peter s brother, Andrew was the first. Andrew was originally a disciple of John the Baptist. John 1:35 42, "Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, What do you seek? They said to Him, Rabbi (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), where are You staying? 39 He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas (which is translated, A Stone)." Then these men are invited along with Jesus to go to the wedding at Cana where they witnessed Jesus turn water into wine. We are not too sure how much time Simon Peter and Andrew spent with Jesus after the wedding at Cana but we next see them back at work in Capernaum fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Mark 1:16 20, "And as [Jesus] walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men. 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him." These four fishermen would then have followed Jesus on His tour of the other cities in the area of Galilee which is mentioned in Luke 4:43. Luke 4:43 44, "but He said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent. 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee." Then after the preaching tour of the cities of Galilee is over they returned to their home base in Capernaum, and the four fishermen return to their jobs and Jesus continues teaching in Capernaum. That is where our story begins today. Luke 5:1 2, "So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets."
2 The multitude was eager to hear Jesus teaching. Just what was it that Jesus was teaching the people? Luke 5:1 says that the multitude pressed about Jesus to hear the word of God. Jesus was teaching them the Bible, specifically the Old Testament. The major emphasis of Christ s ministry was not performing miracles but it was to teach the word of God; and that will also be the major emphasis of our ministry if we let that same Spirit work through our lives that was ministering through Christ. And they were crowding Him because the multitude was large and the people at the back were having trouble hearing, so they were pressing in closer. So in verse two Jesus looks for a solution to the problem how can He project His voice better so that more people can hear Him? He sees two empty fishing boats sitting on the shore with the owners nearby working on their fish nets after a night of fishing. Luke 5:3, "Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat." At this point Simon Peter had come to know Jesus quite well. He had travelled many days with Jesus and heard Him preach many sermons and had seen many miracles. So it was totally natural for Jesus to climb into Peter s boat and ask Him to take Him out on the water. He would use Peter s boat as a floating pulpit. (Hughes, p. 160) By getting out a short distance from shore on the water Jesus voice would project loudly for a great distance across the water, and the crowd could spread out a little along the shore so that all the people on shore could easily hear Him. Luke 5:4 5, "When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net. " Keep in mind that Jesus, though He is God, is living and functioning as a man during those 33 years He spent on earth. As far as we know, Jesus knew nothing about fishing. But so long as He was being led by the Spirit of God, He could speak authoritatively into situations that He had no natural knowledge about. The same is true for us. We don t limit our sphere of ministry to those places that we are naturally familiar with and feel comfortable in. We follow wherever the Lord leads and speak whenever He gives us prompting. Simon s relationship with Jesus was such that he already considered Jesus to be his master, so when Jesus (who knew nothing about fishing) asked him (the experienced fisherman) to do something that seemed ridiculous, especially in front of this crowd of people, Simon gently indicated that Jesus request was a waste of time. But, nevertheless he obeyed because Jesus was his Master. This reveals a great degree of humility, honor and respect on the part of Simon. No wonder he became one of Jesus closest friends. Why did Simon think this was a waste of time? Fishing with nets on the Sea of Galilee was normally done at night when the fish were feeding near the surface of the water. The fish remained at the surface as long as it was dark. When the sun came up the fish descended to the
3 bottom of the lake where the nets couldn t reach them. Experienced fishermen knew that very few fish could ever be caught in the daylight hours. (Dwight Pentecost, p. 143) So Peter, an experienced fisherman, was letting the Lord (the carpenter) know that they (the fishermen) hadn t caught anything all night the best time to fish so now in broad daylight it would really be useless to try catching anything. But Peter obeyed, not because he believed they would catch something he was certain they wouldn t but he obeyed because Jesus had spoken, and Jesus was his Master. It is interesting that it wasn t Peter s faith in the outcome that produced the results, but it was his obedience to the will of His Master that produced the results. We need to learn to be willing to follow and obey the Lord s word even when it looks on the surface like it will be a difficult and unfruitful experience. Are we willing to go where God calls us to go, even if it looks like it will be a totally fruitless and difficult waste of time? We must be willing and obedient to obey the word of the Lord in faithfully serving in a small, unpopular ministry, perhaps attended by only one or two people, with no promising sign of fruitfulness and reward. Why did Jesus ask Peter to try fishing now? Was Jesus working out a plan that He had schemed up? No, I believe Jesus was simply following the moment by moment leading of the Spirit of God and was obedient to speak out to Peter what God was prompting Him to say. In John 8:26, Jesus said, I speak to the world those things which I heard from [the Father] And then again in verse 28 He said, I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. So when Jesus told Peter to launch out into the deeper water and let down his net for a catch, He was being prompted by the Spirit of God to say this it is very possible that Jesus did not know exactly what the Holy Spirit was going to do, but He was obedient to His leading. However, unlike us, Jesus made no mistake in discerning and repeating the word of God what Jesus spoke was a perfect transmission of the Word of God. None of us are that accurate. Let s look closely at Simon Peter s response, Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net. Peter was responding to the greatest power in the universe the word of Christ which was the word of God. Psalm 33:6, "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." When the earth was formless and void, O God, Your voice was heard, saying, Let there be light, and at Your word there was light. And at Your word the waters below were divided from the waters above; At Your word the dry land appeared, and at Your word the earth was clothed with vegetation and life began. Lord, at Your word the sun and moon and stars came into being, and at Your word the living creatures filled the sea, and air and land. "For the word of God is living and powerful " (Hebrews 4:12) All of the faithful men and women of the Bible who were ever greatly used of God, were so used because they had this same attitude of submission and obedience to the Master, At Your word I will obey It was at God s word that Noah built an ark in the face of great ridicule and scorn; It was at God s word that Abram left the land or Ur not knowing his destination, but only that the word of the Lord had said, Go to a land I will show you; It was at God s word that Moses raised his rod and saw God part the Red Sea delivering his people from Egypt.
4 This should be the God glorifying response of every born again child of God when His word speaks to us even when it makes no sense to our natural understanding Nevertheless at Your word I will obey. What difficult, perhaps even seemingly impossible, challenge has the Lord placed before you? What weakness or inability are you experiencing in life? And what does God s word instruct you to do about it? Does His word seem unreasonable? Does it seem costly? Does it perhaps scare you? Are you trying to ignore it, hoping His call upon you will just go away? What is the only God-glorifying way to respond to Him? At Your word I will as foolish as it seems I will obey. Luke 5:6 7, "And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink." Notice there is more than just Peter in the boat with Jesus, he has a partner, probably his brother Andrew. Notice also the contrast between man s best efforts in verse 5 and God s grace in verses 6-7. Man s best efforts: We have toiled all night and caught nothing. Being led by God s Spirit acting in obedience to His guidance: They caught a great number of fish and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. And this remarkable outcome took place at a time of day when conventional wisdom says you can t catch many fish. God s ways are not man s ways and God is not limited to natural resources or to natural means of provision, or natural qualifications. The Lord will often ask us to do things that the conventional wisdom of the world says can t be done or shouldn t be done. And He will often ask us to follow Him publicly in ways that require us to humble ourselves. How should we respond? At Your word I will do as you say. The Lord may ask you to give sacrificially to a ministry at a time when you are facing great personal financial challenges. At Your word I will The Lord may ask you to give up your job and homeschool your kids when you don t see how you could ever afford that. At Your word I will The Lord may ask you to give up your secure career and embark on a mission or other ministry that requires you to live by faith that God will support you without employment. At Your word I will The Lord may ask you to move your family to an impoverished third world country where the government is corrupt, disease is common and crime is rampant so that you can proclaim the Gospel. At Your word I will The Lord may ask you to share the Good News with people who others say are hardened and won t respond to the Gospel; or that they may even harm you. At Your word I will The Lord may ask you to do any of ten thousand things that you believe to be impossible for you to do. How should we respond? At Your word I will obey. Luke 5:8 10, "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord! 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men. " For someone who has never suffered much with sickness and never struggled to get well, to witness the miracle of healing may not make much of an impact. Or for someone who has never languished under demonic torment, to witness the casting out of demons may not make a big
5 impact. Peter had seen Jesus perform all of these miracles but none of them made quite the impression on him that this miracle had. Peter was an experienced fisherman who had struggled to try to make a living with the unpredictable fishing trade. He knew that he would normally fish all night for a fraction of the fish that this one cast of the net brought in. The significance of this miracle was something which he could understand and relate to. God spoke to him in his own language. This miracle really impressed Peter and his companions, Jesus had radically outperformed them at their own game and they were duly impressed. Simon had fresh revelation about Jesus. Simon realized that in some way he could not understand, Jesus was very closely connected to God and He bowed down to Jesus and called Him Lord (Master, the one who owns me, my God). And Peter became convicted of his own sinfulness and he became afraid of Jesus, realizing that he was unworthy of being in His presence and was deserving of punishment because of his sinfulness. This is the right response of a sinner when they come to realize who Jesus is the right response is to humble ourselves before the Lord, to be sorry for our sin and to recognize that we are totally undeserving of being in the presence of Jesus Christ. But Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved; so He said to Simon in verse ten: Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men. Instead of judging him, Jesus was calling him into service for the Lord. This was a repeat of Jesus call to these same fishermen back in Mark 1:18 where He had said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men. This miraculous catch of fish was more than a demonstration of God s power it was a visual message to Peter and his partners, Andrew, James and John, portraying to them what Jesus was calling them to. He was calling them to a new vocation, not something they would do on the side but something that would transcend and replace their present vocation as fishermen. The Greek word that is translated catch, as in you will catch men, is a compound of the words, living and to catch; meaning to catch alive, or to take captive alive (as in war) instead of killing. The common practice of fishermen is to catch fish unto death. But Peter was called by Jesus to be a fisher of men that he might catch men unto life. (Witness Lee, Recovery Version Bible, footnote) The ministry of the apostle/evangelist which Jesus was calling Peter to was being compared by Jesus to the role of a fisherman. Peter could relate to that calling. The fisherman enjoyed fishing in calm water but often had to work on rough, stormy seas with many life-threatening hazards. So too would the evangelist of the Gospel, sometimes preaching to open, hungry hearts and sometimes to those who reject the message with anger and persecution. The fisherman s calling must be carried out with perseverance; it is a task of going out on the water day after day, month after month all year long constantly casting out the net and pulling it in; sometimes catching fish, sometimes catching nothing but weeds. So too with the evangelist and minister of the gospel, he must be instant in season and out of season; he must cast out the gospel net in all waters and in all conditions. 2 Timothy 4:2 Amplified, Herald and preach the Word! Keep your sense of urgency [stand by, be at hand and ready], whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. [Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, you as preacher of the Word are to show people in what way their lives are wrong.] And convince them, rebuking and
6 correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and teaching. Both the fisherman and the fisher of men must expect disappointments, but let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9 This type of fishing done from boats used large, heavy nets and required teamwork, one man could not do it very easily alone. Likewise, the ministry of the Gospel requires teamwork, one sows, proclaiming the Gospel, another waters through prayer, ministering love, and answering questions, and others harvest, leading the soul to put their trust in God and to disciple them to fruitful maturity. Jesus prophetic declaration that Peter would catch men began to be powerfully fulfilled less than three years later when Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, would preach his first sermon on the Day of Pentecost. And just like he had done here with the fish, on that day when Peter cast out the gospel net he would haul in 3,000 souls who were brought from spiritual death to eternal life. Luke 5:11, "So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him." What does it mean that they forsook all and followed Him? To forsake all, meant that they (not only Peter but also Andrew, James and John) left behind for good, the greatest catch of fish they had ever seen, their boats and all their fishing gear, which was their occupation their way of earning a living. That was all permanently abandoned for a whole new occupation they were now entering training to become fishers of men. And to follow Jesus also meant that they left behind their extended families, their homes, and their whole way of life. Later on Peter and Jesus would have this conversation about what Peter and his companions had given up to follow the Lord: Mark 10:28 30, "Then Peter began to say to Him, See, we have left all and followed You. 29 So Jesus answered and said, Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel s, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life." We are all called to forsake all and follow Jesus. What is the only God-glorifying response? At Your word I will Copyright 2014 by Parkdale Grace Fellowship Permission: You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
7 Discussion Questions 1. Read Luke 5:1-11. On the Sea of Galilee the best time to catch fish with nets is at night. Jesus asks Peter to go fishing at mid-day, probably the worst time of day to try to catch fish. Note Peter s willingness to do as Jesus asks (verses 5-6) and share what insights you gain from this dialog between Jesus and Peter. a. Why do you think Peter was willing to do as Jesus said, even though in the natural it was most likely to fail? What were the motivating factors? b. Give some examples of things (perhaps difficult things) the Lord has asked us to do that do not make sense to the natural mind? c. Can you also give testimony of times when you, or someone you know, have obeyed the Lord s word when it looked unlikely to be successful but God came through? 2. We often emphasize the importance of faith, however, verse six indicates that Peter did not have faith that he would catch fish, but he was acting in obedience to his master, and it resulted in a miracle. a. What insights do you learn from this? 3. Read Luke 5:8. The gospel of Luke emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, but this verse reveals that though Jesus lived as a man, He was more than a mere man. a. What did Simon s actions and the way he addressed Jesus reveal about his understanding of who Jesus was? b. What does Jesus response to Simon reveal about who Jesus knew Himself to be? Explain (c.f., Acts 10:25-26; Revelation 19:10; 22:8). 4. Discus the meaning of the last part of verse ten where Jesus said, Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men. (Compare this with Jesus earlier call to Peter in Mark 1:18.) a. What do you think Jesus was telling Peter to not be afraid of? b. Do you think all followers of Jesus are called to catch men? Why or why not? (Try to support your answers with scripture.) 5. Read Luke 5:11. a. Explain, and give some specific examples of what it means to forsake all to follow Jesus? b. Why do you think these four fishermen forsook all? Had Jesus asked that of them? c. Explain the connection between forsaking all and following Jesus. What is the lesson for us? 6. Describe how you were challenged by some aspect of these scriptures and also describe what steps you need to take now in order to be obedient to what God has spoken to your heart.