In Luke 5, we are introduced to some of the earliest disciples of Jesus. Simon (Peter), James, and John were all cleaning their nets after a full night of unsuccessful fishing. These commercial fishing experts had given it all they had, and the fish of the Sea of Galilee had stumped them. Peter had likely fished those waters in that very boat hundreds, if not thousands, of times. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were business partners with Peter, and they had likely fished the waters of Galilee with their father as apprentices for YEARS. This day we’re reading about, the day the fish were uncatchable, is the day Jesus would reveal to these fishermen that He was more than a good teacher or a faith healer. Jesus sees these fishermen cleaning their nets, a clear signal that they were done for the day with nothing to show for their labor. After they had worked all night without profit, Jesus asks to borrow the boat belonging to Peter. Imagine for a moment how you might respond as Peter. Jesus was merely asking to use the boat to teach. How long could it take? Once on the water, and after concluding His teaching, Peter prepares to bring the boat back to shore when this eloquent teacher gives him what would appear to be a futile directive in verse 4: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Did you catch that?
Fishers of men
Jesus isn’t asking Peter to do something he’s unfamiliar with, BUT Jesus does ask him to take one step of faith in his area of expertise. Jesus identifies something Peter is very familiar with and then calls him to take a step of faith. On a recent Sunday evening, Marc preached a great message out of Hebrews 11 where he shared that faith is not based on what we see, but is believing for the unseen based on the character of the ALMIGHTY God. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for” and “the conviction of things not seen.” Without faith it is impossible to please God, and that day on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus asked Peter to take a step of faith. If you read Luke 5, it can appear that Peter lacks faith because of his initial rebuttal in verse 5: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing.” But in James 2, we’re taught that faith is actually DEMONSTRATED by works, so we have to continue reading beyond what Peter says and look at what he DOES. The next words out of Peter’s mouth were, “But at your word, I will…” This Galilean fisherman soon experiences a catch large enough to begin to sink his boat, and not just his, but the boat of James and John as well, and tear his nets. In reading this recently, one thought jumped out of the story and hit me square between the eyes: Peter had not yet become a devoted follower of Jesus, but there was enough trust, enough faith, to take one individual step at a time with Jesus.
Often, we judge our encounters with lost people who we are trying to reach with the gospel by their willingness to make a declaration of faith, abandon their life of sin, and follow Jesus. But sometimes we expect too much commitment, too early. Jesus did not first ask Peter to abandon his career as a fisherman to become a disciple, a following apprentice, at the beginning of the conversation. First, Jesus asked to borrow Peter’s boat for a sermon. Note that Peter was invited along for the sermon by default. Second, He asked Peter for another step toward a life of faith, but this step was well within Peter’s comfort zone because he was a fisherman. Peter could easily understand the mechanics. Then Jesus used Peter’s small, obedient step of faith to reveal Himself as Lord (or master) of creation. As Jesus performs a supernatural miracle and reveals His divine nature to Peter, the fisherman collapses. THEN, and only after all of the preceding steps, Jesus revealed His call for Peter to become a fisher of men. The passage from Luke 5 tells us in verse 11 that they brought the boats to shore, “left everything and followed him.”
I believe we want the same end result for the lost around us, but we expect leaps of faith and don’t always walk patiently with them from one step to another as Jesus reveals His nature to them and His plan for them. In an effort to capitalize on the moments we have, and from a deep-seated theology of the imminent return of Christ, we often skip the baby steps of faith and ask for giant leaps of faith from people God has called us to reach. Today, think through this interaction in Luke 5. There are plenty of interactions in the New Testament Gospel accounts where people abandon everything to follow Jesus simply because His initial invitation and encounter changed them! I am hopeful for powerful encounters with Jesus as we make disciples in obedience. BUT what if we also attempted to walk with people through these baby steps of faith until they encounter Jesus’ power, nature, and call for themselves?
What would this world look like if we were faithful to make disciples the way we see Jesus doing it in Luke 5? What if we recognized that even after this initial call, Jesus spent around three years with Peter, James, and John, shaping them into the men He created them to be? This walk of discipleship won’t happen quickly, and it shouldn’t happen alone. I believe God has called us, as a church, to walk together toward obedience, especially one baby step of obedience at a time.
