The Greatest Fishing Story Ever Told: Luke 5:1-11 - Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

¹Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, ²he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” ⁶When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. ⁷So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” ⁹For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; ¹⁰and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” ¹¹When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. (NRSV)

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As a kid, I was an avid collector of Hot Wheels & Matchbox cars. It’s no wonder, then, that some of my favorite childhood movies included The Love Bug, Smokey & the Bandit, and the TV show Dukes of Hazzard.

It didn’t matter that none of these had much of a plot. The vehicles were the stars of the show. It was entertainment enough for me to see where those cars flying through the air and outrunning their pursuers. 

Very often, the vehicles were extensions of the characters who drove them: like the Batmobile, or KITT from Night Rider. Doc Brown and Marty McFly had their DeLorean; the Ghost Busters their Ecto-1; Jesus and his disciples traveled by fishing boat. 

In today’s Gospel, we find Jesus aboard a fishing boat that belonged to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. He’s using it as a makeshift pulpit to preach to the crowds gathered on the shore. 

As soon as he finishes speaking, Jesus tells Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

Simon replies, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing.” I imagine they’re exhausted from working all night, and recasting their nets wasn’t as simple as casting a fishing line back into the water. This would’ve been backbreaking, labor-intensive work. And if there weren’t any fish there before, why would there be now?

But the day before, they witnessed Jesus casting a demon out of a man at the synagogue in Capernaum.  Jesus then went to the home of Simon’s mother-in-law and healed her of a deadly fever. At this point, they’re willing to take Jesus at his word. So, they let down their nets. They end up catching so many fish that the nets begin to break. They need their partners James and John to bring their boat to help bring in the catch. 

Simon cries “get away from me, Lord; I’m a sinful man!” But Jesus replies: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they bring the boats to shore, Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John leave everything behind and follow him.

But still, you have to wonder: what did Jesus want with four ordinary persons who caught fish for a living? This would be like the Steelers recruiting a new starting quarterback from a spelling bee. Normally, a Jewish rabbi would recruit disciples from the temple or the local synagogue. Certainly not from a fishing boat. 

But “catching people” is precisely what Jesus came to earth to do. These four disciples will quickly find that fishing for people won’t be all that different from fishing for fish.

Patience and persistence are the name of the game. Many days, you’ll work hard and not catch anything—but you can’t give up. You need to go where the fish are. Sometimes, your biggest catches will happen in the worst storms. You will never catch fish if you stay on shore.

I truly believe that the 21^st century American church has forgotten that we are still fishing for people. Instead of sailing off into the world, we remain parked in our buildings, thinking that if we have the best music, the best buildings, the best programs, the best leaders, the fish will come to us. It’s like if you’re sitting on the lakeshore, and the fish jump out of the water and into your cooler—because your fishing boots came from Cabela’s, and you have a nicer cooler than everyone else fishing the lake. 

Sometimes, I wonder if we even want to catch people; or, we’re more focused on staying safe and comfortable on the land. We’re afraid to venture our into the storms where God’s people are suffering. Perhaps we think that there aren’t any people left to catch because the big non-denominational churches have caught them all. Perhaps we believe that we are incapable of catching people. 

But Simon and Andrew, James and John leave everything to follow Jesus—their boats, their nets, their families, and the biggest payday they’d ever had. This isn’t so much a testament to their faith as it is a testament to Jesus’s power to catch people in his gracious love. 

What did Jesus do to catch you… You aren’t here by accident. You’re here because of all that Jesus has done for you. Did he rescue you from a fiery trial? Did he send someone who loved and accepted you like no one ever had? Were you blind and he gave you sight? Were you dead and he made you alive? 

But if you’re not catching people, and this church isn’t catching people, we need to take an honest look at ourselves and ask if we’re truly following Jesus. I know that sounds harsh, but are we not eager to invite others into the love that changed everything for us? Are we not desiring of new and deeper relationships with others, that we might grow together and have a greater impact on our communities?

How poor we are if we don’t catch people—and I’m not talking about money. I’m talking about your relationship with God growing dull due to a lack of people with whom you can pray, you can cry; that you can celebrate with, that you can lean on. 

The problem is not that there aren’t any fish left to catch, or that we lack the means to catch them. The real question to ask is this: what’s keeping you on the shore? What do you fear will happen if you set sail with Jesus? That you won’t catch anyone? That you will perish in the storms? That this whole mission is bogus?

We are people of the boat, not the building. We don’t stay in one place; we are on the move. Discipleship is an adventure of amazing grace, loving people, serving people, and catching people. Jesus changes the lives of the people we catch; and Jesus changes our lives as we set sail to catch them. This truly is the greatest fishing story ever told. Will you follow him?