A Fishing Trip to Remember
As we move through the season of Epiphany, we see ways in which Jesus reveals the presence and power of God. Today we arrive at the Sea of Galilee as God reveals His abundant presence through Jesus to disciples in-the-making.
Beyond Scarcity: Finding God's Abundance
As we move through the season of Epiphany, we see ways in which Jesus reveals the presence and power of God. We began with the Magi who saw God’s plan in a star; then, we attended a small village wedding in Cana; and for the past two weeks, we visited Jesus's hometown synagogue in Nazareth. Today we arrive at the Sea of Galilee as God reveals His abundant presence through Jesus to disciples in-the-making.
Luke 5:1-11 NIV
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee), 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.”
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.
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 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 Wonder of Catching Fish
As a boy visiting my cousins in south Georgia, Uncle Comer's grocery store in downtown Douglas was a favorite stop. When my cousins and I trooped into Kitchen’s Grocery, Uncle Comer would give us each a small brown paper bag, instructing us to fill it up with the penny candy he kept in large glass jars on the counter. As we made our selections and filled our bags, we felt like we had hit the Sugar Plum Fairy jackpot.
As much fun as we had at the candy counter, the real joy happened at Uncle Comer’s fishing pond, where he taught us about something deeper than just catching fish.
The ritual was always the same. Cousins of all ages would pile into the back of his old pickup truck, bouncing across the pasture to reach his private fishing spot. There he'd outfit us with cane poles, each complete with fishing line, hook, and a red-and-white float.
Of course, we ranged in age from about 4 to 11 or so. Little children have a short attention span, and the youngest among us eventually grew restless when they hadn't caught a fish. That’s when Uncle Comer would go to work.
With a wink toward us older kids, Uncle Comer would say to the youngest, “Let me put another worm on your hook and see if that helps.” While we distracted the young one, Uncle Comer reached into a small bucket, brought out a little fish, and slipped it onto their hook.
Tossing the line-with-fish into the pond, he’d hand the pole back to the little one. In a moment he would look carefully at their float, bobbing on the surface. Quickly, he’d say, “I think you’ve got one” – and with that he would help bring the line to the pond’s bank, fish and all.
The joy in that child's eyes seeing their first catch was about more than just landing a fish - it was about a dream come true, and a memory of Uncle Comer’s generosity that stayed with all of us.
An Old Fishing Story Unlike Any Other
Two thousand years ago, on the Sea of Galilee, seasoned fishermen experienced their own moment of wonder. Simon Peter and his partners had worked through the night with nothing to show for it. Empty nets are a hard reality for those who fish for a living - of far more consequence than a child's disappointment at a quiet fishing pond.
And, yet, Peter, James, John and other fishermen had stayed around, perhaps because they heard Jesus was coming their way. The crowd pressing in to hear Jesus that morning must have included mothers with sick children, an infirmed man brought by concerned friends, tired workers with calloused hands, and fellow fishing crews mending their nets.
This unlikely congregation gathered because they had heard about an abundance flowing from Jesus's presence – broken bodies healed, hungry hearts nourished, and desperate souls filled with hope.
Putting some space between the growing crowd and himself, Jesus steps into Simon Peter’s boat, and teaches from there. After he is finished, Jesus instructs Peter,
“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Wearily, Peter responds, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
The Crisis of Too Much
Going out into the deep isn’t a problem for Peter. What gets him is the futility of casting now-stowed nets into an uncharitable sea, again. But Peter’s respect for Jesus overrides his bone-numbing tiredness. They row out, readying the nets as they go.
Uncoiling the net, Simon Peter and his unnamed companion give each other a look that says – “this isn’t going to work, but we’ll do it just to satisfy you.” With that they cast the net into the sea.
But, Luke doesn't miss a beat before he adds --
“When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.”
No sooner had the nets hit the water than they began to fill rapidly with fish. So many fish that the filaments stretched to the breaking point. We don’t know how many fish they caught, but enough to rip hand-tied nets designed to carry a sizable catch.
Frantically Peter and his companion signal to James-and-John's boat nearby. Quickly they pull alongside Peter’s, struggling to help land the catch. But there are so many fish – too many fish – that not only were the nets inadequate, but water swamps both boats and they began to sink.
Imagine the scene – these are professional fishermen, not weekend hobbyists. They know their equipment, the water, the fish, and the conditions, reading those each night to make the most of their time on the Sea of Galilee. After all, their livelihood depends on their skill and strength.
Peter and his companions were “astonished” at the magnitude of the catch they had taken. But “astonished” doesn’t get at it completely. Peter's momentary awe is overwhelmed by his quick understanding – this is not fishing as usual. After all, they had been all over the Sea of Galilee just a few hours earlier and had not caught a single fish. Something else was at work here.
Peter knew what that something was – it was the presence of God. Just as Isaiah knew when he encountered the presence of God in the Temple 700 years before. And, as Isaiah did, Peter exclaims his unworthiness –
“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
Not that Peter wants Jesus to leave him. No, what Peter wants is to avoid being killed by the proximate power of God. Peter knows the stories of those who got too close to the Divine Presence and were consumed by it. Both amazed and astonished, his reaction is a classic definition of the biblical term – “the fear of the Lord.”
But as he always does, Jesus meets Peter's fearful plea with a life-changing possibility:
"Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people."
The skills these fishermen already had - the ability to work in partnership, the patience to cast nets, the wisdom to read waters - would be transformed for a new purpose. Like my uncle who knew fishing was about more than just catching fish, Jesus saw in Peter and his companions the capacity to help others discover unexpected grace.
Their response was immediate and complete. These fishermen who had just experienced the most successful catch of their lives simply walked away from it all – boats, nets, fish and vocation. They had glimpsed something more valuable than any net full of fish: the chance to participate in gathering people into God's presence. From that day forward, they would help others experience the same transforming wonder they had found when Jesus took them fishing.
Living into Abundance
There's a peculiar crisis that comes with abundance. We know how to handle empty nets - we wash them, mend them, try again tomorrow. But nets breaking from fullness? Boats sinking from blessing? This kind of abundance disrupts everything.
And so, these fishermen, witnesses to God's extravagant abundance, leave everything to follow Jesus. They move from being overwhelmed by a lot to fish, to becoming channels of God's abundant grace.
Their story invites us to examine our own relationship with abundance. Where do we operate from a mindset of scarcity? What nets are we afraid to cast because past experience tells us they'll come up empty? What would it mean to trust that God's abundance might show up in unexpected places?
The challenge isn't just to recognize abundance when it appears, but to become people who help distribute it. Like Simon and his partners signaling each other for help with the catch, we're called to work together to share God's blessings.
This might mean:
- Recognizing that our professional skills can become channels for divine purpose
- Working in partnership rather than isolation
- Trusting that past emptiness doesn't determine future possibility
- Being willing to let abundance disrupt our normal ways of operating
Just as a little fish on a hook brought joy to one of my young cousins, Jesus still brings joy and overwhelming abundance to us, often when we least expect it. And when our response is like Peter’s – "Go away from me, Lord.." – Jesus counters with a reassuring invitation to come with Him to find people who also need their own life-changing moment.
Prayer: Father of every blessing, remind us that Your overwhelming abundance still draws people today. Help us to be Your net-casters, ready to follow your instruction even when we have doubts about the outcome. Give us the opportunity to see the abundant catch of Your knowing presence. Amen.
Today's meditation is longer than usual, so I'll leave you with one suggestion and a photo –
1) Get your Lenten study book, The Way of Grace, in time for Ash Wednesday, March 5. Note the new review on Amazon from Dr. Walter Shurden, renown Baptist professor and leader.
2) Here's a photo of Buddy the Cat doing what he does best –
See you next week! - Chuck
(Check out my Monday and Wednesday devotionals at TodayShalom.com or on Facebook. And – brand new – My Heart Failure Life on Substack, where I write about my experiences living with heart failure, to help the other 6.7 million Americans dealing with HF, and those who love them. Both are free. Please subscribe and forward them to others who might benefit. Thanks!)
