Luke 5. 1- 11
At that time, as Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned 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. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be a fisher of men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In our Gospel reading today, we hear of an incident that took place near ‘the Lake of Gennesaret.’ Where is this, some of you may wonder? It is probably better known to you as the Sea of Galilee. To confuse matters more, it was also known as the Sea of Tiberius, after the city situated on its shore. And it was not, as you’re probably aware, a sea at all, but rather a large, freshwater lake.
It is here that our Lord does something that may initially seem a little strange. A large crowd gathers, and He gets into a boat, that of Simon, who is not yet one of His disciples. They pull out a little way and He addresses them from there.
But far from acting oddly, Jesus is being purely practical. He does not want the crowd to push too close to Him, so that only those at the front can hear, while those at the back either hear nothing, or only hear fragments by way of Chinese whispering from those closer. Sound, as you’re aware, travels very well over calm water; and the sloping shores on which the crowd stood would act as a natural amphitheatre, allowing all in the crowd to hear His words.
Our Lord’s actions should serve as an example to us. We should never be afraid of doing something that seems out of the ordinary if it will help us bring the Gospel message to others.
Having finished His preaching, Jesus then turns to Simon and tells him to cast his nets into the deep. Simon, of course, was an experienced fisherman and he had already been out all night and caught nothing. He says this to the Lord, not, as the Fathers tell us, by way of complaint or refusal, but rather to explain where things stand. And then, despite thinking that it will be a fruitless endeavour, he does what Jesus asks of him. And almost at once, the nets are filled with so great a catch of fish that the nets begin to break, and Simon must call to another boat nearby to help him bring so many fish ashore.
There is a further lesson for us in this. Often, perhaps almost always, we do not understand why God asks certain things of us. Perhaps obedience will come at a cost. Perhaps we are afraid we will look foolish before others if we do as God wants us to do, following His commandments, obeying His laws, even as those around us do as they will. But if we trust in Him, the reward will be great, sometimes in this life, always in the next.
Simon is astonished by what has happened. He does not yet understand Who Jesus is, but one thing he knows for certain – what occurred has no natural cause and, therefore, he must be in the presence of a man of great holiness. And, so, he says: ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’
This, as the Fathers tell us, is a natural reaction. In the presence of great holiness, one should be especially aware of one’s own faults and failings. And Jesus’ response to this confession should fill us with hope. For He does not do as Simon asks, but instead says ‘Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be a fisher of men.’
Our Lord, of course, knows better than anyone that Simon has his faults. He knows this better than Simon himself. And yet He wants Simon to follow Him, to go from being a fisherman to being a fisher of men, bringing others to Christ, to repentance, to salvation. And, so, He calls him. And despite knowing His own sinfulness, he trusts in the Lord and answers His call.
And having answered, we know that Jesus will soon give him another name, Peter; and that he will be known to the Church and all the world down the ages as Saint Peter. For this is the reward that awaits all who follow Christ faithfully, even if all will not be known by name: that they will be saints in heaven. Pray that this will be the result of your faith; pray that it will be likewise for all you know and love; and pray that it will be so for all those you do not know who follow Christ. Amen.
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