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ONEFamily Outreach is primarily supported by your donations and by trainings, workshops, retreats and concerts. Download More Studies | Download Music | Books and Products | Book Jerry “Put Out Into Deep Water”Epiphany 5c Luke 5:1-111 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people 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 catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:1-31 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people 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. Standing by the lakeJesus was no newcomer to the land of Galilee by this time. Word about his works had spread all across of the region. This knowledge is important if we are to understand the “story within this story.” According to the Gospel of John, Jesus had already interacted with a number of the fishermen after first encountering John and Andrew upon the Lord’s return from the temptations in the wilderness. John’s Gospel tells us more about these early interactions in his second chapter. Despite their initial experience with the Messiah, Peter and his friends return to what they know, fishing “by the Lake of Gennesaret” (just as they would do, yet again, after Christ’s death). Upon leaving Nazareth, Jesus goes to the fishermen’s hometown of Capernaum (yes, the Lord actually tracks them down). Jesus is so popular that the crowd following him overwhelms the beach where he is teaching. Seeing Peter and his partners boat on the shore he asks them to take him several yards off the beach. Acoustically, you couldn’t find a much better setting, the beach forming a natural auditorium and the still waters reverberating the Master’s words. It is a beautiful reflection, the common person was so hungry to hear Jesus speak that crowds often swelled to a point where a local synagogue could not contain them. What was it that Jesus had to say that compelled the common person so profoundly? What do you think that Jesus would speak about were he in a park in your neighborhood today? Then, there is the image of Jesus, lovingly desiring to communicate with all of those surrounding him. His impromptu “borrowing” of Simon’s boat, the awareness of nature’s natural concert hall, our Lord did not need flashing lights, special effects, or videos to compliment his points. When was the last time the crowd pressed upon me to speak in the busy mid-morning intersections of life? How do I need to adapt my life so that others would be that interested in what I had to say? Remember, Jesus did not call together this crowd; they called upon him to speak. Is what I have to say so valuable that people press upon me to share with them and furthermore, not on a Sabbath (Sunday morning) and not in a synagogue (church)? Luke 5:4-84 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!” “Put out into deep water”If we follow John’s chronology and incorporate it into Luke’s, the majority of the apostles had already been called by Jesus but then they returned to fishing (apparently while Jesus attended the wedding in Cana and then announced his mission in Nazareth). Did the apostles then, meet Jesus and then fall back into old ways? I am glad to read in this Gospel that I am not the only one who displays that age-old dance step, the “Fisherman Backslide.” Why do some of us have such a propensity for “backsliding,” even after Jesus has deeply touched our lives? Jesus speaks directly to the issue at a later point in Luke: Luke 9:57-6257 As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 59 And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” 60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” 61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” This whole chapter in Luke (chapter 9) deals with times when Jesus had to rebuke the disciples for their lack of faithfulness. The disciple’s won’t feed the five thousand, they can’t heal a possessed boy, and they argue about who is the greatest. Then they complain when another person (outside of their clique) performs greater works in Christ’s name than they are able to perform. It is within that framework that we learn about these excuses for “not following.” There are three rationalizations in the above scripture for putting Jesus on our backburner (a very ineffective place to put God in our lives). 1. “I want to follow Jesus and keep my comfortable life.” 2. “When I retire, then I will have the time and the resources to do the ‘God stuff.’” 3. “I’ve got important tasks to accomplish before I ‘help Jesus.’” The first thing we must understand about this miracle is that Jesus didn’t send the Apostle’s out into the lake because he was hungry and wanted fish and chips for lunch. He doesn’t give them a task for his sake; he sends them out for their sake. Jesus doesn’t send us into mission for his sake; it is for our sake that we must go. Faith unpracticed is not faith at all. Nor does Jesus pick his followers based upon their resources or abilities, we are to rely on his resources and his capabilities not our own. It is for our sake and with his resources that we “go in the name of the Lord.” We completely have it backwards if we think, “God needs to wait his turn until I am ready,” or that, “I need more resources, broader knowledge, or a better plan, before I do anything.” We need to look at the Samaritan woman whom Jesus met at Jacob’s Well, or the Geresene demoniac who was possessed by a legion of demons. Both of them, with no scriptural background, money, or positional authority, converted an entire community, indeed an entire region simply by saying, “You know what I was, now look at who Jesus made me.” What is my excuse? What is my rational? It all pails in comparison to the call and the resources of Jesus Christ who says, “Go into the deep.” If I want the big catch, I gotta “put out in the deep water” with Jesus. “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”We have to act on what Jesus tells us. Miracles don’t happen in our lives simply because we ask for them. Look back at Mary’s wedding miracle in Cana, she almost forces Jesus to act by ignoring his emphatic “no” to her request for wine: John 2:3-53 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” If I want a miraculous life, I have to act on what I am asking for! These disciples didn’t want to push out to sea, but they did it, and the result was a miraculous catch that led to their salvation. How many of us know that Jesus pushes us to go where we don’t want to go. Sadly, however, instead of responding—even reticently with faith, many of us just simply say, “I wouldn’t be comfortable there.” Jesus says, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give [Mt 10:8]” there is no, “unless that makes you uncomfortable,” attached to that statement. Miracles happen in these disciples’ lives because, even though they were tired and uncomfortable, they went “when and where” Jesus told them to go. There is a common quality displayed by men and women who are unable to break the cycle of bad habits that returns them to jail. It is not getting a job (often the income goes right back into partying). It is not getting into treatment groups (this alone does not break the cycle) and it’s not about just going to a church on a weekly basis. These steps are simply not enough by themselves. Those individuals, who finally get out and stay out, seem to have two additional components in common: They find a healthy accountability group or mentor who will walk beside them, and they find ways to serve in their communities. They immediately throw themselves into dependency upon Jesus through acts of service. Earlier in Luke, we examined what John The Baptist prescribed to those he baptized; “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance (Luke 3:8).” The actions he suggested were simple and not overwhelming: Give spare clothes away, stop treating people unfairly, and treat all people with dignity. Think of growth in faith as a simple formula: F = B x A, or “Faith = Belief x Action” Both multiples (B & A) must be positive for your faith to grow. If either component is negative (I’m preaching but not practicing; or practicing but not sharing my joy), then true faith will wither. (Remember, in the laws of multiplication, a positive number times a negative number always has a negative result). We don’t change our behavior by simply thinking different; we change our character by acting differently and having a group who holds us accountable to our values. We have to go “when and where” Jesus would send us. Our actions, not our thoughts, change our lives. It takes about ninety days of repetitive action for beliefs to become character, but most of us fall back into unhealthy past patterns when we begin to experience stress or discomfort. That is why an accountability group is so critical. All of John the Baptist’s suggestions, in Luke 3, have to do with helping those who are in no position to help us back: Radical Works of Anonymous Kindness. This is the kind of love that Jesus gave us. To get to know him better, doesn’t it make sense to act as he would act? If you want to be an excellent mechanic, hang around an excellent mechanic and do what he or she does. If you want to be an excellent employee, hang around an excellent employee and do what he or she does. If you want to be an excellent follower of Christ, hang around an excellent follower and do what he or she does. To quote Micah; “Just do it!” Secondly, we have to rid ourselves of the thinking that a) “I don’t have the resources to follow Jesus now,” or b) “I don’t have the time right now.” When we lay the phrase out in this blatant manner; the falseness of these words becomes self-evident. We can’t afford to not follow Jesus. Now! Especially if the joy of our lives has been repeatedly stolen by the consequences of sin. However, we often get so caught up in worldly needs that our faith (F = W x A) falls to the way back burner. Such was the case for Peter and his fishing compadres. “I am a sinful man!”Once again we find in this verse the attitude that is critical if we are to hear a call from the Lord and answer; “Here I am, Lord.” We must put aside our pride and our personal agenda. Paul says he is the least of the apostles, “abnormally born.” Isaiah says that he has unclean lips. Peter states that he is a sinful man. All of them recognize their painful shortcomings before the Lord. Yet, they didn’t dwell on those shortcomings like we so often do. As with Paul, they rejoiced in their weaknesses because those very weaknesses allowed them to rely upon God: 2 Corinthians 11:30If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. Paul and these others accepted that God could complete them. God could make them whole. In fact, it is God’s delight to make us whole! Our healing (and our calling) comes when we realize we are not worthy; we are “least among the apostle’s,” we speak with “unclean lips,” and are nothing but “sinful men and women.” Yet, the healing comes—not in dwelling upon the weakness—but in glorifying God for his compassion. For God’s power is perfected in our weakness [2 Corinthians 12:9]. Our Lord delights in making us both able and worthy. Jesus Christ is our worthiness, he is our redeemer, but we must act (Faith = Belief x Action). The action for Peter and the fishermen was quite simple; they “threw down their nets.” In a way, that is what we all must do. Jesus shows Peter that he can abundantly provide for every need the Apostles will face (remember there is a vast difference between need and want, God will supply our intrinsic needs but take away our extraneous wants). Yet, we must be faithful to God’s will by being willing to step out on our faith. In addition, like Peter, we must realize that we too have nets we must throw down. What nets keep me bound to the past? What nets keep me from acting on my faith? When the disciples hauled in the miraculous payload of fish they rightly shifted their focus from their catch to their Lord. What a mistake it would have been had they remained fixated on the fish! What if they said, “Wow, Jesus blessed me with this catch, he must want me to continue as a fisherman!” In what ways do we become fixated on the catch and not on the Lord? What is my “catch?” What nets keep me from following the Lord, “immediately and enthusiastically?” Today would be a great day to look beyond the catch and cast my nets aside. Luke 5:9-109 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 catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. “So, they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed him.”Show me a macho man and I’ll show a fearful man. I often think of the kids I work with on the street who feel like they have to fight everyone who “mad dogs” them (looks at them strange). What is it within them that is so insecure that they feel like they must defend themselves whenever someone stares at them cockeyed? Responding like this doesn’t show how strong they are; it shows how much someone else controls their life. It reveals how enslaved they are to the fear of appearing weak. We are only moved to the point of losing control by fears that have already taken root in our hearts. When someone calls me “stupid,” it only hurts me if I think he or she may be correct. In other words, “I am only enslaved by the fears I accept about myself.” However, when I am confident in Christ the Redeemer, the words and actions of others don’t take over my emotions, I don’t give my control away to other people. What others call me is far less important than what God calls me and he always calls me “beloved child.” Unfortunately, knowing this truth is only the first step to complete healing, albeit a big step. Understanding that my anger is caused by my insecurities can lead me to ask some critical life questions. “Why do I allow other people’s words and actions to make me so angry?” “What fears do their words and actions set off in me?” As I embrace humility, and let go of the pride that limits my responses to anger or fear, I need to move from soul searching to action. The process begins with throwing down my nets and saying, “I am a sinner.” Yet, it is not complete until I become a servant and say; “Here I am, send me.” It is helpful to see an example where our own Savior’s words were not enough to convert these disciples. Others seemed to require no more than the command, “Follow me.” Yet, my experience tells me that the majority of those I have successfully mentored have required more than just my words. They needed my actions too. The adjudicated young people I work with need to see a consistent presence over an extended period of time. They need to see our mentors show up beside them in court and meet them at the door upon release. Some, like Peter in this example, come into our lives only to leave again and then they wash up on a beach months, or even years, later. Does that show the ineffectiveness of my ministry? Does it point out my failure? Only in the world’s eyes. Yet, look at how the world viewed Isaiah, Jeremiah, and even Jesus in his temporal death. If I don’t see the seedlings of discipleship, perhaps I was just called to be the water. Similarly, if I do see the kernels break open to reveal their tender shoots, I should experience joy, not pride. God alone knows what passing soul might have offered a consistent love over time that served to soften that kernel. “God help me to welcome my place and count it to you as joy.” About the AuthorJerry Goebel has worked with youth and young adults for over thirty years. Twenty of those years have been spent focusing primarily on reaching out to at-risk youth on the streets or in the juvenile court system. Jerry developed ONEFamily Outreach, which trains mentors to work with disconnected youth (incarcerated youth, youth in recovery, and youth who are expelled from school). Jerry travels extensively to teach adults how to become more effective in empowering young people to become a positive influence within their communities To contact or book Jerry for a presentation in your area write or call: Jerry Goebel ONEFamily Outreach (509) 525-0709 Other Works by Jerry Goebel
Weekly Gospel Study based upon the Lectionary Cycle (membership, by donation)
Youth Curriculum Accompaniment to the Weekly Gospel Study (membership, by
donation)
The Deepest Longing of Young People: Loving Without Conditions $14.95
(paperback)
Significant Conversations: Helping Young People Live Meaningful Lives $14.95
(8.5 x 11 inch spiral bound with printable worksheets)
Musical Collections $12.95 (CD’s, each with 15 original works by Jerry
Goebel) Copyright NoticeCopyright © 2005 Jerry Goebel. All Rights Reserved. To reprint or quote from this article, please contact jerry@onefamilyoutreach.com. Scripture Quotations noted from NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION of the bible. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) The New Testament Greek Lexicon based on Thayer’s and Smith’s Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.” These files are public domain. The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon is Brown, Driver, Briggs, [DFF1] Gesenius Lexicon; this is keyed to the “Theological Word Book of the Old Testament.” These files are considered public domain. NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries. Copyright © 1981, 1998 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. (www.Lockman.org) Sign up for Weekly Study: |