"Fishermen: Jesus Gives Them A Do Over”

In Jesus Holy Name February 6, 2022

Luke 5:1-11 Redeemer

“Fishermen: Jesus Gives Them a Do Over”

Do over days. Have you ever had one? You would be a most unusual person if you didn't have a few do over days in your history. Think back. Come on. Be honest. I'm talking about those days when things did not go as you had planned.

How about things you never should have said. That's a do over. But so are some of the things you should have said and didn't.

Here's an unusual ultimate do over. A man was listening to his city's road report when he heard about a car that was going the wrong direction on the freeway. Knowing his wife was on that freeway, the man became concerned and called her on her cell phone. She answered and he said, "Dear, be careful there's one car going in the wrong direction on the freeway." She exclaimed, "One car! There's hundreds of them!" All of us have things we wish we could do over. (From a sermon by Rev. Ken Klaus)

In our bible story today Jesus is going to ask Peter and his fellow business partners in the fishing business to have a “Do Over.”

After Jesus was baptized, He was on a constant road trip. He was moving all through Galilee. Jesus had moved from His hometown of Nazareth to the city to Capernaum. Capernaum was a fishing center on the shores of Lake Galilee. It was also a tax collection station containing a Roman garrison of one hundred soldiers. The population was estimated to be between 600 and 1500 people.

Before Jesus picked His disciples “He went up on a mountain to pray.” The ones He chose were known as “The Twelve”. Why “twelve”? Why not 15 or 20? Jesus was symbolically reconstituting the kingdom of Israel. Jesus was the “new Israel”. As the Gospel of John would later point out… Jesus was the “replacement” for all things Jewish. The “Law”. “The Sacrificial Lamb.” “The Temple.” Jesus was establishing the new Israel, restoring the people of God. It surprised many for it included “Jews and Gentiles.” (from “Jesus A Theography” L Sweet p.132)

In my online bible study this past week I gave you various bible verses to help you understand the background of all of the 12 disciples. These were ordinary men with no special training in the scriptures. They were blue collar, hard working men. None were priests, rabbis, or scholars, yet they would become the foundation stones for the “new Israel”. They were all observant Jews but had opposite views on how salvation would be restored to Israel. Tax collectors worked hand in glove with Romans. Zealots wanted Romans killed. It was in interesting mix of men.

I find it fascinating to consider the men Jesus chose as his first disciples. It’s clear that he didn’t go to an executive search firm or visit the placement office at the local college. He started by calling men with dirt under their fingernails, blue-collar types, men without a higher education, men who knew about hard work and the value of perseverance. Fishermen. Jesus chose fishermen as his first followers.

Our Gospel lesson is the story of how Christ called Peter to be His disciple. These fishermen knew Jesus. When Jesus asks Peter if he can use his boat, Peter immediately agrees. He knows Jesus and admires him greatly. They had heard Him speak in their local synagogue. Jesus had healed Peter’s mother – in- law. Peter and his fellow fishermen had been fishing all night and were now on the shore cleaning and repairing their nets.

The preaching and teaching of Jesus had attracted great crowds, and on this particular day, by the Sea of Galilee, those crowds had become so large, and so eager to be close to Him, they actually pressed Him near to the water's edge. Deciding to use the gentle slope of the hillside as a natural amphitheater, Jesus got into the boat, and asked the owner to push out a bit.

In the beginning of the story Peter had been fishing for fish; by the end of the story he is fishing for men. I wonder why he started with fishermen? I think I know the answer. Fishermen understand this story very well. To be a fisherman you need patience above everything else. Sometimes wives will ask their husbands, “How can you stand there by the bank or in the boat or in the water for hours on end, waiting for a fish to bite?” The answer is, “It’s easy.” That’s what fishing is all about. And if you can’t handle getting “skunked” occasionally, then you probably would be better off not fishing at all. (ibid Klaus)

It all begins with a frustrated fisherman cleaning his nets after a long, hard night. Fishing is hard work. It’s one thing to fish on the weekends. It’s something else to fish every day for a living. Peter, Andrew, James and John fished on the Sea of Galilee year round. They either sold their fish locally or the fish were salt-cured and sold as far away as Spain. You wouldn’t get rich that way, but a hardworking man could take care of his family.