Fishing Like Jesus Fished

FISHING LIKE JESUS FISHED

It didn’t use to be popular but there is a new breed of fisherman out their today – It is the Catch and Release Fisherman.

Basically… it’s about the sport and not about just catching fish to catch fish. In Catch and Release – you catch them but you also release them back into the waters.

In Christianity – we catch them – bring them in and disciple them – and then release them.

Let’s go to Luke 5:1-11. Let’s look at the fishing method of Jesus.

Sometimes it takes years and years of chiseling and shaping in our lives.

Luke 4:31-32 (NLT) 31 Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32 There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.

Notice that Jesus spoke with “authority.” This was the type of kingdom ministry that was having an onslaught against the enemy.

Because of this… the crowds began to follow Jesus.

Luke 5:1 (NLT) 1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.

Notice… that there were so many people that they began to “press” Jesus toward the water (which was Lake Gennesaret or the Sea Of Galilee).

This lake is 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. It is 680 feet below sea level. It is in a tropical area making it one of the garden spots of the world.

Luke 5:2 (NLT) 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

FISHING LIKE JESUS FISHED

1. Be Personal - Jesus had and encounter with Simon. He meets them where they are.

Luke 5:3 (NLT) 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

How many of you have had “encounters” with God. These are moments that are “GOD-MOMENTS” that unless you seize them – you will miss it.

Whether it be at this church or the places where you live and work – God can show up.

Look at what Jesus was already doing here.

He was teaching a crowd of people the word of God. They were listening to him. He had a captive audience, what more could he ask for?

Wasn’t this what he was sent to earth to do, to teach people about God and the way of salvation? But then he saw something else that attracted his attention.

He saw two boats by the water’s edge. Two old boats used for fishing. There were two boats because fishermen often worked together in a coop arrangement to catch more fish.

Jesus saw the fishermen washing their nets that they used to catch their fish. And Jesus changed what he was doing.

He stopped. He went over to the boats and asked one of the fishermen to take him out on the boat a little ways from the shore.

And the fisherman, named Simon, did just that. Jesus sat down in the boat and continued to teach the people from there.

Now more people would be able to see Jesus as he spoke.

I believe there was clearly another reason why Jesus wanted to speak from the boat. He wanted later on to talk to the owner of the boat, Simon.

And this observation leads us to the first point we want to make about Jesus: He is not only interested in crowds, he is also interested in you individually.

• Jesus Is Never Too Busy!

When we come together – there are usually more than a few. It would be easy for us to get lost in the crowd.

But it is important for all of us to know – that Jesus wants us to know that He is interested in what is happening in your life right now. He is interested in you!

This is what God did with Simon – even though He was ministering to the crowds – he wanted to touch Simon’s life in a personal way.

What an astounding thought, Jesus was willing to leave the crowds in order to focus on just one person.

But why does Jesus approach just one person? Why would Jesus change his focus from one group to a single person? In other words, why would Jesus change from doing a perfectly good thing?

2. Stimulate Their Thinking – v.4

Luke 5:4 (NLT) 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

• When Jesus Meets Us, It Is to Take Us from Shallow Faith to Deeper Faith