February 9, 2025
Rev. Mary Erickson
Hope Lutheran Church
Isaiah 6:1-8; Luke 5:1-11
The Catch of the Day
Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.
We hear a portion today from the beginning of Luke’s gospel. Jesus has recently embarked on his ministry. Today we find him near Capernaum, along the shores of Lake Galilee. Jesus was preaching and a large crowd was gathering. It became so big that Jesus needed to resituate.
Some fishermen were there, tending to their nets after a night of fishing. Jesus climbed into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon Peter. Peter rowed out a spell and Jesus taught from the boat. You know the way sound travels over water.
Well, the preaching was done and Jesus turns to Peter. He suggests that Peter row out into the deeper waters and let down his nets.
Now, Peter has had some previous experience with Jesus. Jesus healed his mother-in-law. And he had just listened to all Jesus said while he preached in the boat. Peter respects Jesus, and so he does what he’s been asked.
Well, the outcome is a catch like no other. It’s phenomenal. The net is absolutely bulging with fish! So many that Peter calls to his pals in the other boat to come and help him. Both boats are absolutely filled with the fish.
This is the moment when Peter realizes who Jesus is. Before, he basically addressed Jesus as “Sir.” But now he calls him “Lord.” Peter becomes filled with dread, the kind you feel when you encounter a great power.
The prophet Isaiah felt this same dread when he experienced his vision of standing in the throne room of the almighty God. Isaiah was keenly aware of how sinful and inadequate he was compared to the glory of God. It was the same as Peter’s experience before Jesus.
Jesus responds to Peter with the heaven-sent words echoed throughout the Bible: Fear not.
“Don’t be afraid, Peter. From now on you’re going to be catching people!”
Despite this being the catch of a lifetime, Peter and James and John abandon their boats and the fish to follow Jesus. You might think this big haul of fish was the catch of the day, but it wasn’t. The catch of the day was Peter, James and John.
Jesus wanted disciples. He wasn’t a Lone Ranger. It’s very telling that he wanted a fellowship. He wanted to foster a community. This ministry he was embarking upon, it was meant to be a shared endeavor.
None of us go it alone in this world. We need each other. Right at the very beginning of the Bible, God declared, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
Human community is essential for us. Jesus wanted to build a community around him. And he began with these fishermen.
By the eyes of the world, they didn’t look like much. Peter himself felt woefully inadequate. But this was nothing new. Moses thought his communication skills were insufficient to be God’s spokesperson before the Pharaoh. David was a mere shepherd boy. And the prophet Amos was a dresser of sycamore trees.
On the surface, none of them looked like stellar candidates. But when the prophet Samuel went to Jesse’s house to consider one of his sons to be the next king of Israel, David was the one God had in mind. When Samuel hesitated, God told him, “The Lord doesn’t see as mortals see. They look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Paul spoke very similar words to the faith community in Corinth:
“Consider your own, call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.”
Peter and the Sons of Zebedee weren’t wise. They weren’t powerful men on the stage of the world. They were common-born country folk. But they were just what Jesus was looking for his band of disciples. They were the catch of the day!
Someone wrote a very telling piece about the disciples. Pretend that Jesus hired a recruiter to help him vet candidates for his band of followers. He approaches this recruiting firm for their help. This is the letter they send him:
To: Jesus, Son of Joseph
From: Jordan Management Consultants
Dear Sir: Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for managerial positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests; and we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.
The profiles of all tests are included, and you will want to study each of them carefully.
As part of our service, we make some general comments for your guidance, much as an auditor will include some general statements. This is given as a result of staff consultation and comes without any additional fee.
It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability.
Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew had been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings.
One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind, and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious, and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.
We wish you every success in your new venture. Sincerely,
Jordan Management Consultants
Jesus knew who he wanted as his disciples. They were his catch.
Jesus still needs disciples today. He’s still looking for his catch of the day. And friends, you and I are that catch! We are his disciples. You might say to yourself, “Well, who am I?” Let me tell you, you are just what Jesus is looking for!
You have connections, you have inroads to people that no one else has! You have a heart that beats with faith in the God who sustains you and compassion for those in need.
And the really, really good news is, you are not alone, friend! We are in this together!
When I read this gospel story, I think that the miraculous catch of fish is indicative of the church, all that Jesus intends to gather into his holy fellowship! The sheer abundance of the catch tells us just how big this communion of saints is. This faith touches each one of us and it calls us all out into our unique situations.
One of my seminary professors, Michael Rogness, wrote this about our being called:
“We believe that God calls each one of us. God not only calls us to follow Jesus, but also calls us into the fields and careers of our lives. We often speak of “God’s call” too narrowly, as if God “calls” people only into ordained ministry. That is true: God calls people to be pastors and church workers. But God’s call is not limited to clergy. God calls every single one of us...”
He went on:
“…The word for this call to everyone is “vocation,” from Latin vocatio, “calling.” Everyone has a station in life, probably several stations in how society functions, and this is “vocation.” Every job that works to build up and maintain society is a calling -- teacher, insurance salesman, car mechanic, politician, etc. We also have callings within family structures -- mother, father, aunt, uncle, child, etc. We serve God in these family callings as well.”
Brothers and sisters, you are Jesus’ disciples! You are his fellowship of believers, his arms and legs at work in this world! And in this calling, he has left us with the greatest gift he possibly could have: a community of faith, a holy fellowship. We are not in this alone. We are together! We are here to befriend one another. And that’s why we gather together week after week.
Jesus spent his entire ministry with his disciples. They were there every step of the way. There was only one thing he did alone, and it was the thing that only he could accomplish. He went to his cross alone. He’s the only one who could do what he was called upon to do. Only Jesus was nailed to a cross. He alone died there and was buried in a tomb. But most importantly, only he possessed the ability to conquer sin and death, and only he has arisen from his own grave under his own power.
But after he was raised, he gathered his faithful band of disciples together once more. And he left them with a directive: Go and make disciples. Go and teach. Go and baptize. This work he left for his followers.
The story is told of what happened after Jesus ascended into heaven. He was surrounded by all the angels. He told them all about his birth, life, preaching, death and resurrection, and how he had accomplished the salvation of the world.
The angel Gabriel asked him, “Well, now that you’re back in heaven, who will continue your work on earth?”
Jesus said, “Well, you see, while I was on earth, I gathered a group of people around me. They believed in me and loved me. And before I left, I gave them instructions to continue spreading my story and carry on the work of the Church.”
Gabriel looked worried. “You mean Peter, who denied you three times and all the rest who ran away when you were crucified? You mean to tell us that you left them to carry on your work? What’ll you do if this plan doesn’t work? What’s your plan B?”
Jesus said, “I have no Plan B — this is it.”
