Luke 5:1-11 - The Apprentice – Jesus’ Style
I don’t know how many of you have watched any of the reality show The Apprentice. It is a show about a group of would be executives trying to impress Donald Trump above and beyond their other competitors in an attempt to become the managing director of one of Trump’s companies.
Donald Trump is by his own admissions a self made man. He is a legend in New York where he is based and has extensive interests in real estate, gaming, sports, and entertainment. He is primarily a developer and owns a huge amount of land in New York and elsewhere which includes buildings, hotels, convention centres, etc.
Well the show started with 16 wannabes, but each week one has got fired because they didn’t make the grade. One got fired because they were impulsive and erratic. One got fired because she accepted the blame for her teams failure without defending herself. One competitor got fired this week for not standing up for her self when slandered by another competitor. For Donald Trump, not standing up for yourself is an even greater sin than being unprofessional. And so it goes on.
What Donald Trump is looking for in an apprentice is very different to what Jesus looks for in his apprentices. If I were to list some of the attributes that Donald Trump is looking for they might look like this …
- Self Motivated
- Able to lead a team to success against all odds
- A Problem Solver and planner
- Confident, Capable, Proud
- Articulate and Professional
- Intelligent, Well presented, Good looking
- Successful in the business world
- Able to make money – quickly
- Resourceful
- Able to stand up for one’s self
Donald Trump is looking for a person who is the best of the best. He is looking for someone who will be successful. So often in this world, unless you are an achiever, you don’t have a hope. You are not worth anything at all. You are a loser.
Has anyone ever dreaded the team selection process where teams are picked one person at a time. “I’ll take Pete.” “I’ll take John” “I’ll take Craig” and on it goes… It is fine for those who are popular or good at what they do. But for the average Joes and Mary’s it can be an embarrassing experience. Nervously waiting, hoping that you are not the last one picked. It is even worse when the teams fight over the last person isn’t it – You can have George – No you have George! No I insist!
Tonight, I want to look at what Jesus looks for in his apprentices. What is it that Jesus looks for when He is picking a team? And how does this compare against what the world looks for. Some of you may be thinking – I didn’t know God had an apprenticeship program. He does of sorts. We commonly use the term disciple for Jesus’ apprentices. Both are learners. Both are followers. When you think of an Apprenticeship such as boiler making or catering, it is usually for a set duration. But Jesus’ apprenticeships are lifelong.
If you’ve got your Bibles there, I want you to open them to Luke 5:1-11. This was a passage we looked at in the morning service when we looked at being Made for a Mission. What is mission by the way – “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity – Col 4:5”
We said then, that in order to accomplish the mission God had for us, we had to be dedicated to step out of our comfort zone and move into the deep water. We needed God’s inspiration to move to where the fish were. And we needed motivation to do something. That’s all about what we need, but tonight, I want to look at what Jesus is looking for in his apprentices and encourage you that you are qualified now for his service.
So lets read Luke 5:1-11 which records Jesus recruiting his first disciples.
When I read this, I see 5 clear differences between Jesus’ selection criteria and that of Donald Trump.
1) Jesus welcomes people with SELF SCEPTICISM (vs 5). Peter and his crew were sceptical of their own abilities. They doubted themselves. They had been out all night and hadn’t caught a guppy. I don’t think they were at the stage where they doubted their ability to ever succeed at fishing, but they were certain today wasn’t the day. They doubted their ability at that time to be successful. Peter said. “Master we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything”.
By contrast, doubt of yourself or your ability is seen as a weakness. I can’t imagine Donald Trump hiring a CEO who doubted that he could achieve results. He wouldn’t waste time on him or her. No, our world doesn’t look for people with doubts about their ability. It welcomes people who are confident, who are capable and willing to give anything a go. People who succeed are people who believe in themselves.
But here, Jesus, was not put off by doubt that is voiced. He knows that we can’t but He can. The disciples doubted Jesus often. When they were caught in a storm on the middle of a lake and thought they were going to drown they were scared and doubted that Jesus was in control. Peter once stepped out of a boat and walked on water towards Jesus, but then got a bit scared and took his eyes of Jesus. He doubted, and started to sink, yet Jesus reached out and rescued Him.
Jesus is patient with us even in our doubts. He wants to strengthen our faith and our character, but he knows that takes time.
Are you sceptical about your worth to God? Do you doubt that you are good enough to be used for God’s glory? Do you sometimes doubt your salvation? That is okay. Jesus won’t write you off for that doubt or scepticism about yourself. What he does do though, is reach out and say – “don’t be scared, it’s okay – I’m here, trust me”. To be Jesus’ apprentices, we need to trust in God despite our self doubt.
2) That leads me to the second thing Jesus looks for. He looks for POWERLESS PEOPLE. While Simon Peter was sceptical about his ability to catch fish that day, he was willing to give it a go, but he was powerless to achieve success. He’d tried all night, but had exhausted his ideas. But the amazing thing was that when He set out in his boat, relying not on his own power, he was successful – he caught more fish than he’d ever caught before. But the success wasn’t because of his knowledge, his technique, his personality or abilities. It was because of Jesus’ amazing power.
Jesus is looking for people who despite their own self scepticism, are willing to give it a go. Why? Because when you don’t believe you have what it takes, but step out in faith, you are relying on God’s power to make it a success not your own skills.
Our society, however, doesn’t value powerless people. It despises people who can’t achieve success by themselves. Even if they are willing to work, there is no value having a person who has no abilities to make things successful. They are more hassle than they are worth. What Donald Trump is looking for is not someone who relies on God’s power for success, but someone who is able to achieve success through their own power. Our world looks for POWERFUL PEOPLE Jesus looks for POWERLESS PEOPLE. If we are going to successful as Jesus’ apprentices, we need to rely upon his power not our own. You may have many talents and abilities, but when you try to succeed by your self, without relying on God’s power, you will actually limit your success. Your attempts to succeed on your own actually get in the way of what God wants to achieve through you. What would have happened if Peter went out in the boat and said. Lord I know that the deep water isn’t the place for fish. I’ll go out, but I’ll rely on my own knowledge and skills. He wouldn’t have caught those fish. His attempts at using his own power would have completely messed up God’s work.
3) Third thing that Jesus looks for is HUMBLE HUMANS. When Peter managed to get the overloaded boat into shore, he fell down at Jesus’ feet and said a strange thing (vs 8) “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Peter recognised who Jesus was. Notice that when he spoke to Jesus in vs 5, he called him Master which was a term used to designate Jesus’ authority – authority which would warrant obedience of throwing out the nets again. But in vs8, Peter calls Jesus “Lord” which implied that he recognised not just authority, but power and even a divinity. Peter sees Jesus as a holy one who must have been sent by God and next to Him, Peter recoils in humility. Peter is sinful, not worthy to have anything to do with Jesus.
This makes Jesus pleased. Peter recognises his sinfulness and his need for God’s grace.
Is humility something that Donald Trump would look for in his apprentice. I can tell you definitely not. While our world considers humility an honourable thing, it is not something which usually contributes to success. If you want to be successful, you have to be proud. You have to push yourself and your abilities. No one will stand up for you unless you do it yourself, so be proud of yourself and go for it.
Proverbs 3:34 says that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Jesus looks for humble humans for his disciples. These are people who recognise that they are nothing without God’s grace. They recognise that they need forgiveness and mercy. They recognise the debt that they owe Jesus. And because of all this, they can be used mightily by God.
Are you humbly recognising that without Jesus, you are hopelessly and eternally lost? Do you acknowledge that you can not do a thing that will last without Him. That is the humility that Jesus is looking for.
4) Fourth thing that I think that Jesus looks for is a person who is FOREVER FOCUSSED. In today’s society, the measure of success is things. Objects. You are successful if you have lots of money. A nice car. A big house. Plenty of toys. The focus is on things now. They are usually material things which are temporary. So Donald Trump is seen to be successful because of his incredible wealth and his position.
But Jesus is looking for people who are not focussed on temporary things, but on things that will last for ever. And the only thing that will last forever are human souls. Jesus is therefore looking people who are concerned about other people more than about things. That’s why he said to Peter in vs 10. “From now on you will catch men.” Fish are nice, but their temporal. They won’t last. Having a nice big fishing boat with a top crew is good Peter, but it is temporal. It won’t last past this life.
Do you know that the only thing we can take with us to heaven, is other people’s souls. You can’t take your body, your money or your possessions. You can only take other people who you have introduced to Jesus.
Jesus is looking for apprentices who are forever focussed because true success which will last forever is not counted in dollars but in souls.
5) the last thing that Jesus is looking for is a person with a GIVE-UP GRASP. What do I mean by this? Jesus called Peter to follow him and go forever fishing. But what was he to do with his boat, his business, his family, his home? Jesus didn’t tell him what to do. He just placed in front of Peter the thing that was most important in life. And Peter made the choice to give up all that was temporary in life to pursue what was eternal.
Again, this is so different to what Donald Trump sees as important. To him, success means making money. It is acquiring wealth. All their challenges are based on money and temporal things. Donald Trump wants his apprentices to develop a Grabbing Grasp – get as much as you can. but Jesus want his followers to have a Give-up Grasp – give up any distractions and come and follow me.
In our lives we have so many things which tie us down. What if Jesus came by your house and said to you – come and follow me. What would you be thinking? What about the house – who’ll look after it. What about my dog – who’ll feed it? What about my friends – they need me? Jesus is asking us to assess what is temporal and what is eternal and to be willing to give-up what will hold us back from serving God. I’m not saying that God will necessarily ask you to abandon your car in the car park tonight and follow him, but He may and what will your attitude be then? Will you have a give-up grasp?
Jesus is calling us to be his lifelong apprentices. Our training involves becoming like Him and living our lives our according to the purposes we were created for. And the great thing is that as apprentices eternal success is assured. Jesus is looking for people who are
- Self Sceptical - they don’t think they have what it takes. And we don’t – but God does.
- Powerless People – when we are powerless we rely on God’s almighty power and don’t let our feeble attempts get in the way.
- Humble Humans – People who recognise our fallen state and God’s wonderful grace
- Forever Focussed - People who are soul focussed rather material focussed.
- Give-up Grasp – People who are willing to give up what distracts us from following Jesus.
This is what Jesus was looking for in his first disciples and it is the same thing which he is looking for in his disciples today. Do you want to be Jesus’ apprentice. Examine how you line up in these 5 areas.
