Ever had a long and hard day of work and all you can think of is getting home? You finally walk through the door of your house and all you can think about is getting into something comfortable, sitting in your favourite chair and relaxing. You grab a drink, a snack and you plop yourself down in the chair and enjoy the comfort that only your chair can give. Just as you close your eyes someone yells out at you to take out the garbage, start the BBQ, help with the kids, I think you get the picture. It sends shivers down your spine, why can’t they just leave you alone. How many of you know what this feels like? This morning I want to speak to you about when Jesus comes and asks you to follow him.
At this point Jesus is beginning his public ministry. His has overcome the temptation in the desert, he has been mobbed rejected in his home town of Nazareth and so he is travelling around the cities and towns sharing a very new message of Good News. The disciples weren’t the disciples yet, they were just fishermen and Jesus runs into the along the Sea of Galilee. They may have heard about him, but they hadn’t chosen to follow him. Peter refers to Christ as Master, which in this case is ‘epistates’, meaning overseer or supervisor. He recognized that Jesus has some authority, but he had no idea that on this particular day Jesus wanted to get into his boat.
1. Distracted (vs.1-5a)
You never know when Jesus is going to get into your boat. Jesus is teaching and a multitude of people had come to hear him. I’m sure they were pushing all around him, trying to get close and he decided that it would be better to be in the water so that he could teach without being crowded. He quickly looks around and sees 2 empty boats that just happen to belong to Peter and the boys who had just come back from a long night of fruitless fishing. I’m sure they were frustrated and they were off to the side just cleaning their nets, minding their own business. Probably thinking about how they wouldn’t make any money today and maybe they wouldn’t eat. In the midst of this Jesus, this teacher who was attracting big crowds calls on him. This was nothing too major, just to push him out in the boat so he can teach; fine, no problem. Jesus isn’t finished with him though, Jesus says, “let’s go fish!” It is interesting to note that Jesus doesn’t ask Peter whether or not he feels like casting the nets once more. Peter then feels compelled to explain to Jesus that they had been fishing all night and hadn’t caught a thing.
Isn’t that usually the way we respond when we feel tired… “Yeah but I had a long day,” or “You don’t understand how busy I’ve been with the kids.” Often times when Jesus comes to get into the boat of our lives we have excuses for him. Yes, you may very well be tired, but Jesus doesn’t want excuses; often times Jesus comes when you’re tired and worn out, unplugged. Jesus gives an order and he simply wants us to do it. Are we ready to be obedient no matter how we feel? I think Jesus does this so that in our weakness Jesus is found to be strong, this way Jesus gets all the credit for what happens next.
2. Determined (vs.5b-7)
It took about 2 seconds for Peter to come out with his next response though, “BUT if you say so we’ll try again.” I’m sure there was something inside of Peter that wanted to know how they were possibly going to catch fish in the middle of the day. He knew full well that if they hadn’t caught any at night then for sure they wouldn’t catch anything in the day. Maybe he wanted to prove Jesus wrong or maybe he wanted to believe that Jesus just might be this Messiah they had been waiting for all these years. He chooses to be obedient and see what happens when you follow directions from Christ. What Peter and the other fishermen would learn that day is a valuable truth for you and I. Doing what God asks doesn’t always make sense and it’s not always logical, it takes trust and faith. Obedience will always be the best course of action, regardless of whether you know what the outcome will be or not. These guys put their nets in the boat, go out to where Jesus instructs and throw the nets in. Low and behold the nets come up bursting so much that they had to call the other boat to come and help them.
Obedience takes determination. You have to set aside yourself and commit yourself to choose Jesus, no matter what. Many things in this life will contest for your attention, but you must make an effort to concentrate on Jesus and trust that following his direction will be the most effective, important, and wise decision that you can make. The disciples learned that it wasn’t about their logic, fish their nets, their ability to fish or the boat, it was all about Jesus. Are you ready to determine today that you will listen to what Jesus has to say to you and be obedient?
3. Devoted (vs.8-11)
For most people that would have been one of the greatest days of their lives. They had a great fish story to tell their friends the next day at the market, all of the people watching would want to know what it was like so they would have gained popularity. What an amazing day. On top of that they had truly found the Messiah, this long awaited redeemer. They had recognized Jesus for who he was in astonishment. Imagine the moment as Peter turned around and fell before Christ. In humble fear Jesus throws at him the one statement that would completely change Peter, James and John’s lives forever. “Don’t be afraid, I want you to come with me now and be fishers of men.” Once they were confronted with the power and reality of Jesus he asked for their whole life, nothing less. Basically he was saying, “…you trusted me for fish, now trust me for everything.” Often we seek the big fishing story, but the fishing story was only the beginning, not the prize. On the day they had their best day ever doing what they do best Jesus calls them to leave it all behind. With no ‘buts’ this time they left everything, fully devoted.
The interesting thing about Jesus is that he doesn’t want to give you a good story; he wants to transform your life. Your choice to obey him will only lead to you giving up more of your life for him. It’s not about church on Sunday’s and not swearing anymore. There is so much more to Christianity than that. Jesus will call you to leave what you know, like Peter’s boat, and everything you know to do what he calls you to do. It is tough, but that is when you begin to experience the life more abundant like Christ speaks about in John 10:10. Our Messiah is not like a thief taking away fun from you, he wants you to know life like it was meant to be experienced. Look at what happened with Peter. Jesus took a loud mouth fisherman and made him into the pioneer of the early church. How many of you have tasted that fullness of life? The level of your devotion will directly affect the level of fullness you have in your life.
Conclusion
I let Jesus get in my boat a long time ago. He has showed himself to be a steady companion as he led me through Bible College. He revealed his call to me and opened a door for ministry. He proved that he did know my heart when he gave me Donna. He demonstrated his desire that I never become comfortable by placing a burden for Australia in my heart. A normal kid from a little town called Fergus in Ontario Canada is where he is today because I left the boat, everything I was familiar with and followed my Lord. It certainly hasn’t all been easy, but I have known a fulfilment and abundance in my life that goes far beyond Sunday morning services. It starts with a simple call and if you’re not too distracted this morning you can hear him knocking. Let him in and let him reveal himself to you. Maybe you did that a long time ago, but all you have this morning is a great story from a long time ago. You came back to shore, but you never left the nets and the boat; you stayed where you were comfortable instead of leaving it all for the unfamiliar. God is calling you to the abundant life this morning. Jesus is here saying come fish with me. Are you ready to go fish?
