So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing;
Luke 5:1-5
Jesus had been travelling Galilee preaching (teaching) and healing. The Spirit of God was in Him; He spoke with such wisdom and authority that crowds began to amass around Him as He traveled. The word of God nourished their souls like nothing had before and so they were hungry for everything He had to say. Though wholehearted in everything He did, Jesus' task on earth was multifaceted. Not only did He need to nourish the crowds, He also needed to gather disciples to perpetuate the word in His (physical) absence. In order to gather and qualify disciples, Jesus need to reach individuals.
Simon, a commercial fisherman, had given up. He brought his boat to shore. He washed his net. He declared the situation hopeless. And then Jesus directed him to launch out once again. Verses 1-11 in the Book of Luke are an illustration of the bountiful nature of faith. So often we give up, forgetting that God has more to give.
- BUT THE FISHERMEN HAD GONE
The boat was anchored by the shore; the fisherman was done, but then Jesus climbed onto that boat. He had an idea, a greater purpose for it. He asked the boat's owner, Simon, to move the boat out a little further from the shore; and from the boat, Jesus sat and taught the mass of gathered people on the land.
And here our great multitask-er did two things: He fed the crowd (the figurative bread that is the word of God), and He called Simon back out into purpose. In asking Simon to return his boat to the lake, Jesus asked Simon to step back into the waters, just a little bit from the shore. A small step, but a return to hope and purpose.
Our steadfast relationship with God enables Him to re-position us. We throw in the towel but faith throws the towel back at us. God calls us back out onto the field: the game has yet to be played, the score on the board is not final. He beckons us back into the water, the lake has not yet been swam. When we are on the shore and walking home, head low, He draws us toward Him until we are ankle-deep in the waters head up, and staring straight ahead.
Gently, God garners our attention and sparks new hope. When Jesus finished speaking to the crowd, He turned to Simon and directed him to launch out into the deep. Although Simon had been on the shore and finished, Jesus had gently, subtlety re-positioned Simon to go back out. Jesus instructed Simon to put His fishing net into the water.
- NEVERTHELESS, AT YOUR WORD I WILL
Dejected, Simon responded to Jesus that he had already tried, tirelessly, all night and was wearied by the failure of his efforts. This is a familiar position to us: weariness, dejection, capitulation. We surrender to defeat when our effort proves unfruitful. We become tired of trying, and too weary to hope.
But Jesus had just finished speaking the word of God to the crowd, the healing words full of wisdom and love and hope; the word of God had endeared Jesus to the people, to Simon, so Simon was more inclined to listen. He agreed: “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
That is what scripture, what our relationship with God, does within us. It relights the fire within us, it opens the door of hope so that even just a sliver of light can enter. Jesus' words brought Simon back into the water after he had given up. It is so important that we keep God's word close because His words are the only thing capable of inspiring us to say 'nevertheless, despite this seemingly hopeless situation, I will try again'.
God's word is full of promises of achievement, of victory, of provision. Nothing else in life gives us that reassurance. In fact, experience and circumstance in life often tells us the opposite: that we will fail, will lose, will lack. It drains our spirit and causes us to bring our boat to shore, our efforts to completion. But faith, faith reveals those things for the lies that they are. Faith reveals and reminds us of the truth and encourages us to let our nets down once again.
But Jesus had just finished speaking the word of God to the crowd, the healing words full of wisdom and love and hope; the word of God had endeared Jesus to the people, to Simon, so Simon was more inclined to listen. He agreed: “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
That is what scripture, what our relationship with God, does within us. It relights the fire within us, it opens the door of hope so that even just a sliver of light can enter. Jesus' words brought Simon back into the water after he had given up. It is so important that we keep God's word close because His words are the only thing capable of inspiring us to say 'nevertheless, despite this seemingly hopeless situation, I will try again'.
God's word is full of promises of achievement, of victory, of provision. Nothing else in life gives us that reassurance. In fact, experience and circumstance in life often tells us the opposite: that we will fail, will lose, will lack. It drains our spirit and causes us to bring our boat to shore, our efforts to completion. But faith, faith reveals those things for the lies that they are. Faith reveals and reminds us of the truth and encourages us to let our nets down once again.
- OVERFLOW FROM NOW ON
We aren't catching fish, and neither was Simon, not really. To "let down our net" is to open ourselves up to God's will, to be receptive to His instruction and to willingly follow along His path. To "let down our net" is to live as a inquisitive, vibrant, hopeful, active, alert students and children of God. Finally, to "let down our net" is to have the faith to believe that every day is worth new effort because every day holds new fulfillment of promise from God. Every day is packed with new abundance from God, ready to be gathered by the faithful.
Simon listened to Jesus and let down his net. Simon caught more fish than his net could contain. It was full and bursting. There were so many finished that Simon's crew called to the other boat to come and help and gather. Both boats were filled. There were more fish than either boat could contain. Simon's immediate impulse was to bow. And that is the love of God. It is overwhelming, humbling. Simon bowed down before Jesus' knees; he felt unworthy of such abundance. He was astonished that he could be loved and helped so much, so amply.
God's presence in our lives will cause the same astonished reaction in us. He transforms our circumstances: empty to full; dark to light; end to beginning; impossible to possible; death to life. When God tells us to recast our net, and we listen, we discover with wonderment that our net caught more than we ever thought it would. We must not allow our sometimes dejected spirit to block out the voice of God commanding us to keep going. Because it does it does not matter what a circumstance looks like; the outcome of a situation is dependent solely and entirely upon the will of God. If He says that you should keep fishing, and every day that you wake up is His voice saying that you should, keep fishing. Keep casting the net, because God is never going to instruct you to do something unfruitful. He will never instruct you to waste your time.
Listen to God. Simon's story began with a lesson from Jesus, with the word of God. He listened, and it inspired new hope, new energy in his wearied, hopeless bones. God is able to speak specifically to individuals; within everything He says is answer and explanation, counsel and guidance for the specific situation you are in.
The added bonus is that when we do listen to God, cast our net and catch our fish, He has further purpose for what we have caught. God perpetuates the abundance He garners for us. Jesus told Simon not to be afraid; He tells us the same. Do not be afraid, God has even more planned for you. Simon, a fisherman, was made into a disciple; he was trained to become a preacher, one of the persons responsible for the establishment of Christianity.
Simon forsook all and followed Jesus. Forgot your plans, the old plans, and take up God's plan. Follow the path of purpose, productivity and provision. Launch out into the deep, into the depths of faith.