When we read Luke's account of Jesus meeting Simon, it is a little bit different than the accounts in John and Matthew. There is also different versions of this fishing story. Are they wrong? Not always. The fact is that the thrust of the Gospels are the Good News, so each author has a different perspective. That was their purpose. Another issue is the location. Lake Gannesaret and the Sea of Galilee are the same place, just with different names. In greek, the word for lake and sea are the same. The name probably varied on people group that the authors were writing to. So do not worry about these differences!
Anyway, on to the lesson. I noticed three different stages of reaction towards Jesus... People wanting to be with him, people obeying him, and then people refusing him. That sounds so strange, but Peter did exactly that!
As the people crowded around to hear his teaching, he requested that Simon push him out in the boat a bit. Right away, this is creating a distance. He is unable to bless them physically. So after he teaches them, he asks Simon to go out into the water. Mind you, Simon probably thinks he is crazy because a., Jesus is not a fisherman, and b., they caught nothing during their shift and now the fish would be at the bottom of the lake.
What does he do? he makes himself available (as well as James and John, as they go out with them). The boats that have been recovered from that time are 26x7x4 feet. Between the two boats, they caught enough fish to fill both boats to the point where it threatened sinking.
How does Simon react? he tells Jesus to go away because he is a sinful man. Yes, that was a captain obvious type of answer from Simon, but instead of agreeing with him, Jesus blesses him more.
When I read this chapter, I often times think about how we act towards God. Often times, we feel that it is best to let Jesus stay in the boat while we stay on the shore. He can not climb into our lives and change our world. He can't say anything that does not agree with us... and if he does, well, we can write it off as something else. We do not have to worry about disappointment if he does not pull through, life is generally low risk.
When we are Simon, Satan will tell us not to let him in because the timing is bad, or the probability of success is low considering the situation. These are just a few things that run through our minds. But Simon pushed that aside, and said, "I doubt this will work, but okay..." The thing is that Simon had faith because he spent enough time knowing what it was that Jesus did. Jesus and other "wise men" hung around the Galilee, so it is quite possible he was familiar with him. So he would have known what Jesus could do. It is because he spent time with the shepherd, he knew what to expect.
When we think of his reaction, I like to think about those pictures we used to draw in grade school. The were by no means Mona Lisa's, but at the same time, our parents took them and hung them on the refrigerator. Why exactly would they do that? They were proud of our effort and were encouraging our growth. Often times people just think that they are a mess and that they are not worthy of anything. But God sees the heart, and he is willing to give more to encourage us. He is proud of us, so please do not think otherwise!
So my question for you in closing is, are you allowing God into your boat, or are you keeping him at arms length. It is only when we let him into our boat, that he can radically change our lives and those around us.
