The Invasion

And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. (Luke 5:3 NASB)

Yesterday, one of my patients told me about an attempted home invasion that occurred this past weekend not far from my home. The whole idea of invasion must have still been on my mind, because I saw a very interesting thing when I started reading Luke 5 today. Jesus did a little invasion of His own!

When I read a passage of Scripture, I often have a picture of the unfolding scene in my mind's eye. What I envisioned in this passage was that Jesus walked up to Simon where he was cleaning the nets and politely said, "Hi Simon. I'm Jesus the Messiah and I've come to save you and the world. Do you mind if I borrow your boat for a little while?" I have read Luke 5 every day since we started this chapter and it has seemed exactly the same way. 

Wrong! That's not what Scripture says. Here's what it says. Jesus was standing by the Sea of Galilee (aka lake of Gennesaret) and the crowd was pressing in so much that He was about to be pushed into the water. He saw two unmanned boats, thought it would be great to teach from one of those so the crowd wouldn't run over Him, and saw the fishermen nearby. He did not ask permission first. He got in Simon's boat, and then He asked Simon to put out from the land!  

When I saw that today, I laughed out loud. Indeed, Jesus was a boat invader! In fact, He was a life-invader that day! Isn't that wonderful? He positioned Himself into Simon's circumstances in such a way that, when He did ask permission of Simon, it was pretty hard to tell Him no. 

Jesus is so very sweet to me that I often see Him as meek, gentle, and kind. Somehow, I tend to forget about this boldness of His. It is wonderful news, however! This Seeking, Saving Savior of ours is also a Life-Invading Savior!

Today, pray that we and our loved ones will be blessed with Christ-invasions of our own. Pray that Jesus will enter our circumstances in such a way that He makes it almost impossible to deny Him or turn Him away. 

Lord of the Catch and the Boat (Luke 5:7)

so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. (Luke 5:7 NASB)

How about that?  Simon did what Jesus said, Jesus blessed him back (because you can't out give God), and it was such a huge catch that both his boat and his partners' boat were totally filled with fish. The boats were SO full that they began to sink. 

Selah. Pause and ponder here. 

I can imagine what Simon and his buddies thought. "What??? Jesus, you need to get your superpower under better control here! We are all going to sink and drown, and the boats with us!  You have destroyed us!"  Don't you know they must have been scared half out of their minds? They had an enormous catch, with seemingly no way to get it back to shore! It had stopped looking like a blessing. 

What they didn't understand was that the Master of the catch was also Master of the boat. Jesus was right there, and He could handle an overloaded boat. He could handle two overloaded boats, especially when they were overloaded with heaven-sent blessings. All Simon could do was watch in utter amazement. 

I've had a few of those blessings. You probably have, too. At first, you are stunned and amazed with what God is doing, but before long you are saying, "Whoa! This is killing me!" My usual response has been to bail out. I wonder, though, how it would have turned out if I had stayed in the boat the way Simon did. Of course, I will never know, but next time, I'm stepping back, doing what Simon Peter must have done, and letting Jesus "get the boat to shore".  

During one of the busiest seasons of the year, you may also be feeling a little overloaded with the blessings God has entrusted to you. It's important to remember that, even when it is too much for you, it's not too much for God. The only sensible solution is to step back and allow the Author of the blessings to be the Manager of the blessings, as well. 

Today, pray that our loved ones, also highly blessed, will recognize our Lord as the source of all their blessings and will allow Him first place in their lives. 

No sooner said than done (Luke 5:5-7)

Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.” It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch. (Luke 5:5-7 MSG)

"It was no sooner said than done." That's quite a mouthful of faith and obedience, isn't it?  Perhaps one of the reasons Jesus loved Simon so much, and kept him close at hand, was because of his instant obedience. Some might even call it impulsive, but Simon was definitely an "instantly" kind of man. 

In this brief passage, Jesus asked Simon for the use of the boat for preaching, and "it was no sooner said than done".  Simon arose from the nets he was mending, scrambled into his boat, and moved out. No grumbling or whining. He just did what Jesus said to do, despite his fatigue, lack of sleep, and pressing business responsibilities. 

Jesus said move out to deep water, and it was "no sooner said than done." Despite the fact that Simon had just returned from deep water (which he did take time to mention), "it was no sooner said than done". His recent failure in that very same place did not stop Simon from obeying, nor from obeying instantly. 

Jesus said to cast the nets, and Simon picked them up and threw them out. Those nets are heavy and hauling them back in, even empty, is no small job, especially for a man exhausted from a night of work. "It was no sooner said than done", however. Jesus said to do it, and Simon obeyed.  

It's a lesson for us, isn't it?  That Still, Small Voice speaks in our heart and we sometimes whine and complain as if He had asked us to give up all our worldly goods. If we could see the other side of our obedience, it would "no sooner be said than done". Of course we can't see the future. That's where faith is required. Faith obeys even when the outcome is unclear. Faith obeys even when the task seems pointless. Faith obeys, just because Jesus asks.   

Today, pray that the voice and direction of Christ will be crystal clear and that our obedience will be instant. Pray, too, that when the voice of Christ calls our loved ones, their response will be just as instant. 

Lord of the Boat (Luke 5:4)

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." (Luke 5:4 NASB)

After He finished speaking, Jesus the stone mason/builder/itinerant preacher turned His attention to Peter. If I had been Peter, I would have been expecting a thank you for my assistance. Remember that Peter had already spent the night casting heavy nets into the sea, dragging them out empty, then starting the cycle all again. Despite his physical and emotional exhaustion, what Peter received was not thanks. It was another work assignment. 

There were no engines to start and move his boat. When Jesus told Peter to put out into deep water, he meant physically row the boat, until the sails catch the wind, and move out to deep water. It was more than just a one-man job. Peter would have to put his employees to work as well. Jesus was not just asking Peter for physical work, nor just to overcome his exhaustion. Those employees would not likely work for free. Jesus was asking for a financial investment in obedience, as well. 

How very interesting. Jesus was about to bless Peter in an astounding way, but before He did, Jesus made sure that Peter was willing to put the direction of his finances in Jesus's capable hands. Just think what Peter would have missed if he had said, "Jesus, my men are tired and they are going to want time and a half for this wasted trip. The fish aren't biting." It's an amazing thought, isn't it? Jesus wants to be Lord of the boat and the employees, as well as the salary that pays them. 

There is no way to know in advance what Jesus will do with finances that are surrendered to Him. What Peter found, however, was that surrender was worth it. Perhaps your finances stand in the way of the blessings Jesus has planned. Is He directing the outlay of every cent? If not, why not invite Him to take charge of every aspect of your life, including finances. Like Peter, you will find He can be trusted. 

Today, pray that neither we nor or our loved ones will allow financial considerations to stand in the way of the plan Jesus has for us. 

Back in the boat (Luke 5:3)

And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. (Luke 5:3 NASB)

Simon had just had one of the biggest business failures of his life. He and his crew had fished all night long and not caught a single fish, despite the rich waters of the Sea of Galilee. Most men would have been discouraged, frustrated, and out of sorts. Considering how much "humanness" Simon often displayed, he probably was all of that. Jesus looked at Simon, who was cleaning his nets, and asked him to get back in the boat and put out into the water so He could teach. Knowing he would still have to clean the nets afterward, Simon moved the boat. I don't know that Simon put the boat out expecting a miracle of some kind, but Jesus WAS becoming known as a miracle-working preacher. 

Regardless of what Simon expected Jesus to do, what He did was start teaching the crowd, as if Simon wasn't there at all. Simon didn't get any special attention for his help, nor a commendation before the crowd. It may have looked to Simon as if Jesus was ignoring him. As soon as Jesus finished speaking, however, it became apparent that Jesus had not overlooked Simon, nor was He ignoring him, at all. What came after was so much better than Simon ever expected!

Has that ever happened to you? Have you found yourself in a frustrating spot, expecting Jesus to do something, hoping He would, but finding that more obedience is required? Most of us have something in our lives that needs His intervention, don't we? If we are honest, most of us wish Jesus would hop to it and address our need, too. Maybe we, like Simon, just need a little more time in the boat, allowing Jesus to use our situation to accomplish His purposes, before that for which we long will come. 

Simon probably resented the night spent fishing without a catch, but what he didn't realize at the time was that no catch meant he had a clean boat for Jesus to use the next morning. What looked like a disaster was actually preparation for the coming of the King. I wonder... Maybe that troublesome, disastrous, frustrating thing in our lives is actually preparation for something we can't begin to imagine. 

Today, pray for the coming of our King that will change everything - in ourselves and in our loved ones.