The Fish That Called Disciples to Jesus

A crowd of people gathered around Jesus as He taught. As they moved in to hear better, they pressed Him ever closer to the shoreline, to the edge of the surf. Some fishermen were there, cleaning their nets, so one of them (Simon) moved his boat back into the water to let Jesus teach the crowds from the deck. 

The fishermen stayed on the shore while He taught. There's no doubt they heard what He said, but His words didn't seize them with amazement. 

After the sermon, though, Jesus did something that rocked their world. 

"Go to the deep water and put out your nets."

Simon disagreed. "We fished all night and caught nothing. That's a waste of effort, but, if you insist..."

In the deep water, they threw out the nets and caught more fish than they thought possible. 

It was the fish that moved them. Not words. Not even the words of Jesus.  

For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; (Luke 5:9 NASB)

When words and the miraculous merged, they understood. The Word became flesh once more, and they beheld the Father through the Son in an utterly new way. 

The net full of fish changed their lives forever. 

Some hearts are moved by a powerful sermon. Some hearts are moved by a friend gently sharing truth over the years.

Some hearts, however, need to see tangible evidence of Christ, whether it's a wet, stinky net full of fish or the powerful evidence of a changed life.  

What evidence of the reality of Christ do people see in us?

Today, let's pray that the miraculous work of God in our lives would be so evident that it will move those around us to utter, life-altering amazement at the power and sovereignty of God. 

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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. 

The gift of the fish (Luke 5: 6,7)

When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 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 5:6, 7 NASB)

I've always thought that Jesus gave the great haul of fish to impress Simon and recruit him as a disciple, or maybe to show who was actually Lord of the Catch. This morning, however, as I looked over this passage, two words come to mind. "Pressed down". It's a reference to a verse in Luke 6. We will visit this verse again, but I wanted a quick preview today. 

 Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." (Luke 6:38 NASB)

Here's what happened. Peter was both obedient and generous with what God had placed in his hand (boat, employees, nets, time). He had a nevertheless faith and an obedient heart. He gave freely. He never once said he was tired. He never even mentioned that two word source of downfall to many of us, "NO", to Jesus. In response, Jesus did a miracle that simply demonstrated the way God works. He is immensely generous to us. There is no way to out give God. The fish in that boat, however, suggests it would be fun to try. 

Simon gave freely to Jesus that morning, and without any limits.  Jesus gave back to Simon with that same measure, freely and without limit. In fact, Jesus gave back so much that two boatloads of fish could not contain it. 

The Christmas season is a mixed-up hodgepodge of giving to friends and family, shopping frantically, and leaving Jesus until last. We would do well to pause, be still, and direct our generosity toward Christ and His desires first. I'm not suggesting we leave out those we love. I'm suggesting we focus our attention on Jesus during the celebration of His birth. Look for opportunities to give to Him. There is no telling what He will do in response!

Today, freely give the burden of your loved ones to Jesus. Just let Him have them. He knows your weariness and is eager to take control of the situation. Let Him.