Last man in the boat (Luke 5:9)

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

Seized by amazement! That's pretty surprised, isn't it? Simon Peter was seized by amazement because of the boat-sinking catch, but all his companions were also seized by amazement. Note the word ALL. It does not mean some of his companions were amazed, it means every single man present that day was seized by amazement at the work of Jesus.  That immobilizing astonishment made all the extra work well worth it, didn't it?  I imagine those men spent the rest of their lives telling about that astonishing morning.

It makes me want to be where Jesus is at work, just in case He does a big and flashy miracle, doesn't it you?  The big catch seems impossible, but what is even more impossible, even more astonishing, is when the Spirit of God catches the heart of a man and utterly transforms him. That IS impossible without divine intervention. 

There is one more point we need to see. Those companions were merely bystanders to the action. They entered in only at Simon's request, and after the miracle was over except for the receiving. Nevertheless, they received equal astonishment, equal blessing with Simon, who was there at the start. Even the last man in the boat received the wonder and gifts of Christ in full measure. I don't know about you, but that is incredibly encouraging to me. 

Pray today that we and our loved ones will position ourselves in such a way that, like those companions, we will find ourselves astonished by what God does without our help and when and where we least expect it. Take heart in the full-measure blessing those last-in-the-boat companions received. 

Seeing our sinfulness (Luke 5:8)

But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8 NASB)

Finally, Simon got it! He not only recognized Jesus as Lord, he recognized himself as a sinner. The word he used here, hamartōlos, is a Greek word that means more than just "I have sinned a time or two". It is used here to mean "I am devoted to sinning" or "I am preeminently a sinner".  Simon Peter recognized that the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man cannot comfortably coexist. 

We don't want to see ourselves as thoroughly sinful, but when we do, our tendency is to run away from God rather than toward Him. Seeing ourselves as a sinner in the presence of the holy, righteous God is a terrifying place to be. We know so much of mercy and grace these days, that we've forgotten that truth, but in the presence of the flesh and blood, wonder-working Jesus, that reality slapped Simon in the face. 

Isn't it wonderful that, when our response to Jesus, on seeing our sinfulness, is "Go away from me, Lord," His response to us is, "No. You come here to Me"?  Simon's first thought was not purification, it was escape. Jesus was on a mission of cleansing, however, and with it, He brought the beginning of transformation in Simon Peter's life. 

That's what He would like to do in our lives, and the lives of our loved ones.  Today, pray for the awareness of our individual sinfulness, our hamartōlos, to be so profound that it drives us and our loved ones to our knees before the Holy One. Pray, too, that we will embrace the purification and transformation that Jesus longs to bring. 

Spillover Blessings (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)

Simon was a businessman with partners. He had employees in the boat with him and, when they could not handle the catch alone, they called for the partners in the other boat. Simon, however, was the one who had the budding relationship with Jesus. The partners are mentioned only in passing in these verses and their status with Christ is not yet clear. 

What is clear is the blessing they received because of Simon Peter's faith that day. They were not at church. They were not at a Bible study. They were cleaning and repairing fishing nets, minding their own business. When Simon moved the boat out for Jesus, they stayed on the shore. When Simon moved to the deep water at Jesus's command, they stayed on the shore. Only when the blessings poured out were more than Simon could receive did they even get in their own boat. At last, they finally moved their boat out, and they, too, were nearly sunk by blessing. 

This miraculous incident reminds me of 2 Chronicles 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (NASB). God doesn't require everyone in the land to repent for forgiveness and healing of the nation to come. He only requires His people to seek His face and turn from their sin. He promises that, if His people obey, He will heal the land and everyone will share in the blessing. When He pours out a blessing that is too large for us to contain, it "spills over" on those around us. 

We will see what happened with the spill-over-blessing people later, but you can be sure they were astounded by what they saw God do that day, just as those around us will be when God moves in miraculous ways. In the meantime, our job is humility, prayer (repentance), seeking The Lord (Bible study), and turning from our wicked ways (purification). We are to handle the repentance part; He is more than able to handle the blessing part. 

Today, actively do what is required by God (humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways) and pray that the blessings He sends will spill over onto our loved ones in such a way that their doubts and rebellion are washed away. 

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. 

The nevertheless obedience (Luke 5:4,5)

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. (Luke 5:4, 5 KJV)

We are using the King James Version today so that we can look at Simon's response and the wonderful word NEVERTHELESS. It means "in spite of" and connects Simon's statements in a wonderful way. 

In response to Jesus's command to put out into the deep water and cast his nets, Simon made his doubt about the utility of that effort crystal clear. "I've already fished all night, Jesus. We didn't catch a single fish! I don't see the point."  Maybe what Simon meant was, "I'm the best fisherman on this sea, and if I can't catch fish, they can't be caught. I know more than you about fishing!" What is so interesting is that, although Simon clearly saw it as a low-yield effort, he was willing to obey Jesus. This is where nevertheless comes onto the scene. In spite of his doubt, fatigue, and desire to get finished with the morning's work and back home for a few hours of sleep, Simon would do what Jesus said. He didn't have to understand or agree. He just obeyed. 

I'm left wondering why. Why did Simon agree to put out into the sea when he thought it was pointless. Probably Simon had heard of Jesus and the miracles He could do. Maybe he was curious and wondered. Maybe he didn't want to miss anything special, just in case. Maybe he was offering Jesus a challenge. "Let's see what You can do in these waters."  Nevertheless. In spite of. Simon agreed to do what Jesus said. 

You may be a little like Simon (and me). Maybe you, too, have a litany of reasons why the instructions of that Still Small Voice are a bad idea or would be a wasted effort. Grudging obedience is still obedience, and can be an important first step toward seeing the miraculous intervention of God. Peter's uncertainty was not a problem because of one word. Nevertheless. Nevertheless, Peter would obey. 

The next time you are inclined to doubt that Still Small Voice, tack your doubt to nevertheless. Doubt if you must, but obey anyway. What blessings await! 

The fish were in the deep water, but Simon would not have caught them if not for NEVERTHELESS. What can God do with your "nevertheless obedience"? 

Today, pray that we and our loved ones would have  a willingness to obey that transcends our doubts. Pray for a "nevertheless obedience".  

Healing the fever, part two (Luke 4:38)

Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon's home. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her. (Luke 4:38 NASB)

It appears from this verse that Jesus went to Simon's mother-in-law's house as a guest after the synagogue service, much as we might entertain a visiting preacher today. It was after He arrived there that He was told of her illness. Since the house is referred to as belonging to Simon's mother-in-law, it is easy to assume that Simon Peter was already a disciple, but he was not. He had almost certainly heard of Jesus, but he was not a learned scholar, nor accustomed to seeing the miraculous.  He was not called as a disciple until Luke 5.  He was a fisherman, more accustomed to nighttime fishing, heavy nets, and hard manual labor than the divine. 

This particular day was the Sabbath, so his fishing boat was docked and the nets were still. For this one day, Simon was also still. He likely attended the synagogue service and saw Jesus cast out the demon. Can't you just imagine the thoughts racing through the mind of this burly worker?  Synagogue had never been this exciting before!

When they arrived at His mother-in-law's house, Peter must have felt so excited. Instead of visiting in the home of a scholar, Jesus was coming to his house! He probably wanted everything to be perfect for the Teacher, and hoped to impress Him. That plan went horribly awry when they arrived to find their hostess in bed and terribly ill. 

It must have been Simon, ever impetuous, who saw his mother-in-law, remembered the demon that had been cast out minutes before, and asked, "Can you help?" Could Jesus help? Yes, indeed. He not only helped, He healed her. 

It turned out that Simon would not impress Jesus that day. Jesus impressed Simon. That was, however, not the day that Simon put down his nets and followed Jesus. It might have been the beginning of his relationship with Christ, and it might have been the point when he began to believe, but it was not the moment when he relinquished control of his heart and life to Jesus. That would come later. 

Starting points are important road markers in our journey of faith. Do you remember those times that played a role in bringing you to Christ? Our loved ones will have, and likely already have had, starting points that direct them along the road to Christ. Today, pray that the divine will invade their lives, just as Jesus did for Simon, and for those divine road signs to point the way to Christ in unforgettable and unassailable clarity. Pray that redemption will be as close for them as it was for Simon on that eventful day.