Pastor Timothy Patoka 5 Sunday After The Epiphany: February 10, 2019 A Catch Unlike Any Other Luke 5:1-111 th
1) The Miraculous Catch Of Fish 2) The Comforting Catch Of Peter 3) The Continuing Catch Of People If you’ve ever talked with someone who has gone fishing, then I’m sure you’ve heard a story that probably seemed too good to be true. Perhaps it’s about the one that got away or a debate on its actual size. We tend to exaggerate a bit when we recount the past. And it’s not just about fishing experiences we exaggerate. Listen to a child’s memory of some experience and distinguish between what’s fact and what’s fiction. Ask the married couple how they met or got engaged and you’ll probably hear different versions that favor the person telling the story. Or maybe that’s just me. We know that when we’re talking to someone in casual conversation, it’s typical that there will be some exaggeration involved on both sides. But sometimes you come across instances that seem like an exaggeration when in fact they are not. One such instance is what we have before us from Luke’s Gospel, chapter 5, with a catch of fish unlike any other. While some may be tempted to pass this historical account off as yet another exaggeration, we know it is not. God’s Word is true in all it says, including this miraculous catch of fish. But there’s more to this account than simply a miraculous catch of fish. There’s also the comforting truth of Jesus as our Savior and Lord who charges us to catch people with the gospel’s good news. 1) The Miraculous Catch Of Fish People were always following Jesus to see and hear what he had to share. We begin our verses with a crowd that has gathered around Jesus by the Lake of Gennesaret or, as it is more commonly known, the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was speaking the Word of God to them all. But because there were so many people, it was getting difficult. So Jesus, seeing that his friend Simon Peter had an unused fishing boat nearby, decided to put out a bit and speak from the boat so that everyone could hear him. After Jesus was done talking, he transitions to the miraculous catch of fish so as to show Simon Peter, the other fishermen, and us who exactly Jesus is. Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4b) Simon Peter, in likely wonder replied, “Master, we worked hard all through the night and caught nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:5) Simon Peter and the other fishermen were professionals. They knew that if you wanted to catch fish, it was best to do it between dusk and dawn. And they had done that. They spent the entire night fishing, came up empty, and just finished their long workday by washing their nets. The last thing they wanted to do was to go 1
Pastor Timothy Patoka 5 Sunday After The Epiphany: February 10, 2019 back out at the wrong time of day. They knew their chances to catch fish was unlikely. Yet Simon Peter, already familiar with Jesus and his miraculous work, trusted in him. At Jesus’ single command, they got all their stuff together, put back out to sea, and went fishing. And what happened? The exact opposite that those fishermen were expecting. Not only did they catch some fish, but they had so many that 2 boats barely held them all. th
Now some people may think that this is another of those exaggerated fishing stories we may hear about. But there is no falsehood found here. Jesus used this true and miraculous catch of fish to show these experienced fishermen that he is more than an engaging speaker who shares God’s Word. He is the Savior and Lord who is all-knowing and all-powerful. It was only because of God’s intervention that such a catch of fish could happen in the first place. Perhaps Jesus knew the exact location of a school of fish to let down the nets and catch them. Perhaps Jesus used his divine power to ensure that the fish went into the nets. I personally think that it was a bit of both. But no matter which way, the truth was impressed on Simon Peter and the other fishermen – Jesus is important. He can make the impossible happen after a fruitless night of fishing. He can captivate the crowds with God’s Word is because it’s his own Word. 2) The Comforting Catch Of Peter Simon Peter had previously known about Jesus (Luke 4:38-39). But as Luke records in his Gospel, it wasn’t until this miraculous catch that it finally clicked in his mind who Jesus truly was. Jesus is the Son of God, the Lord himself! And what did Simon Peter do in the presence of such greatness? As Luke tells us, “He [immediately] fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying ‘Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.’” (Luke 5:8b) Simon Peter probably felt a little embarrassed that he didn’t recognize who exactly Jesus was. He probably felt a little guilty that he hadn’t honored Jesus as the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord he is. But most certainly Peter felt sorry for what sins he had committed up to this point in life. He knew that he had no right to have such a miraculous catch of fish in his boat or even to be in Jesus’ presence. There was nothing Simon Peter could do to make up for those past sins or to retroactively earn this miraculous catch of fish. The only way things could be made better was if there was a much distance as possible between Simon Peter and the Lord because the two of them had nothing in common. Don’t we also think the same? That because there is no way we can bridge the gulf between us and the Lord that we’re better off distancing ourselves from him? We don’t know much about Peter’s life before this miraculous catch of fish. Yet certainly there was something in his past that had him fear the Lord’s presence. What sins might there be in your past that have you fear being in God’s presence? While Peter knew about Jesus’ miraculous power and trusted him enough to go back out to sea and fish, he didn’t yet call him his Savior and Lord. How often do we approach Jesus as our helper in this life instead of our Savior from sin? What 2
Pastor Timothy Patoka 5 Sunday After The Epiphany: February 10, 2019 might people think our opinion of Jesus if they were to examine our day-to-day life? Like Simon Peter, we too realize that we have no right to be in the presence of the Lord. We have sinned and cannot do anything to make things right enough to stand before him with a clean conscience. Like Simon Peter, we too can think that the only way to move forward is if we put as much distance as possible between God and us. th
But if you remember from our verses, Jesus did not leave as Peter asked. Rather than leave Peter on the floor and in his sins, he simply and powerfully said, “Have no fear.” (Luke 5:10b) That doesn’t seem like much of a response. And yet, how comforting it was for Jesus to say this. Simon Peter had nothing to fear for he now knew and believed in who Jesus truly is – he is the Savior and the Lord who is all-knowing and all-powerful. When Jesus told the crowds on the seashore what God’s Word said, he made clear to them what God’s standard of living was. It was to be perfect in every thought, word, and action. While we are afraid to have such a standard held over us, it is not so for Jesus. Because Jesus is all-knowing, he knows all that God has demanded. Because Jesus is all-powerful, he is capable to a perfect life and in truth has lived as demanded. When Jesus went to the cross, he went as the perfect sacrifice to take all sins away, to assure us that we have nothing to fear from God. Our sins have been punished on the cross. God is no longer angry at us for what we have done and continue to do against that perfect standard. And if your doubts or your reason brings you back to fear God, then look to Jesus’ resurrection. For that is the proof we have of our peace with God. The Savior who died for our sins has beaten death and the devil. And he gives to those who have faith in him the comfort of his forgiveness. To tell us as he did to Simon Peter so many years ago, “Have no fear.” (Luke 5:10b) Your sins are forgiven by God. And he’s the one who counts. 3) The Continuing Catch Of People Not only do we have the comfort of our Savior’s forgiveness, we also have the charge of continuing to catch people with the gospel’s good news of who this Jesus is. Jesus had plans for Simon Peter and his fishing partners James and John. They were to be his apostles who would learn from Jesus’ own lips what the gospel’s good news is and later share it with all the world. This is our privilege as well. As Pastor Koelpin shared with us 2 weeks ago at Mission Festival, we are God’s witnesses who share with all people what we have seen and heard through the words of the Bible. As Pastor Koehler reminded us last week, Jesus has commissioned all Christians to gather disciples by baptizing them and teaching them what our Lord says in his Word. Because this is the 3rd week in a row that mentions the gospel-sharing mission we have as Christians, I won’t spend too long on this point. But consider what Jesus meant when he said to Simon Peter, “From now on you will be catching people.” (Luke 5:10b) Instead of Peter 3
Pastor Timothy Patoka 5 Sunday After The Epiphany: February 10, 2019 catching fish, he would now catch people with the gospel’s good news of our Savior. As you consider the world around you and the spheres of influences you are in, who is it that might be lost or wandering from the faith? Who could benefit from you sharing with them what Jesus has promised you? Granted, not everyone you witness to will be caught in the fishing nets of the gospel. Some will slip through the holes and others will completely ignore what you share. But for those who are caught and believe what you share with them, they will have that same assurance you, me, and Simon Peter have. We have nothing to fear from our God because our sins have been forgiven by what our all-knowing and all-powerful Savior-Lord has done for us. th
It’s natural to exaggerate some details when we recount a memory. But when it comes to what our Lord tells us in the Bible, we can be sure that what we read is always the truth without exaggeration. Luke chapter 5 tells us of a miraculous catch of fish that defied all expectations. As the Simon Peter, James, John, and the other fishermen learned, Jesus is the all-knowing and all-powerful Savior. This knowledge can bring us to fear God because we know what our past sins are and how we’ve failed to live for him out of thanks for all that he’s given us. Yet we have no reason to fear what God thinks of our sins. We know what he thinks. He has already punished Jesus for our wrongs. As such, we can be sure that this same Jesus who brought about a miraculous catch of fish is the same Jesus who lived as God’s Word demands and who comforts us with his free and full forgiveness. This is the truth we are privileged to share with all people as we catch people with the gospel’s good news of our Savior. May the Lord have us trust all that he says in his Word so that we may be comforted by and catch people with this good news. Amen.
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