I just saw this pic from Logos Bible Software and I had to share it. Why? Several reasons...
One, because one of the themes in that passage is RECOGNITION. Peter recognized that there was something about Jesus that got his attention. This passage begins in Luke 5:1 (ESV) On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. Peter and the other fishermen were washing their nets after an unsuccessful night of fishing. Jesus was teaching a large crowd and as the crowd gathered in, Jesus wound up on the shore and was running out of room so He got into Peter's boat and asked him to move out into the water enough that He could still teach the crowd. And Peter did what Jesus asked him to.
Has Jesus gotten your attention yet? Do you realize how different He is from everyone else?
Two, because one of the themes in that passage is SUBMISSION. Look what happens in verse 4. Jesus said "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Imagine that you are Peter and you are washing your nets and are disappointed in the fact that you didn't catch anything and now a teacher is going to tell you, the professional fisherman, how to catch some fish. Many of us would have said something like, "Look, man, you are a teacher and i am a fisherman. You take care of your stuff and I will take care of mine." but Peter didn't do that. Look at what Peter said to Jesus. Luke 5:5 (ESV) And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
"Master"? Peter had heard enough of His teachings to realize that they weren't on the same level, didn't he? He gave Jesus a quick report of the fishing conditions from the night before ("we toiled all night and took nothing"), but then says "Because You say so, I will let down the nets." Wow! Can you imagine how much that took for a man like Peter to say that? We find several places in the Bible where Peter says some things that get him into trouble with Jesus but not this time. He submitted himself to Jesus.
What about you? Have you submitted to Jesus yet or are you still trying to do things your way? Peter didn't catch any fish the night before. Maybe things in your life are not going so well either. Submit your life to Him and watch what happens.
Three, because one of the themes in that passage is OBEDIENCE. Now we see that Peter did what Jesus told him to and Jesus was absolutely right about catching some fish! Luke 5:6 (ESV) And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. They not only caught some fish, but they caught so many that their nets were breaking! Think about that for a moment. These men are not just some guys who fish occasionally as a hobby, they are professional fisherman who do this for a living. They must have had the type of nets that professional fishermen would use and yet these nets were breaking because of the number of fish being caught.
They caught nothing the night before but because they obeyed Jesus, they caught so many fish that they needed the other boats to help them bring the fish into shore. As if that wasn't dramatic enough, verse 7 says that the boats were so full of fish that they were beginning to sink! I can' help but smile at that one. When you obey Jesus, BIG things happen!
Are you obeying Jesus? If not, what's keeping you from doing what you are supposed to be doing? Excuses like "we toiled all night and took nothing"? Rebelling by saying "but we have already cleaned the nets for today"? Or maybe "What do you know about my life? I know what I am doing."
Fourth, because one of the themes in that passage is CONFIRMATION. How do you respond when something like that happens? What should you say? What should you do? Look what Peter did. Luke 5:8 (ESV) But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Peter recognized the power of Jesus and acknowledged his sins. He knew that he was not worthy to be in His presence but remember? Jesus came to him. Jesus sat down in his boat. Jesus asked him to pull away from the shore Jesus told him to let down his nets.
Luke 5:9 (ESV) For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. These men were so amazed at what had just happened that when Jesus said "Follow Me", they left it all. They didn't say, "Wait, can we sell these fish first?" They just walked away from it all and followed Jesus.
That is why that picture is so powerful to me. As we prepare for this new year, we need to ask ourselves if we recognize His holiness and power? Are we willing to submit to Him as we should? Will we obey Him with all of our lives like never before? I hope so. What about you?
Would you pray right now and ask God to forgive you of any unconfessed sins that you may have? Then would you commit to serving Him this year, even if it means "letting your nets down again"?
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