The Way of God and the Power of Obedience
Bible Verses: Luke 5: 4-11 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Spiritual theologian Henri Nouwen wrote: Our lives are a window of opportunity to say "yes" to God's love. Life on earth is a blessed opportunity to live in response to God's love. Life is too short not to love God and each other in it. Life on earth is a time to prepare for life in God’s eternal kingdom and to experience and learn about God's love. Sometimes we limit God by living this God-given life on earth with too many of our thoughts, plans, and calculations. We must choose life of love. Above all, we must choose God's love and obedience. God's call of love and Peter’s response in today's text pose a fresh challenge to life in response to God's love. Today's passage is a familiar story about the calling of Simon Peter. But there is more than just the superficial meaning of the text that Jesus called Peter, the fisherman, to be a fisher of men. We must understand the true nature of God's Word and His intention. When we understand God's intentions and hidden meanings, those words can be easily applied to our lives. One of the most notable things is the scene Jesus speaks to Peter. He tells Peter: “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” We may think, “It worked well because Jesus helped Peter with his work.” But if you look at the biblical meaning of this text, you can see it from a new perspective. Peter was a fisherman, and Jesus was teaching the word of God like a rabbi. Peter was an experienced fisherman in his hometown of Galilee. Because he did it all his life, he could do well without anyone's help or advice. But in this situation, Jesus gives advice Peter cannot understand. Jesus says to put down the net into deep water, but it is absurd and does not make sense. If you understand the situation in the Sea of Galilee at the time, you would know that deep water is better for fishing at night but in daytime, there are more fish in the shallow water. Most fishermen would know that going deep in Peter's situation is unwise and useless. Peter, an experienced fisherman, could not have missed it. It was a bad day for fishing, so he couldn't catch any fish. He was disappointed, but he would have hesitated to follow the advice of a rabbi who does not know much about fishing. There surely would be no fish in the deep water and he would have simply ignored what an uninformed rabbi said. But Peter responded differently. Peter, who had already been quite impressed by Jesus, chose to obey Jesus' command. It was different from his own experience but he obeyed and moved his boat into deep water. Then something amazing happened. Contrary to his experience and knowledge, he started to catch thousands of fish. He caught enough to tear the net, far more than usual. The Bible records that they filled both boats so full. It was a wonderful experience through obedience to Jesus that surpassed any human experience, knowledge, and expertise. This is the story in today's text. Let's focus on a few points on how to apply this to our lives.
First, the work of the world is done by human experience and knowledge, but God's work begins with the power of obedience. Let's look at verses 4-5 again. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Peter was an expert in the sea as a fisherman but obeyed Jesus' words. If Peter had relied solely on his knowledge till the end, he would have failed to catch fish, and he would not have seen God's marvelous work. But he knew when to obey. We need to have skills, knowledge, and expertise in our lives. But more important in God's work is to obey Him because there is a reason for God’s speaking, even if it is different from our standards, common sense, knowledge or experience. Sometimes obedience, even if we don't understand everything, makes our faith grow in God's way. And it shows us the difference between the things of the world and the things of God. And we should go through these steps if we are truly God's people. God wants to show us his blessings and plans through that process.
Second, when our expertise, experience, and plans come to a limit, we must lay down all our thoughts, quietly listen to God's Word, and follow His guidance. Then we experience God's new power in our lives. Let's look at verses 6-7 again. 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. There are characteristics that appear when people are faced with the limits of their lives or when they are tired having a hard time. Christians are no exception. We complain, or try to act on our own ways and plans before God speaks to us. Of course, effort and hard work is important. But God's work and God's way are done in a completely different way. It's done in another dimension. If Peter had made plans based on his own experience and knowledge before Jesus spoke or if he had not obeyed to Jesus, this God's work would not have happened. When we hit our limits, we must look at Jesus first as Peter did today when he was not able to do anything with his experience and knowledge. We must believe in Him, wait, and be able to trust Him. And we must be able to obey the words He speaks. That is when God's work begins. Peter knew it and through it experienced a miracle he did not know before. Our lives will be blessed when we live with confidence in God and follow His guidance one step at a time, rather than trying to do many things on our own.
Finally, when we truly meet our Lord, we confess that we are sinners before Him. And in the peace of His presence, God gives us a new mission that is more valuable. Let's look at verses 8-11. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Peter, who has experienced a marvelous miracle through obedience to God in the Bible today, first falls before Jesus and confesses his sins. And in the end, Jesus' call leads him to the blessed life of a disciple who follows God, away from a life where he believed only in his power and knowledge. When we truly meet Jesus Christ, our lives will be renewed and changed forever. We learn patience and obedience to follow God's way, which is far greater than our plans and ways. And before His presence, we learn our limitations, confess our sins, and rely on Jesus. Jesus then invites us to a new life where God rejoices. If we realize that we are sinners before Jesus Christ and go by the grace of the cross, our lives will naturally be restored and recovered in the process. Then God can speak and it will be heard. And we will experience our lives renewed through the Word.
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