22nd January 2021

What’s your excuse?
Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.’
Luke 5:5 (NIVUK)

The first 11 verses of Luke chapter 5 recount the starting point of Christ’s mission of salvation for humankind, beginning with Jesus calling his first disciples, one of them being a humble fisherman named Simon Peter. Having borrowed Simon’s boat for a spot of ad hoc preaching, Jesus decides to give him a little reward. He tells him, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch’ (verse 4).

Simon’s first reaction was most Thomas-like: he doubted, his knee-jerk answer to Jesus was filled with scepticism, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.’ (verse 5).  At this point Simon could have added, ‘I’m tired. I already tried and failed. That won’t work. I know best. It’s too late.’

He could have, but he didn’t. The last part of verse 5 tells us that he simply adds, ‘But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’ I consider it remarkable that this rough Galilean agreed so quickly to what he must have felt was an unreasonable request. But perhaps at that very point in time, he remembered an earlier encounter, when Jesus came to his home and instantly healed his mother-in-law from a raging fever (Luke 4:38-39). You see, Simon already knew Jesus was a miracle worker.

So he puts out into deep water, lets down his nets and watches another miracle unfold. Nets breaking and boats sinking under the weight of a monster catch. After which he immediately leaves everything behind and starts a new career, as a fisher of people.

The moral of the story being that if we want to be fishers of people too, we must do what Simon Peter did and trust Jesus, because Jesus changes everything.

Prayer
Almighty Father, in joining with you in your mission to save the world, help us
remember that, in Jesus, we have everything we need. Help us to trust in him alone.
In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Study by Peter Mill

 

About the writer:
Peter Mill is an elder and a member of the National Ministry Team directing Grace Communion International in the UK and Ireland. He and his wife Jackie are also Pastoral Workers for GCI in Scotland and Ireland.

Local congregation:
GCI, Edinburgh
Gilmerton New Church
Ravenscroft Street
EDINBURGH
EH17 8QJ

Meeting time:
Saturday 11:00am

Local congregational contact:
Peter Mill
Email: edinburgh@gracecom.church
Contact: wordoflife@gracecom.church