In the book of Luke chapter 5:10 Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t
be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”
I am not much of a fisherman to say the least. I have on occasion gone
out with my friends and tried to fish. We would sit on the pontoon boat
with the radio playing, telling jokes and laughing throwing one another
off the boat and just had a good time but we never seem to catch any fish
for some reason. I never could really understand why?
People have said that we scared the fish off but I don’t know why
three fellows weighing about 200 pounds each crashing into the water would
scare the fish. If anything the people on the boat should be scared of
the ensuing wake cause by the immersion.
No, I believe it has something to do with me. A few weeks back I broke
down and went fishing with my father-in-law and brother-in-law. We all
stayed in the boat and I still didn’t catch anything. Amy’s
dad, in the aft section of the vessel, would yank them up one after
another. Her brother even caught a couple but me nary a one. I cast my
line like a pro. Why I even tenderized the bait by accidentally casting
it up against the damn’s concrete wall once. No, a fisherman
I’m not.
But thankfully God has not called me to be a fisherman but to be a fisher
of MEN! In the text today we find Jesus calling His first disciples.
This event is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Each time we hear Jesus
say, “follow me and I will make you fishers of men” or, as in
Luke, He says “Now you will catch men”.
Although I don’t know much about fishing I know three necessities of
fishing for men we can see from this text.
I. We Must Bait the Hook
Before we could begin fishing that day we had to have something to entice
the fish to bite the hook. So Amy’s dad threw out the net a few
times and before long we had plenty of live bait to bait our hooks with.
Before the disciples could ever be successful fishers of men Jesus first
had to hook them and bring them into the boat. And though it appeared to
be an easy task for Jesus, for we read they immediately dropped their nets
and followed, we need to see that Jesus did have some tempting bait. The
disciples were uncertain, fearful, and tired. Even Jesus had to bait the
hook. He did that first by:
A. Giving Them Something to Gain Their Interest.
1. Jesus did this by going to where they were. Look at vs 1-3.
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people
crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the
water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were
washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to
Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and
taught the people from the boat.
If you want some to take an interest in you then your going to have to
show interest in them and their way of life. The world may classify
people and jobs from the lowly to the prestigious. But all are precious
in the sight of God. Jesus doesn’t come to people because of who
they are or because of their work He comes to them because of who He is
and because of His work. There are many people whose only contact with a
Christian is through their work because they don’t go to church and
more than likely Christians don’t come to their homes. Because
these fishermen were tough and rugged outdoorsmen they may have felt
uncomfortable going to the synagogue.
2. Jesus Gained Their Interest When He Met Their Needs. Read verse 4-6.
When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep
water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 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.” When
they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets
began to break. 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.
These verses are a good example of receiving blessings from being
obedient. The disciples were going to receive an immediate blessing from
being obedient. But they almost missed out. Look at what Simon said in
verse 5, “We’ve worked hard all night”. That is still
probably one of the most common excuses for Christian men and women today
who don’t give of their time and talents to meet with the family of
God to worship, work and witness for Christ. They say, “I work hard
all week and Sunday is my only day to rest or do things with my family or
work around the house.”
Going to church should be a source of refreshment not exhaustion.
We’re not a charismatic church were you dance in the isle and clap
and shout and wave your hands in the air. Now that would be exhausting.
But we use this excuse of working hard and miss out on the blessings just
like the disciples almost did. If you will take the time to come to
church and worship with your church family you will find it to be a time
of spiritual blessings, peace and refreshment.
Some people seem to think a fulfilling life means you must work hard and
play hard to be satisfied and church does not fit in to their schedule.
But even as they pursue this lifestyle they never haul in the big catch: a
full and meaningful life. These are the people we must entice. These are
the people for whom we must bait the hook, gain their interest, meet their
needs.
Not only did Jesus gain their interest He also:
A. Jesus Gave Them Something To Believe In
1. The disciples lost belief in themselves. Remember what Simon said in
vs. 5? “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t
caught anything.
Let’s think about that for a moment. These were seasoned fishermen
and would mean they were educated fishermen wouldn’t it? But for
all their wisdom and ability they did not succeed. Wouldn’t that
make you feel a little incompetent? I’m sure discouraging thoughts
were running through their heads especially if other boats were bringing
in the fish.
In the movie The Perfect Storm, Billy Tine a seasoned sword fish captain
began to feel that way when he was unable to find the fish and support his
crew. All the while other boats were making a killing. Billy’s
feeling of inadequacy drove him to a fatal decision to fish one more time
much farther out where he was caught in the what became known as the
perfect storm. Three monster storms colliding into one. Billy and his
crew lost that fight and from the way they were portrayed probably none of
them had a chance to place their belief in the Lord. Sadly, many people
who have relied on their own ability and wisdom have also faced death
without making this choice.
But the disciple’s fate was not disheartening.
2. The disciple’s placed their belief in Christ.
And Christ would use this opportunity to gain their awe, respect, and
trust. He certainly accomplished this by the miraculous catch of fish.
But can you imagine the awe these men had when a carpenter by trade showed
fishermen how to fish. And the respect they had for Jesus when He came
through for them. From vs. 6&7 we see He blessed them with more than they
could almost handle. Jesus gained their trust when they recognized His
ability. Look at those verses.
If you will but trust Jesus and His promises you will see that He can
abundantly bless your life also. Jesus said, “I have come that they
may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. Had Jesus not
been there this amazing catch would not have either. Without Jesus in our
lives we can not know what it truly means to live an abundant life full of
blessing.
Jesus fished my soul out the hell long ago. The bait was enticing and
exciting. And as I ponder the blessings of the Lord on my life I learn to
respect and trust and love Him more and more. Anyone can experience these
blessing if only they will take the bait. And we as Christians who have
already been brought into the boat have a responsibility to cast out the
line and bring others in also.
If we are to move forward and be successful “Fishers of men”
our hearts, our worship, our fellowship, our ministry, our attitudes must
bait the hook and give people something to believe in. First being Jesus
Christ and the blessings and benefits of following Him and secondly a
sweet fellowship to be apart of. These are what the world needs.
But as we seek to gain their interest we must avoid compromising the
worship of our God through weak ministry.
II. Put Out Into Deep Water (A ministry of substance) (v. 4)
“When he had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Put out
into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’”
As I have already noted I am not a savvy fisherman. But it seems to me
that the bigger and more numerous fish are going to be in deeper waters.
That is probably where they feel safe and their food source is more
abundant and there is less commotion.
Too often in attempts to bait the hook ministry can become shallow and
ineffective. Some churches focus more on emotion and physical commotion
rather than on the worship of God. They may draw the attention and
attendance of countless people but I can’t help but wonder
who’s got their attention the ones dancing, jumping and shouting.
Are they truly being fed by the word of God and growing in their
relationship with Him? Now, I’m not against some enthusiasm in the
church worship as long as it directs people’s hearts toward God.
That’s the responsibility of the church.
We are here to worship God and learn from His word His perfect will for
our life. We are here to love on another as Christ first loved us. We
are here to minister to the needs of our church family and those in the
community around us. We are here to make an impact on a world that the
devil has thrown into a state of confusion. We are here to show people
the way to a truly blessed and abundant life through Jesus Christ. And in
order to do that the ministry of the Church must be one of substance. We
can not play around in the shallow waters. We must “Put out into
deep waters”. Our ministry must have depth if people are going to
grow and feed on the Spirit of God.
We must prepare seriously each week as teachers and leaders to minister to
those who have been entrusted to us. We must study, pray and seek
God’s wisdom, will and word. The spiritual growth of this church
depends upon our dedication to provide a substantive ministry.
Some churches get carried away with schemes, projects and programs that
they hope will target church growth. But once they get the people there
they must be able to administer spiritual growth. People should leave the
church spiritually uplifted but many times they leave emotional and
physically drained. There is nothing spiritual to sustain them as they
go. It’s time to get deeply immersed in the will of God.
The Kingdom of God is not a catch and release expedition. But people will
throw themselves back if the ministry of the church is shallow and
insincere. But if our ministry will cast a net of substance we will be
able to draw them into the kingdom of God.
III. Draw Them In (vs. 6-7)
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their
nets began to break. 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.
That day my father-in-law and I went fishing he caught the bait with a net
he cast into the river and let sink 10 to 20 feet. The net slowly sunk
and trapped the unsuspecting minnows and with a sudden pull on the rope he
began to draw the minnows in. Some attempts yielded nothing but usually
the net was full.
No matter how deep the disciples allowed the net to sink had they not
drawn it back up there would have been no fish. Throwing out the net is
the easy part. The hard work comes when the net is full and you try to
draw it in. But while that may be the hard part it is where you will
receive the greatest blessing.
There were so many fish in the nets that it nearly caused both boats to
sink. We can get a glimpse of how God rewards those who are obedient to
Him. And I think it especially exciting to think of this in terms of
God’s blessings on His church. There are many people out there who
need to be brought out of the depths of sin and placed in a position to
know and grow in the grace of God. But God needs a place to put them. A
place He can depend on to minister to them. God will only draw unto us
those who we are willing to help draw in. And so we must draw them in.
That means we must do our part. And yes it may be hard work but anything
worth doing is worth doing well.
Prayer:
Father it may seem that our nets have not yielded much but we rest assured
in knowing that if we are truly being obedient to your call to be fishers
of men than the potential is there for an abundant catch.
Help us to bait the hook a little better and more often. Help us to
carefully scrutinize our ministry and to whom our ministry net envelops.
Show us where the deeper water is so we may cast our nets. And God when
you place someone in front of us who is lost or hurting help us to
recognize the need and then to draw them in.
