[audioplayer file=”http://thegatheringcommunity.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/defining-mission.mp3″]
We’ll be looking at a familiar passage today which is known for the miracle in it but it’s not a common passage when people talk about mission. I thought it’ll be good for all of us to study it together and understand what its implications can mean for us today.
Luke 5:1-11
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, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 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. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signalled 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. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 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.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Let’s set this up by talking a little bit about the context of this passage. A couple of verses before we get to this passage, Jesus says “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” (Lk 4:43)
I think it’s interesting that Jesus plainly states his purpose to preach the good news and a couple of verses later he chooses his first disciples. It’s definitely connected. But don’t think that Christ is helpless when he looks at the huge task of getting the good news declared to all towns and therefore, he needs to urgently recruit some people to help him out. Acts 17:24-25 says “The God who made the world and everything in it, being the Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”
Psalm 19:1 says “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”. The heavens and sky are also used by God to declare His glory.
In Numbers 22, God used a donkey to communicate with Balaam. A donkey spoke in clear legible language to communicate with a person! If God can communicate through a donkey, let’s not ever think that God is dependent on us. He is not dependant on us and yet He choses to use us. That in itself should humble us and make us grateful for the privilege to join God in His marvellous mission.
What we understand from the relation between the passage in Lk 4:43 and Luke 5 is that Christ is extremely passionate about the mission (must preach the good news) and His disciples are also defined and described by that mission.
With that let’s look at our main text. We see how an eager and hungry crowd come toward Jesus in order to hear the word of God. Jesus is standing by the lake of Gennesaret and he sees two empty boats because the fishermen were washing their nets. Jesus climbs up the boat which belonged to Simon Peter and asks him to put it out a little from the land. This isn’t the first time Peter encounters Jesus though.
In John 1, we learn that two disciples follow Jesus when John the Baptist points at Jesus and says “Behold the Lamb of God”. Andrew was one of the disciples and he finds his brother Peter, tells him that they’ve found the Messiah and brings him to Jesus. (John 1:40-42)
On another occasion in Luke 4:38-39, Jesus comes to Simon’s house and heals his mother in law who has a high fever.
Peter so far has seen Jesus perform miracles, heal people, drive out demons and teach with authority but he hasn’t yet followed him. It’s like he’s in an environment where he’s being exposed to the person of Jesus but doesn’t yet see the significance in actually following him. Many of us who grew up in a Christian environment would relate to this story because growing up we’ve read stories in the Bible, hear people talk about Jesus, we are taught songs about Jesus but don’t get how that makes any difference to our lives. If you are there at this point, I hope the conversion story of Peter encourages you. It wasn’t a co-incidence due to which Jesus got into Peter’s boat. Rather it was an ordained and planned event that was going to transform his life forever! Wow!
Verse 4 & 5
And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
Could you imagine being in Peter’s shoes right now? He was an experienced, skilled fisherman. He just spent the entire night trying to catch some fish to no avail. Jesus on the other hand was a carpenter. I’m sure Peter must’ve wondered “I know Jesus heals people and all that but I know this trade better than him. I’m pretty sure that it’s not going to change anything”. Out of respect Peter heeds to Jesus’ request but probably didn’t expect or believe anything different to take place.
Think about something that you’re good at. You’re skilled at it because it’s a task that you do every day. You’re almost an expert in this field or task. Now what if someone with no experience in that task or field comes and tells you to do the opposite of what you think or believe, what would your response be?
Coming back to the text, Peter probably doubted Jesus at that point but he still exhibited trust by putting down the nets. Do you ever imagine what would’ve happened if Peter didn’t listen to Jesus? Instead you see him trusting and obeying what Jesus asked him to do.
Verse 6 & 7
And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signalled 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.
What an amazing miracle they’ve just witnessed! It’s absolutely unheard of! How could it be possible that from no catch they suddenly caught so many fish that the two boats are now sinking due to the weight? In their many years of fishing they’ve never caught so many fish. They now realize that this Jesus does not only heal people of their sicknesses but also controls nature and circumstances according to His will!
Verse 8 & 9
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken
I find it interesting that before this miracle, Peter refers to Jesus as Master and now He is Lord. Peter understands the difference. Maybe earlier Peter only saw Jesus as an overseer and a Teacher but now He sees him as one with supreme authority. He realized that he wasn’t dealing with a Teacher and a Prophet but He was dealing with God Himself. I think that’s where Jesus gets offensive to people. People are okay with Jesus as long as He is a moral teacher or as long as he is a Prophet who talks about the future but they are reluctant to accept Him as God. And isn’t that strange? Why can’t Peter enjoy the abundance of his catch? Why is suddenly fearful and talking about his sin? This astonishing miracle opened his eyes to perceive the holiness of God and the sinfulness of himself. In essence what he probably meant is “Jesus, I know you are Holy and sent from God. I can’t be around you because I am so sinful! I am unworthy and unqualified to be with you!”
If you are there today, being overwhelmed in your sin and feeling absolutely unqualified to be on Jesus’ mission, here are 3 things this passage tells us today:
1) Mission is rooted in a relationship with Christ
Verse 10 ….And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
Those 4 words “Do not be afraid!” changed everything! Can you imagine how Peter, John and James felt at that very moment? They expected condemnation and judgment from Holy God. Instead they received compassion and forgiveness! “Do not be afraid” Such sweet words from Jesus for sinners like you and me. The reason why we are recipients of God’s immense love and forgiveness is because Jesus completely paid the price for our sin by dying on the cross. The judgment that was deserving of criminals like you and me because we sinned against God in our thoughts, words and actions was borne by Christ who committed no crime. Apart from the sacrifice of our Lord all that is left for us is condemnation! When you stare at yourself in disbelief and grief because you understand how sinful you are…Christ speaks a better word…Christ says “Do not be afraid. I got this”. That’s why Rom 8:1 says “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. Why would anyone not want that?
One of the reasons why Christians ignore mission or aren’t passionate about God’s mission is because they don’t have a pattern of continuous repentance and faith. So they’re living with unconfessed sin and have forgotten everything about the freedom and joy they have in Christ. If we look into our lives, would we say that a pattern of turning from sin and completely depending on the life and work of Christ is THE defining factor? Or are repentance and faith merely random events in your life?
2) Mission is empowered by the qualification of Christ
Not just that Jesus also empowered and commissioned them to “catch men”
What does “Catch men” mean? It obviously doesn’t mean kidnapping! That would be wrong. The word “catch” in the Greek actually means make someone captive or imprison them. It’s talking in a spiritual sense. We have been given the task to “apprehend” people with the beauty of Christ’s love and sacrifice. That’s what happens when we share the good news. We tell people of how we were “apprehended” by Christ’s compassion and love for us and how we’ve been set free from the sin’s penalty and condemnation. Its good news because it’s a free gift available for them too!
What if we get the feeling that we’re unqualified to “catch men”? Well, it is Christ who qualifies you. Firstly, he qualifies us by cancelling each and every sin and by giving us His righteousness. Then He qualifies us by nurturing us through His Word as we read and obey it each day. I’m sure Peter and the others thought Jesus should’ve approached some of Pharisees who were much more knowledgeable to be his disciples. No, that’s not the way it works in God’s kingdom. In Acts 4:13, Peter and John were standing before the big shots in the Jewish religious circles and a very interesting description is made of them. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they had recognized that they had been with Jesus”. It is the relationship with Christ that qualifies you.
One thing that all believers know is how Christ transformed their lives. It’s a truth we can’t forget or deny. Yet many still don’t want to share their testimonies. We still wait for that moment when we will be ready to share our faith. Isn’t Christ’s qualification enough for us? If we have a real relationship with Christ, then we are qualified to share.
3) Mission is defined by the call to follow Christ
Verse 11 – And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
I always keep thinking. These were fishermen who had their livelihoods entirely dependent on the amount of fish they caught. Were they acting foolishly by just leaving everything and following Jesus at a time when they got so much? Wasn’t that terrible business decision making? Why couldn’t have they waited for a few more years and then followed Jesus during retirement?
I think it’s because till now their identity (everything that defined and directed their course of life), their purpose (driving motivation), security (what can secure their lives), longing of their hearts (maybe the trade or the abundance could satisfy) surrounded around fishing and what it could provide.
They just met and had an encounter with Jesus who in one miracle showed them that He was the answer to their longing for a true identity, true purpose in life, true security and true satisfaction. It’s like the treasure in Matt 13:44. A man finds a treasure hidden in the field. In his “joy” he sells all that he has and buys the field. If you found the answers to the deepest questions in your life, would you hold back from giving yourself completely to the solution to those questions? That’s why it wasn’t foolishness but conscious and a joyful response by Peter, James and John to leave everything and follow Jesus. That’s where mission begins.
It’s a question of willingness to follow Jesus. Only a true follower of Jesus will be on Mission. Only a follower would want to trust and obey Jesus. Could it be possible that you don’t want to be on mission because you aren’t really following Jesus?
Author / Preacher
