Trinity 5 (2024)

Trinity season must always be understood in light of Pentecost. We are in this season remembering that it is the work of God in the power of the Holy Spirit that empowers the work of the church. In our reading today we see an interaction with God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, and yet without making a lot of noise the Holy Spirit is there animating the whole encounter. What takes a person from a cultural religious Identity to a wholehearted devotion that would leave behind very important things like gameful employment? It can only be the Holy Spirit.

Hopefully, in your life as a Christian, you get the joy and privledge of being around people that have been touched by the Spirit to an entire devotion to God. I hope that it is in fact you who are so touched. I was talking with a friend this week whose brother is entering into religious life in a different branch of the church. He shared about how his brother had done very well in the marketplace but was not in seminary seeing all of his wealth as worthless, and only God as worthy.

To be clear Luther reminds us that the Holy God calling one make to preach and one man to farm makes both callings Holy. My work is as important to the kingdom of God and any of your work. And yet encounters with the Holy Spirit very much animate how we relate to our work and the money made from it.

Main point: The gift of the Holy Spirit revealing God to us will move us to do the work God give us to do.

So our text:

There is a whole lot of our text that is a narrative build to the big climax. Take verses 1-5

[1] 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,

Okay we know where they are and a little of what is happening. They are lake side, Jesus and the crowds who want to hear from him.

[2] and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

More characters…there are fishermen near by, not because they are impressed with Jesus but because there work has them there, cleaning 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.

Jesus just grabs and starts using someone else personal property, but that is not as strange then as it might be to us, he is a Rabbi and it seems Peter was fairly devout in faith (see the book of acts)

[4] And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” [5] And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”

Then we have the command of Christ and the following of that command. Peter is not rude, but he pushing back a little. The religious leader is asking them for something some what absurd… mid-day fishing. But he is the Rabbi and Peter seems to have been invested in his religious life.

[6] 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.

Here is where the Drama gets good. We see that Jesus has Authority over the created order bringing about the amazing catch. Its too much fish at the wrong time of day for this to be a coincidence. And there are too many people present for this to be a concocted lie. So many fish that they needed help and the boat began to sink.

[8] But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” [9] For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,

The Holy Spirit who was certainly a key player in the bringing the fish there was now revealing to Peter that which he did not see before. Peter starts out seeing a capable Rabbi, no he sees that it is in fact The Lord. He sees the bigness and holiness of God as Isaiah saw it and responds as such

Isaiah 6:5 [5] And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (ESV)

“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

[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.”

We have seen the amazing climax, the power of God and when revealed what it does to man! But a secondary benefit…we see a cool origin story…Peter James and John. Their call to the greater work.

[11] And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (ESV)

And now we know how they got to Jesus inner circle.

Main point: The gift of the Holy Spirit revealing God to us will move us to do the work God give us to do.

Some words of application.

What I am about to say is so important and yet will have some theological nuance. If you go to the beginning of the Bible there is the account of Adam and Eve sinning against God and receiving the cure that casts them out of God’s presence. Part of that curse was thier work was going to be harder.

Genesis 3:17–19 [17] … cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; [18] thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. [19] By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (ESV)

Relate that to a group of fishermen who had worked all night and had not caught a single fish. The Garden of Eden is the place of the presence of God, and now being cast out work was gonna be toil.

But now Peter will work in the presence of God. A restored Eden, instead of the tree of life, Jesus who is the vine. And in God’s presence, the curse is reversed. And the work is not toil but fruitful.

On one hand, we work on this side of the fall and our work has toil. On the other hand in the presence of God, we are given foretastes of the restored work of Eden.

Now Peter has been given a special call. He is to leave his work to continue the direct work of Christ-centered ministry. I don't think this passage is insisting we all do likewise. If we where all meant to forsake fishing to work on God’s behalf then I don't think the climax would be a banner catch. Some stayed back to finish the task at hand, taking the fish to market for a profit. The Economics are not looked down on by the scripture. Yet, Peter is called from his economic place into a ministerial duty.

Some of you in this room might be called to clerical work. But most of you will be called to work in the presence of God. To remember that there are thorns and thistles but also to experience snaps shots of work in God’s presence.

Remember to the world work becomes a God. It gives people an identity and protects them from starvation. It has their whole devotion that they would forsake family for it. That is not the Christian view of work. Work for a Christian is a means by which God bestows God-given gifts but it is not God. ANd if you make it your God it will let you down and you will be crushed. Even Jeff Bezos has to deal with the fact that being 2nd or 3rd richest person on the planet is going to end in his death one day. He might be able to buy life-extending medical care, but he cannot buy everlasting life.

Main point: The gift of the Holy Spirit revealing God to us will move us to do the work God give us to do.

Jesus provides to Peter and his workers with the food needed to feed their bodies that day. But one day he will provide to all of us the healing food that will preserve our souls. On the cross Jesus becomes the slaughtered lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Just as the lamb eaten at Passover is the thing that causes the ANgel of Death to Passover that once, Eating of the Lamb on the cross saves us from death eternal. Your sin is put on Jesus, he is the sacrificed lamb. Come today to this table and eat of him that gives eternal food. Yes, he can give you fish to live on for weeks, but let us get even more excited about the good to live of forever. Then let us leave this building and bring others to experience the Holy God, that we do not have to flee in fear but can cling to in faith.