Fifth Sunday after Trinity (2025)

Luke 5:1-11

My Brothers and Sisters in our Gospel Lesson this morning Christ is out preaching the Word of God to the people by the lake of Gennesaret which was another name for the Sea of Galilee, but this would be on the northwestern shore. Now this is by the region of Capernaum as well and Jesus had already healed Simon’s mother-in-law. Here Simon witnesses something miraculous in the catch of fish, but Christ points him to something greater. That he isn’t meant just to be catching fish, but men.

Attending to the Word

The fishermen laid aside their work.

This was not the first time that some of them had heard Christ teach, but they laid down their work and instead devoted themselves to the word. These men as we find out later had already been out at night fishing and hoping to bring something home, but their labors had been in vain and even though they hadn’t caught anything. They were still tending to their nets. This is not the act of lazy people, but those who care about their trade and want to be prepared. However,

When Christ speaks, they listen.

They hear not only his teachings, but also that Jesus commands them to put down their nets, and even though in their experience, and their years spent on the lake, they listen to Jesus even though it goes against their knowledge, their skill, and their wisdom. What happens?

They find an incredible catch.

One that is so great that they call over another boat and they load up both boats to the point of sinking. This is not the first miracle that they have witnessed, but after listening to the voice of their shepherd, they are transformed and they end up leaving everything and following Jesus for He has something far greater in mind for them than catching fish. So what can we learn from this simple passage? First

Who is Simon?

Jesus healed his mother-in-law.

But he is a Jew, a fisherman, and he is fishing partner with James and John the Sons of Zebedee. As our text points out this is Simon Peter, who first confess that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God, but will also fall when sifted by Satan in the Garden and be restored by Jesus later when Jesus calls out to them from Shore to put their nets down on the other side. In this passage, we hear that

Simon recognizes Jesus as master and lord.

Both are titles of Honor but you see the progression that happens as Peter realizes who Jesus is. Who else would be able to tell them to lower their nets in this place, and heal Peter’s mother-in-law, and cast out demons? The Lord himself, and this is

This is why Simon confesses.

For while Jesus is flesh and blood like Simon, he also recognizes that something greater is here than just flesh and blood. For what man is there that is equal to Jesus? So Peter confesses that he is a sinner. Knows that he is unworthy to be in the presence of Jesus let alone to have him on his boat, and in his house. Who is he compared with Jesus, nothing. So what does Jesus do?

Jesus Speaks Words of Comfort

Jesus tells him, Do not be afraid.

These words are meant to calm the distress that is in the heart of Peter and bring to Him blessing. Jesus has not come to bring judgment down upon Peter this sinner, but rather He has come to save sinners and has a plan for Simon, a sinner, who at times is passionate for the Lord, but at Jesus darkest hour abandons the Christ, when he vowed to never forsake him, and then was restored. Jesus

Charges him with the work of evangelism.

Now the greek here has a curious word, that is a combination of seizing or capturing, and also the word for being alive. Sounds strange, but this is what Christ has come to do, to bring mankind from death to life and rescue them from their present sins as He has done for Simon, and for those that he was freeing from the demons. This

This illustrates the church.

For look at the pattern we have here on the boat, Christ’s words lead us to confession, and there is the restoration, a catch and then the church goes out into the world forsaking the ways of the world and relies upon the words of Jesus for their salvation. This illustration of the ship or boat has been used even in our church building as we recognize the presence of Christ in our midst.

What’s in a Nave?

The word nave means ship.

It’s comes from the Latin word Navis, and one of the branches of our Military is named after this, the Navy. The Nave is where you are at. It is the space where the congregation sits on a Sunday morning. Each section of our church building is designed with the purpose of teaching the faith. I must confess I should spend more time teaching it for it to be of benefit, for what good is all of our design if no one knows what its about. But

We are the fish, drawn from the sea of the world.

That are brought into the boat at the behest of Christ, whose voice calls together the faith and draws us all near. What happens when the harvest is too great for one church to handle? Well you start another Church, and continue sharing the word that you continue to share the Gospel. For the sea of galilee is 1/3 the size of Lake Winnebago, the world is vast, and we do not know where the fish are at, but Christ does. This is important in our age to understand how we go about Evangelism.

There have been many who are using the wisdom of the world to try and increase the church and think of the Church like a business, and so they use the wisdom of man, they use demographics, they use all the latest tools to determine where best to plant church because they are trying to maximize the Business model of the Church, they will latch on to the latest and greatest fads trying to draw the world into the boat, but often all they are doing is putting holes in the bottom of their boats as they embrace the world. Or they try to make the fish look better by stuffing weights into their fish. Jesus has given us a net that we are to use, and it is enough. For

What captures men? The word.

For that is the means of Grace, it is the Word of God that converts and captures souls as Law and Gospel are proclaimed that convict each of us of our sinfulness, and then speak words of peace to troubled hearts. Faith is born from this proclamation as the Spirit works through that Word in Baptism, and strengthened in the Lord’s Supper. We have the Moses, the Prophets, and the Apostles and that is enough. For

Where Christ is, There is the Church

We follow him.

It doesn’t matter where that road might lead us, or what it might tell us. We do not build based upon the wisdom of man, but rely upon the wisdom of God to grow, and establish the Church. So

Is Jesus here?

Well, First Christ is the Word become flesh who dwelt among us. So wherever the Word is, there is Jesus in our midst. Secondly, what do you receive here? It isn’t a symbol, it isn’t a representation, Jesus says, This “is” my body and blood. So is Jesus here? Yes. Hidden under the bread and the wine, but He is here in our midst according to His Word. Where Jesus is at there is where His people want to be. Because some might say, well see Jesus was out on the boat or on a lake, and that’s where I go to be with God. Did the Disciples remain out on the lake? No. So if you are a follower, if Christ is your master and Lord, follow Him, be where he is at. I’ve heard many times people want to worship God out in nature on their own terms, if that worked, why would I be here on a Sunday morning?

We are called to evangelize.

The Scriptures speak of Pastors as the chief evangelists of the Congregation but Pastors are called to equip the saints, that’s you, for the work of evangelism. Why? Because while not everyone is a Pastor, we can bring Christ to the world. The first place you see evangelize happen is within the family. It was a parent that spoke Christ’s words to you, or brought you to Christ’s words, kicking and screaming, and then you perhaps did that as well. Then perhaps you had family start falling away, prioritizing work, or recreation. We keep on sharing Christ with them. It’s the same with friends who may have fallen into sin, shame or vice. We want them to be where Christ is at, so we let down the nets of God’s Word into a turbulent world, trusting the Words of Christ.

Now my brothers and sisters do we see the full nets that the disciples do? Sometimes, the Gospel has borne great fruit in Africa in our present day. Here in the states, we might feel a bit like the disciples who are washing their nets with nothing to show for our labor. When it comes to evangelism it isn’t about how many we bring in, it is about the Word of Christ and trusting what our Lord has said. So Christ has called you to share the Gospel with your neighbors, if the net comes up empty today, tomorrow, and even the day after. Don’t be discouraged, don’t throw the net down and walk away. For there will be times that you throw the net in the water, where you can see nothing, and thought there would be no fish at all, and yet the Word snags a soul and brings them up to join us in the Nave as we gather around our master and our Lord, Jesus Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.