Untitled Sermon (4)

Last week we saw Jesus doing lots of miraculous things, healing people, overturning the works of darkness, bringing the kingdom of God. But we also saw that Jesus left to a desolate place and the people went after him and they tried to keep him there. If Jesus was a fish you’d say that they tried to throw a net over him and keep him for themselves. They wanted to capture, to captivate Jesus, make him theirs.

But that doesn’t work…and so now this morning we see Jesus on the shores of another lake doing what he said he was going to be doing—teaching the word of God.

We’ve seen so far a pattern here. In Nazareth, Jesus teaches and people love his teaching, they love the good news that he is proclaiming. And you get the idea that they feel like they have the Jesus-market cornered. He’s the hometown kid. He owes them. When he extends this good news beyond Nazareth and even to the Gentiles they are upset with Jesus, they want him to be theirs. They want to captivate him. But when he won’t have any of it they try to drive him off a cliff.

We also have seen a demon yelling at Jesus and telling him to go away. Of course he tries to own Jesus first. He tries to capture him. The same thing that we saw Satan doing a few chapters ago. Trying to make Jesus his. Promising all the kingdoms—if Jesus will just become his possession. And both times we see that Jesus will not be captured.

And then last week we saw a bit of this element with the people in Capernaum. They want Jesus to stay. Now as we read chapter 5 you’re going to notice that something changes here. We’re introduced to a fisherman who responds in an entirely different way.

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Jesus is the captivator not the captivated. That’s really the point of this section. And that’s what we’re going to see in our text his am. What happens when Jesus captivates a person. What does that look like? How is it different?

In his book, Life Together, which I can’t seem to put down, Dietrich Bonhoeffer talks about the difference between human love and spiritual love. He notes that

“human love makes itself an end in itself. It creates of itself an end, an idol which it worships, to which it must subject everything. It nurses and cultivates an ideal, it loves itself, and nothing else int he world. Spiritual love, however, comes from Jesus Christ, it serves him alone; it knows that it has no immediate access to other persons.”

What he means is that we’re always trying to captivate. When Jesus came into Nazareth or Capernaum rather than loving him they sought to bind him to themselves. As Bonhoeffer would go on to say,

“Human love seeks direct contact with the other person; it loves him not as a free person but as one whom it binds to itself. It wants to gain, to capture by every means; it uses forces. It desires to be irresistible, to rule.

This is why they respond to Jesus as they do. Self hasn’t really been broken. They can’t seem outside of themselves. And so rather than being captivated by Jesus they try to captivate Jesus. Make him theirs. They see and acknowledge that he is from God, that he does amazing things, they might even see that He is the Rescuer…but they aren’t yet captivated by him.

But we’re going to see Jesus in this story as the master fisherman. He throws the net around Peter and he captures him.

Here is the scene. Jesus is teachign and the crowd is pressing in on him. They are trying to capture him in some way. And he’s beside a lake and ends up seeing a couple boats…the fishermen are out of them, after a long night of work. Not many fish here it seems…cleaning the nets because all they pulled up was mud instead of fish. So he get’s into a boat....Luke tells us that it was Simon’s.

He finishes his sermon, then tells Simon—that’s Peter—to put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.

Okay, it’s day time here. This isn’t when you fish. Throwing a big net is going to cast a massive shadow and every school of fish is going to scatter. Nothing about this tells Peter that this is the optimal time for fishing. And he reminds Jesus that the fish aren’t biting today.

Now he could have said here, “stay in your lane. I’m the fisherman, you’re the preacher.” But he doesn’t. He’s already seen what he did with his mother-in-law, he’s heard him a few times likely. This isn’t their first encounter. And so Simon says, “But at your word I’ll let down the nets.”

He does and has the biggest haul he has ever had. Calls over his friends. So many fish that it’s threatening to sink both boats. Now Simon sees beyond this miracle. He sees the glory behind the giver. And he’s undone.

This scene is actually reminiscent of Isaiah 6.

Glory. Undone. Atonement. Commissioned.

Here Peter says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” He’s not saying this because somehow being a fisherman is not a respectable gig. It’s that he’s seeing a vision of the holy and that’s what always happens. He’s captivated. He’s not trying to captivate Jesus. He’s overcome by him. He’s in his net.

But notice the Lord’s kindness. It’s not like he sinks his boat and then says, “now you going to follow me.” Don’t hear me wrong, sometimes we are brought to the end of our rope and only then can we see the Lord. But here he actually overwhelms Peter with his goodness, with his kindness.

What we have to see here is that Peter cannot be the same after this. When he has this vision of Jesus he can no longer just be a fisherman. He sees Jesus for who he is, probably not completely, but it’s enough to captivate him.

It’s scary when you are at a spot like this. Peter’s worldview collapses in this moment. Who am I? It’s scary to not know who you are anymore. His identity collapses. (this happens at times with the death of a loved one…with losing a job…with seeing something about the Lord…the world that you hadn’t seen in that way before....) He sees Christ and he’s undone. He shoulders up to the holy one and immediately all his sinfulness, his emptiness, so much in this moment is revealed and Peter just throws himself at Jesus’ feet.

The text says that they were astonished. And we’ve seen that word a few times. Some are astonished and they get grabby. They see who Jesus is…they try to make him theirs. But for Peter and the other disciples something happens and they become his.

I’ve really wrestled this week with Jesus’ response to Peter. He says go away Jesus, I’m sinful. I’m not worthy of you. I’m undone.

And Jesus says, “Don’t worry now you’re going to be catching men alive…you’re going to be fishing for people instead of fish”. Maybe it’s just wildly obvious to you—but to me, I’m thinking how does that answer his question? How does that deal with his ache?

Peter believes it’s too dangerous to be a sinner in God’s presence and Jesus responds by commissioning him. What’s that doing? What would that do for you?

Put yourself there. You’re a banker. Jesus gives you the best day you’ve ever had. Make more money than you ever did in a single day. But then you catch a vision of Jesus, your world collapses—but in a good way---in a way in which you’re drawn to something so much better, but you’re thinking there is no way that this call is for me. Depart from me, Lord. I’m sinful. And he responds by saying, “don’t worry now you’ll be a banker for me.”

Doesn’t it feel like something is missing? Or does it? Isn’t Peter’s forgiveness wrapped up and assumed in that commissioning. He’s saying I want you, Peter. What Jesus is doing is giving him a new identity. Peter was one who captivated…he caught fish…he cut them up…he sold them…he consumed them. But now and the text here is key it says “you’ll be catching men alive” Peter will now be captivated by Jesus and then sent on mission to be captivating others and bringing them life.

Now notice what happens in verse 11. Brought the boats up…all the fish in them…best haul ever. “They left everything and followed him.”

Do you realize what that’s saying. God had blessed them like never before....and they walked away from it. Left the boats there.

I think one point from this is that this really shoots any notion of a prosperity gospel in the foot, doesn’t it. Justo Gonzalez says it well:

Luke Catching People Alive (5:10b–11)

What we often do not realize is that these three leave everything at what would have been the height of their career. Their trust and obedience have led them to an unimaginable catch. The “gospel of prosperity” has come true! Because they believed, they prospered. But such prosperity is short-lived. Because they believe—because their success is sign of God’s power—they abandon their prosperity and success. They do not take their prosperity as a sign of divine intervention and leave it at that. Rather, their unexpected prosperity itself is a sign that, as Peter declares, they are sinners, that they need a different life. And when Jesus invites them to such a life their prospering and their success are left behind for a life of wandering and hardship.

Possible that this will provide for families. Zebedee in the boat. I don’t know. Maybe somebody else is there that day and jacks all the fish.

I’m just picture that day. So much going on here.

Height of his occupation—his biggest dreams. You ask Peter what he wants that morning…what’s he going to say. You cast this vision for him, you tell him he’s going to have a haul like this—you know how he dreams.

But he got it. And he left it. Why? Because Jesus captivated him. His eyes were opened. He found a greater treasure than his best fishing day. And that tells us something. If we try to captivate Jesus then he’s never bigger than our dreams. He’s clay in our small hands. He’s shackled by the smallness of our world. And we’ll be like those in Nazareth who Mark says, “Did no great work there”.

But if we’re captivated by Jesus. His vision becomes ours. SO much bigger. So much greater. We can’t imagine how great.

He walks away from the boat because Jesus is greater. Union with Christ. That’s what it’s about. In him we have every spiritual blessing. Do you know what that means? If you have Christ you have everything. Period.

But I’ll also have you noticed that his captivating is also a commissioning. Out of hope and resources…Christ can save anyone. Jesus captivates people. This is our hope. This is why we have gospel conversations. “Put out into the deep”.

Just a burden if I”m not captivated.

What happens to the gospel if you aren’t captivated? We use it for ourselves. The gospel becomes something else. It’s a means to another end.