Loving God, you reveal both your abundance and your power to heal, and call us to come and follow.  Teach and empower us by your Spirit to join in the work of your kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            In the gospel of Luke, the call of the first disciples happens in a way that probably makes more sense to us than in Matthew or Mark.  In the other gospels, Jesus just says, “Follow me,” and those first disciples leave their nets and go with Jesus.  However, in Luke, a number of things happen before Simon and James and John (and probably Andrew) leave everything in order to follow Jesus.

         Jesus has already been teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, which is where they lived, and he has visited Simon’s house and healed his mother-in-law and many others.  They have heard Jesus teach by the seashore, and then they have seen the miraculous catch of fish.  They see both the healing and the abundance that Jesus brings first, and then they leave everything in order to follow him.

         Many people can probably identify with the discouragement and frustration that Simon Peter was feeling after having fished all night without catching anything – especially discouraging when that’s how you make your living!  You can hear it when Jesus tells him to head out into the deep water for a catch.  “We tried all night, Lord, and not a fish could be found, but if you say so, I will let down the nets.”  After all, what does he have to lose?

         As it turns out, it was a great idea to go fishing with Jesus.  In fact, now there are so many fish that they can feed many people, and sell some besides.  Peter, it seems, is immediately aware that he does not deserve such abundant blessings, and is perhaps afraid of what might happen if he continues to be in the presence of the Holy One.  Jesus, however, tells him not to be afraid, and that his new mission will involve catching people.  And they leave everything and follow Jesus.

         It is hard for us to imagine leaving everything behind in order to follow Jesus.  After all, these were not people who had lots of time on their hands.  They had families to feed and work to be done.  However, they seem to realize that Jesus is worth following, in spite of all of those other obligations.  In Jesus, they will find abundant life and healing, as well as an intimate connection with God that they had never thought possible.  They will find reconciliation with God, forgiveness of sins, and ultimately, eternal life.  However, even as they discover these things, there will be plenty of disappointments and challenges along the way.  And all of these things, it seems, were part of their growth as disciples of Jesus.

         Over the years, I have learned that at least some people today have trouble thinking of themselves as disciples of Jesus.  However, the word disciple simply means “learner.”  A disciple is somebody who seeks to follow Jesus and to learn from him.  However, disciple is also related to the word “discipline” – not the kind of discipline that involves punishment, but disciplines that help us to grow in our faith as we learn from Jesus.

         These disciplines include things like prayer, worship, chanting or singing, studying the Bible, meditation, fasting, generous giving, and service to others.  Those first disciples learned these things directly from Jesus, whereas we learn them from those who are more mature in the faith than we are.  At the same time, if these disciplines sound like something that we don’t have time for, that puts us in the same boat as Peter, James and John.

         It has always been the case that, in order to say yes to following Jesus, we need to say no to some other things.  Some of those things are in our baptismal service, where we renounce things like sin and evil and the powers of this world that rebel against God.  We are also asked to leave behind greed, and idolatry, and lies, and all pursuits that are going to harm others rather than help them.  We are asked to stop relying only on ourselves and on our own wisdom and strength, in order to learn how to rely on God for all that is needed.

         This is what Peter is only beginning to learn in today’s gospel.  Under his own power, he had fished all night without catching a thing.  However, once he allows Jesus to direct the fishing, look out!  There is no stopping all of those fish from practically leaping into the boat!

         As for this “catching people,” the same principles apply.  It is only Jesus who can change people’s hearts, and no matter how hard we might try, without the power of the Holy Spirit at work in people’s hearts, nothing changes.  It is also worth noting that, in spite of what fishing or catching might imply, Jesus does not save or convert anybody against their will.  God always allows us to say yes or no.

         Let us, then, continue to learn from Jesus, relying on the Holy Spirit for all that is needed.  And may that same Spirit enable us to leave behind all that weighs us down, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Epiphany 3 (NL 3)                                        Luke 5:1-11

January 24, 2021

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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