The
story of Jesus teaching from the boat in Luke 5:1-11 occurs early in his
earthly ministry. He preached to the crowd, and then he asked Peter to do
something that did not make sense to Peter. He asked Peter to go fishing in the
daytime. As someone who had fished in this particular area for most of his
life, Peter knew that the best time to catch fish was at night, because during
the day the fish went deeper into the water to keep cool and stay out of the
light. Peter didn't catch anything the night before. He was hesitant to obey
Jesus at first, but eventually he obeyed Jesus' request. The result was a catch
so big that he needed help from other fishermen to bring it ashore.
Obeying
orders leads to success. For example, several years ago General Dwight
Eisenhower, the man who led the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War
II, told an interviewer how the decision was made to go on June 6, 1944. He
wanted to go on June 4th or June 5th,
and June 4th, 1944, was a beautiful, starlight night. The commanders of the
Allied troops were gathered with General Eisenhower at their command post in
England. The chief army weatherman was there also, and he told General
Eisenhower that gale-force winds and high tides would be hitting the Normandy
beaches by the next morning.
General
Eisenhower had a decision to make. Should he believe what he saw-a beautiful,
clear starlight night-or should he listen to the man who knew. His answer was "No
go", even though it would have cost him his first choice and prolong the
wait for the troops who were waiting on the ships. On the next day-June 5th-the
weather was stormy, just like the weatherman had predicted. The weatherman came
in and said, "We're going to have improved weather tomorrow with moderate
winds and tides. It's going to be a good day to go." General Eisenhower
had to decide to go by his senses or by the man who had the authority. The
general paused for about 30 seconds, and then he said two of history's most
famous words-"Let's go". The room was clear in two seconds, and the
rest is history.
Peter
also had a decision to make. Would he obey Jesus' request? Workers like Peter
usually hate to obey orders unless they recognize the authority of the person
who is giving the order. I know how they feel, because when I worked at Harry
Freeman's lumber mill in Greenfield, I had many bosses that I hated to take
orders from, but I still obeyed their orders because I respected their
authority even if I didn’t respect them as people. Peter respected Jesus and
therefore he obeyed Jesus' orders. The result was a huge reward. When Peter saw
the catch of fish, he saw a miracle. He knew that he was in the presence of a
holy person, and he was ashamed because of his sinful nature. If we obey Jesus,
he will clean us, make us whole, and give us the tools we need to do his work
in our world.
God
often calls us to do things that are often simple for us to do but important to
him. The simplest tasks we do for God can result in a revelation, discovery or
even greater faith. Obedience to even the simplest of orders results in great
rewards from God. All we have to do is look at the staff here at Queens Manor. They
are doing God's work by taking care of your needs, and their reward is the
satisfaction they get from a job well done.
Peter
obeyed Jesus' order to become a fisher of men. After Jesus ascended to heaven,
Peter became the leader of the disciples and the early Christian church.
In fact, the Roman Catholic Church
traces its origins to Peter. Peter's small step of obedience led to the miracle
that changed his life. God prepared Peter for the call just like he prepares us
for our call. He allowed Peter to endure failure by not catching any fish. He
also allows us to endure personal failures. For example, some of you might have
considered yourselves to be personal failures when you had to come here to
Queens Manor because of your age and health problems. I can tell you that you
are not a failure. You can still contribute to life in many ways. You can still
share your memories with many of your friends and family members. Those of you
who can also help out other residents. Take one resident here, for example. She is
confined to a wheelchair, but she doesn't let that stop her! She helps other
residents follow along during your worship services, and as someone who has
known her for many years, I am both amazed and extremely grateful! Ruby is a
good example of the work God has called us to do in our lives.
Once
we realize who Jesus is, we can see ourselves in a new light, just like Peter
saw Jesus in a new light when he realized who Jesus was. Sometimes that sight
is too much for us to handle, but we need to see ourselves in that light so we
can be changed by God and be prepared by God for the work he wants us to do.
God shook up Peter because he wanted to shake up the world. He can also shake
all of us up so he can shake up the world-and boy does it ever need to be
shaken up. When we obey God, we will become fishers of men, and the catch we will
get will be even greater than Peter's great catch of fish.
Bibliography
1)
Ron
Hutchcraft, "Your Hard Times". Retrieved from www.hutchcraft.com
2)
Exegesis for
Luke 5:1-11. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
3)
Dr. Ray
Pritchard, "How God's Will Can Mess Up Your Life in a Good Way".
Retrieved from www.keepbelieving.com
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