Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So 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. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

- Luke 5:1-11

On Saturday, we read of Jesus' healing ministry. He healed Peter's mother-in-law. That reading described the busy events of a day of healing, exorcism and ministry, and Jesus' attempts to find some time alone - we assume - to pray. Finally, when the crowd followed Him and asked Him to stay, he demurred, saying, ""I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. My study bible notes here: "The Lake of Gennesaret, also known as the Sea of Galilee, is about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide." What I notice is how the text leads from one passage to another. In Saturday's reading, Jesus declared His mission: He must preach the kingdom of God, and He must do so in many cities. In today's reading, we find Him fulfilling His mission, moving on and preaching to great crowds. We note that He finds any means available to do this, whatever will work. A boat is something without permanent roots to just one spot, that goes from here to there, where it needs to be. Jesus goes where He needs to be and does - improvises if necessary - whatever He needs to do to fulfill His mission of preaching the kingdom of God.

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." A note reads, "Simon Peter does not know that Jesus' request to launch out into the deep will mean a radical change of life for him." The depth of the water can be compared to the depths within ourselves. How deep will we go with Christ as the guide? How much will we be challenged? To what depth?

But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So 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. My study bible says, "Peter both called Jesus Master and did whatever his Master asked him to do. Allegiance and obedience go together." The abundance of this harvest is overwhelming in the picture. Working by themselves all night, they caught nothing. But when they followed Christ's words, and lowered their nets down into the deep as instructed, the catch is too much for them and their equipment. Their nets are breaking, even the other boat is filled to the extent that they both begin to sink. Jesus' improvisation for preaching in the boat off the shore gathers multitudes. His instructions to the fishermen gathers an abundance for which no preparation is adequate.

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. My study bible notes here: "Peter kneels and confesses Jesus as Lord, showing a profound awareness both of the divinity of Christ and of his own human sinfulness." Peter's response to this "sign" is a response to divinity. His own awe makes him - at the same time (as my study bible notes) - acutely aware of himself, and his own reality.

And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. A note here reads: "The first disciples, partners in fishing, were to become partners also in the work of mission and evangelism in the early Church."

It's interesting to me to note that the minute Peter confesses his own sins, it's as if Jesus doesn't care at all about that. What Jesus cares about is Peter's confession, in a sense, of faith. This may not read the same as the passages in which Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ in a more formally recognized way (see commentaries on the passages in Matthew, Mark and John - and we will read another in Luke chapter 9), but nevertheless this is indeed a confession that Jesus is Lord. All it takes is this recognition in Peter, and despite the confession of his sinful condition, Jesus makes Simon his disciple. It's not that confession has nothing to do with it - far from it. In fact, Peter's mind is working the way it does in spiritual transformation as a great example to us all: the awareness of spiritual reality and our own reality are inseparable. Prayer life works to put us into contact with God so that we recognize where we need to change. These things work hand in hand; in a sense they work "organically" in us (to use a popular word). We break down prayer and union into different practices so that we understand them: confession, transformation, giving things "up" or "over" to God, a willingness to cooperate or invite in the work of the Holy Spirit. But, in reality, spiritual life works as a cooperative whole and transits through our lifetimes. I believe that this experience of this process is one that works in us naturally as we go through the stages of our lives and of our prayer life. To follow instructions, and trust, to dip those nets down deep into our deepest (and most hidden) places, is to work together in spiritual life with our Creator. This is often called "synergy" - the combined cooperative efforts of human being and Spirit by which we are saved, and through which we produce a harvest of abundance, and are given life, more abundantly. If ever there were a metaphor for the abundance of fish in the sea, that is one. There is so much in this passage that we can call upon and take a hard look at as metaphor for what happens in our lives in this practice. But the abundance of the catch is the great vivid picture that we have. Working with God, there is no telling where we will go and what we will do. We don't need to be perfect, we just need to be open to the process and let it happen, and follow: and trust, in faith.

The last poignant sentence sums up something else of great importance. So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. The past life is over; they will go on to do other things than what they have trained for. It will be a life of improvisation, and learning, and growing and transformation and sacrifice. They forsook all and followed Him. But where they go, the harvest will be an abundance no one can anticipate. To this time, we still cannot estimate the numbers of their catch. Remember this model; you may not find what you know or think you know on this journey - but be prepared for surprises, and change, far beyond our expectations. And remember Jesus' words, "Do not be afraid."