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 in 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

Yesterday, we read of Jesus' preaching in Capernaum. First, He went from the synagogue to Simon Peter's house. Simon's mother-in-law was ill, and Jesus "rebuked" her fever and she was well. Then we were told of His healing ministry, in which He healed various diseases, and many of those afflicted were also healed of demonic possession. The demons identified Him, Knowing who He is, but He commanded them to be quiet. The people in Capernaum followed Him to a deserted place, and begged Him to stay, but He said, "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 in the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. The Lake of Gennesaret is also known as the Sea of Galilee, and it figures prominently in the stories of Jesus' ministry in and about the region of Galilee. It is about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide.

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. We read in other places in the Gospels where Jesus sits in a boat in the Sea of Galilee and teaches to those standing on the shore. It is an indication of the multitudes of the people who are coming to hear Him. In other cases, He's afraid of being crushed by the crowds. But in this story, there is more: Jesus tells those with Him to put out their nets in a certain place, although they've "toiled all night and caught nothing." So many fish appear in their nets that they are breaking, and the boats become so full of fish that they start to sink. There is a powerful symbolism here in the abundance that is to come into this ministry; it is a glimpse of what will happen through the Apostles. Yesterday, we read of Jesus teaching the people of Capernaum that He had to move onto other cities, because for this purpose He was sent. "Sent" here, in the Greek, has the same root of the word "Apostle" - which is one who is "sent out." So these images are hints of what is to come through this ministry, as it spreads through the Apostles and out into the world. There is an abundance out there waiting for the good news. That which will come through this ministry, and through these men who will be Apostles, will be too great to be contained in all the old understanding and structures of the world as they know it.

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. These are all future Apostles -- and we see them sharing in the work Christ has commanded them, in this example of the abundance of fish. Once again, we encounter the phenomenon of relatedness in the work of the Holy Spirit: they come through one another to Christ, in a common work (actually, this is the literal meaning of "liturgy"). But for Simon Peter, recognition of Christ is coupled with an awareness of himself -- and so it must and should be for each of us.

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. The work they are to do is radically different from what they know, and so it is with the abundance that will come from the work they will do -- it is beyond a worldly, human scale. The spiritual reality they will help to bring to the world is a new kind of work, and something they cannot foresee. But they are called to catch "men" -- the hearts and minds and souls of human beings, to work for a kingdom that is couched in the spiritual battle we've been discussing in recent readings. And for this, there is no containment. Christ, who is uncontainable, has come to our world contained in Mary's womb, and for a time, in a tomb as one of us. But the ministry He initiates with the Apostles here will bear the abundance of His true nature, and will not be contained.

In a story of spiritual liberation, we have to understand the uncontainable spiritual nature of this reality. "All things are possible with God" -- and the fruits of the ministry whose beginning we read of here continue on today. This blog is one of them, and I hope a useful one. What does it mean to be uncontainable? It means that whatever box we find ourselves in, whatever chains bind us, cannot hold nor contain nor determine the outcome of this ministry in us and in our lives. The abundance in the miracles of the fish in today's story is a sign of the "breaking in" of this kingdom into the world, and it continues to "break in" to us today. How does that abundance work in you? Do you call upon it when you feel stuck, and cannot see a way out? It is linked inextricably to our own spiritual freedom, to the choices and the Way that is there in Christ when we can't necessarily see it for ourselves - nor predict what forms it will take in our lives.