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 that Jesus arose from the synagogue (where He had cast out an unclean demon) and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.  Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

 

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 explains that the Lake of Gennesaret is also known as the Sea of Galilee.  It is a very large lake:  about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide.  Sitting was the traditional position for a teacher.  

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.  Jesus commands St. Peter (Simon):  "Launch out into the deep."  My study Bible points out that St. Ambrose sees the spiritual meaning in this command as an invitation to give one's life over to the deep mystery of the knowledge of the Son of God.   Moreover, this great number of fish -- so big that their net was breaking -- illustrates the principle that God draws people to Himself by things that are familiar to them.  My study Bible comments that, as He drew the Magi with a star (Matthew 2:2), and would draw tax collectors by a tax collector (Matthew 5:29), here Christ draws the fishermen with fish (see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).  

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 tells us that Simon Peter's cry in the face of divine power is not a rejection of Jesus (contrast this with Luke 8:37).  On the contrary, when suddenly cast in the light of Christ, holy people such as Peter become keenly  aware of their own unworthiness (compare Isaiah 6:5; Revelation 1:17).  

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.  My study Bible says that this great catch of fish is an image of the apostles bringing humankind to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and that it fulfills the prophecy of Jeremiah 16:16.   In the Orthodox festal hymn of Pentecost, it is sung to Christ, "Through the fishermen, You drew the world into Your net." 

Clearly there was already familiarity between Jesus and St. Peter and his family; after all, we just read of Christ's healing of St. Peter's mother-in-law (see Saturday's reading, above).   Through John's Gospel, we know that Saints Peter, John, and James Zebedee were first followers of St. John the Baptist, who brought them to Christ.  But perhaps the most important and striking feature of today's reading is just what my study Bible commented:  that "God draws people to Himself by things that are familiar to them."  Surely that great catch of fish counts as one of the signs of Christ, that the Kingdom is present with Him.  This the fishermen most surely can understand, and it would make an indelible impression.  No doubt it sealed the decision to follow Christ as full-time participants in His ministry.  We can also look at this picture symbolically.  That great catch of fish is like an astonishing, overwhelming promise.  If Christ can do this, is it not a kind of promise of what abundance He can bring into their lives?  Devoting themselves to Christ will bring an impossible-to-calculate abundance of fruits, of "fish" so to speak, in those faithful believers that will follow the disciples and come after them in time.  And so the abundance of fish is indeed a promise about the spiritual fruitfulness of their lives, and how they wish to devote them in the future.  When St. Peter is overwhelmed by what he perceives truly to be Christ's great holiness, Jesus tells him, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."  This is truly a promise indeed, and one made for the glory of God.  Would that we all could receive such a grand promise for our futures in Christ.  

 

 

 

Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch

 

 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 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus left the synagogue in Capernaum and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.  Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

 

  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. The Lake of Gennesaret is another name for the Sea of Galilee.  The lake is about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide.  This name may possibly be used here for the Sea of Galilee as it is suggestive of the fruitfulness of this region (its original name taken from the name for a fruit tree), both the fertility of the plain adjacent and the fishing.

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.  Sitting, my study bible explains, was the traditional position for a teacher.

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."   My study bible cites St. Ambrose's commentary here, in which he sees the spiritual meaning of this command as an invitation to give one's life over to the deep mystery of the knowledge of the Son of God.

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 comments that the Lord draws people to Himself by things that are familiar to them.  As He drew the Magi with a star (Matthew 2:2), and tax collectors by a tax collector (5:29), here Christ draws the fishermen with fish (see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).  

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.  My study bible tells us that Peter's cry in the face of divine power is not a rejection of Jesus (contrast this with 8:37).  But, instead, as Peter is suddenly cast in the light of Christ, he responds as do many holy people when they become keenly aware of their own unworthiness (compare to Isaiah 6:5, Revelation 1:17).  This great catch of fish is an image of the apostles bringing humankind into the knowledge of Christ, fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah 16:16.  I the Orthodox Church, the festal hymn of Pentecost proclaims, "Through the fishermen, You drew the world into Your net."

This marvelous, surprising image of this great catch of fish catches our eye -- as no doubt it was understood that it would.  We can see the reactions of these fishermen.  No one is more astounded than they.  The word in the Gospel is astonished.  This is their home territory, it's where they have fished all of their lives, and yet on the word of Christ a catch of fish arrives that is so great it is breaking their nets.  The number of fish is so tremendous that they fill their boats to the point at which they begin to sink.  This is the powerful image of the Gospel that makes grown men astonished, stunned, amazed to the point of stupefaction.  Peter is so overwhelmed that he responds with a holy awe by simply having glimpsed an understanding of Christ:  "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"   Certainly there is in this image of the great catch of fish splitting the nets of the fishermen a sign of tremendous abundance.  The familiar phrase "all the fish in the sea" comes to mind.   We know that the sign of a fish will become an early symbol for Christians:  the ancient Greek word for fish, ιχθυς/ixthys will become an acronym for "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior" (Ἰησοῦς Χριστός Θεοῦ Yἱός Σωτήρ).  Jesus forever ties together the metaphor of fish to the world full of human beings who must hear the gospel message when He says to these fishermen, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."   This word in Greek for "men" also means generically mankind, human beings.  So astonishing in their minds is this catch of fish that the fishermen leave their boats and nets and business behind, becoming disciples of Christ.  John's Gospel explains to us that several of them had already been disciples of John the Baptist, and so were familiar with Jesus from the beginning.  But here is where they are truly called, and this great sign gives Peter a visceral experience that he stands before a man whose holiness he cannot fully estimate.  And that, too, is part of the surprising nature of our faith and its component of mystery to be experienced.  For that sort of glimpse comes in a way as surprising as this extraordinary catch of fish on a day when there were no fish to be found.  It is sudden, experiential, a glimpse like a flash.  The brief moment of any experience of holiness or the divine is a taste of something whose depth we cannot measure and do not know.  In the entire treasury of the Church with her saints and Scripture and all of theology there remains an overwhelming unknown of mystery about God.  Whatever we do know of God has only come through revelation; what has been developed by combining this with philosophy to create theology gives us a glimpse, but teaches us more:  that whatever it is we know of God is a tiny fraction of God's reality.  There is so much more that we don't know, like how much more is there in that great wide sea do we not know, besides this abundant, surprising catch of fish.  It's important that we understand that comparing this one catch of fish to all the fish in the sea is a metaphor for our real knowledge of God.  The sea is limited, but God is not.  Whatever we think we know of our faith, it is the tiniest fraction of the mystery of God -- and in fact our faith therefore only begins a journey that is unlimited.  When we lose sight of this mystery, we have forgotten who we are as Christians, because the true range of our faith cannot be defined and limited by what we know.  It must also include the awareness of the much more that we do not yet know.  It is that mystery -- like the glimpse of the great catch of fish -- that invites us in, and asks us to go forward.  Have you come far on your journey of faith?  Then prepare to go further.  Do you think you have tasted God's love?  Continue into its depth and breadth.  Are there still questions you need to ponder?  This is exactly the right place we must be in.  For we don't have all the answers, and the fullness of Christ we can't yet grasp.  But we are asked to be on this journey, and given experience that gives us a glance -- but there is always so much more ahead.  Sometimes, like the fishermen, we're asked to leave all behind and follow Him.  Wherever we are in this long discipleship of faith, the road starts here, and there is so much more we don't yet know.  This is what St. Ambrose understands of the command to launch out into the deep, and so we are called with the fishermen, as well.

Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!

 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

 Yesterday we read that Jesus left the synagogue at Capernaum and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.  Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

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.   The Lake of Gennesaret is another name for the Sea of Galilee.  It's about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide.  This was a very fertile region, both for fishing and agriculture, and the name Gennesaret meant "garden of the prince."

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.  There are several mentions in the Gospels of Jesus teaching the crowds from a boat; it lets us know the popularity of His ministry and the numbers of people coming to hear Him.  To be seated was the traditional posture for a teacher, for teaching with authority.  See, for example, Jesus' posture in preaching the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1).

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  My study bible cites St. Ambrose, who sees the spiritual meaning of this command as an invitation to give one's life over to the deep mystery of the knowledge of the Son of God.

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 points out to us that Jesus draws people to Himself by things that are familiar to them.  He drew the Magi with a star (Matthew 2:2), He would also draw tax collectors via a tax collector (5:29).  Here, He draws the fishermen with fish (see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

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.   Peter's cry is partially from awe -- but it's a response to the evidence of divine power.  This is not rejection; rather, he is suddenly and starkly cast in the light of Christ.   Peter responds as a holy person, who is keenly aware of his own inadequacy or unworthiness (compare to Isaiah 6:5; Revelation 1:17).

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.  My study bible says that the great catch of fish is an image of the apostles bringing humankind into the knowledge of Christ, and fulfills the prophecy of Jeremiah 16:16.  In the festal hymn of Pentecost of the Eastern Orthodox, the church sings to Christ, "Through the fishermen, You drew the world into Your net."  We note that these men are now "all in": they forsook all and followed Him.   They have family businesses, and at least for Peter we know he has a family.  But the knowledge of Christ compels them to forsake all to follow Him.

How do we come to Christ?  Many say that our faith life is a journey; when Christ says He's the way, the truth, and the life, that word for "way" is the same that's used for "street" or "path."  These men already know Christ; in yesterday's reading we've heard about the healing of Peter's mother-in-law.  So Peter's home is already a place that forms a kind of headquarters for the ministry.  But it is at this point of the experience of the Person of Christ, a kind of illumination of His holy power, that Peter forsakes all and follows Him, as do John and James Zebedee.  It is these three who will form the inner circle of Christ's followers, those of the strongest faith.  He will call them to accompany Him at moments of great power, such as the healing of the daughter of Jairus in a house full of people who ridicule Him and insist that the daughter is dead, or to the Mount of Transfiguration.  It's not the miracle of the catch of fish per se that takes all the attention of these men and shifts them fully toward the Kingdom so that they forsake all and follow Him.  After all, if it was the fish they cared about, they might think that prayers to Christ will simply help their business to prosper!  But they're not material-minded.  Rather, it is the experience of this power that draws them so completely into discipleship at the cost of everything else.  Some of us may feel Christ's power at work in our own lives at particular moments on our own journey.  A hurt from the past may come to us while sitting in a church service, and all of a sudden the power to forgive -- to give the person and the hurt to Christ -- is suddenly something we're able to do.  We may pray in a time of desperate loneliness, and experience a moment of love and security that helps us to put more trust in God.  Perhaps at the threat of danger, we experience what we understand to be help of a spiritual nature that we can only attribute to God or God's messengers.  Sometimes the coincidental nature of an opportunity or a person that comes along after a prayer becomes truly understood as an experience that really wasn't a coincidence at all.  Whatever way we encounter Christ's power along our own paths of faith, we know the experience when we perceive it.  Those who fail to perceive, who don't have "ears to hear or eyes to see" won't find this at all.  But the experience of this power is a tangible, real, and true perception, using a sense that the world may or may not value.  Either way, that moment is a crossroads, a watershed.  It invites us to accept or reject what we have experienced; and we go, either more truly "all in," or the other way.  There may be many, many such moments on our path, but each one becomes a moment of choice along the route, His way.  The light that illumines this pathway may come to us at any time, perhaps in a great string of lights that punctuate the time of our lives and ask us to choose again.