"Let Minnow" (Luke 5:1-11)

"Let Minnow" (Luke 5:1-11)

Preached by Sam Locke on 2/10/19 at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ (Carmel, IN)

Audio File

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

5 Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

You can picture this peaceful day on the lake. A perfect day. Over here you have people listening to Jesus teach, no doubt inspiring, and in such a wonderful setting. Over there you have fishermen, relaxing like our American pastime suggests, a day of ease with your family or best buds.

Alright, let’s get real. You all know me well enough by now to know that is not where I’m going to take this passage. And let’s be fully real, fishing really isn’t my thing. To put it mildly. I know many of you love to fish, and I honor that quality in you. We are, indeed, all welcome here. But personally, I can’t find many redeeming qualities. Worms ... hours of small talk ...no access to the Google...the idea of being too cold ... the idea of being too hot ...bad beer...lots of time spent for limited measurable return...and, did I mention the worms? No, thank you. As a child, this did not always make me popular in a family that loved to hunt and fish but if you are a kid like I was, hear this good news … it does get better. Eventually you stop getting pressured to go on these outings and can joyfully read a book or listen to showtunes in your headphones instead.

No, I don’t like and I’m not good at fishing … but there are other things I’m good at and, humor me, I hope one of them is telling Dad and Pastor jokes. You know the ones that are funny in an eye roll kinda way. And, being the generous people you are, you are always kind enough to chuckle. Well, it turns out that there are a lot of fishing puns … so here is your challenge - over the course of this meditation I will give you 5 fishing puns. When you hear one, give me a chuckle so I know you are still with me.

I hope you get hooked ………..well done! That’s #1.

Despite what our embedded thoughts are about fishing, this was no recreational day on the lake. The weather conditions may not have been as harsh, but this operation was more like the ancient equivalent of the Greatest Catch than it was a weekend getaway. These people were working, and Jesus likely sees from a distance that they are struggling. Being a fisherman is a well-respected trade in this historical context, it would have been a job putting these men in the ancient equivalent of the upper middle class. The people there to hear Jesus talk would have respected the fishermen just as much - maybe even more - than the living God who had not yet fully made his mark. This tranquil story then takes on some awkwardness. Jesus essentially takes over the boat from these men, using it as his podium to teach the word of God to the crowd gathered on the banks. If I were the fishermen, I’d probably be a little annoyed at this guy, especially since we learn they hadn’t caught a single thing that day.

You might even say that they were FLOUNDERING. #2.

Luke then tells us that Jesus asks the men who - again - were pros at this and had caught nothing to go back into the water and cast their nets. I suspect this might have been a little like me - while playing the soundtrack from Rent on my old-school Sony Discman - telling my uncles and cousins where the best place to hunt was. It didn’t make any sense. The logical part of their brains must have been thinking, “this guy is crazy,” but they followed Jesus’ instructions anyway. Remember, Jesus isn’t yet the recognized Redeemer we know him as today. They did not yet have faith - that would have been absurd. But they were intrigued. I suspect Jesus was perceived as an odd but interesting guy talking about odd but interesting things. But there must have been something about him. An aura of such importance that they listened to his directions anyway.

There must have been something about him. Because what would it take for us to do that today? Nevermind quitting our jobs and serving the man, what would it take for us to even follow this simple instruction. What would it take to follow the directions of the eccentric person with an interesting idea. What would it take to listen to a person whose voice you’ve never taken a moment to listen to. If we are honest, human nature probably hasn’t changed a whole lot over the course of the last 2,000 years.

We aren’t even to the extraordinary part of today’s passage and the story is already FINTASTIC. #3.

The future disciples listen to these absurd directions and, wouldn’t ya know, they catch more fish than they could have ever imagined. So many fish, Luke tells us, that the nets break and the boats begin to sink from the sheer weight of the catch. The fishermen take in the catch of their lives and Luke makes it seem - dare I say - easy. I can’t imagine how I would have reacted but the reaction of these men was a reaction of amazement, of awe and maybe even fear. How would you feel today if something happened where you looked at the living God, right in the eyes, for even just a moment. Think about the times in your life where you were truly awestruck. How did you feel when you held your child for the very first time, or saw the view from the mountain you didn’t think you could climb, or got an A on that test you were certain you would fail. It may not be boats full of fish, but it is our way to live these awe-striking moments where we know we are in relationship with God. We just have to take a moment and recognize what they are.

But what comes next? Knowing we have an opportunity for relationship with God and even wanting a relationship with God are very different things than the hard work of actually creating one.

Luke tells us that the men dropped everything and began to follow Jesus and we get one of those bumper sticker quotes from Jesus: “You will be fishers of people.” We have come to call this the story of Jesus calling the first disciples. But here is the thing, there really isn’t a call at all. No voice from God saying “you must do this,” no Christ saying, “follow me.” Let’s listen to those closing lines carefully one more time.

9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Don’t be afraid, Jesus tells us. I know how this story unfolds.

You will be catching people. What on earth does that mean?

They left everything and followed Jesus.

There is no call here in the way we traditionally think about that term. No instructions, no demands, no coercion. Don’t be afraid, I know what you are going to do, but you are a valuable human being who I love simply because you are you, and you get to decide whether to follow me all on your own.

This is how the fishermen knew they had encountered God.

Think back to that moment on the lake with the nets breaking and boats sinking because so many fish had been caught. What does catching fish in this volume look like? It’s messy. It’s smelly. Ugly. Stressful. Maybe even a little bloody. The very thought of it makes me a little nauseous. It makes me want to run to the safe place of my headphones and showtunes.

This is how we Christians try to catch people sometimes, isn’t it? We think we are doing great things, but we are really just making a mess buying-in to the old world values that Jesus has already liberated us from, trying to become something we are not. Some of the deals we make in the name of God are straight-up smelly. It gets a little ugly when we try to convince people that our ideas of being a Christian are superior to theirs. We stress ourselves out and blood is shed. We long for the familiar discomfort of the old world instead of the unknown promise of the new one.

I posted a challenge on my Facebook page during the State of the Union Address this week. It was simple: if you are a Democrat, find one thing nice to say about the President’s remarks. If you are a Republican, find one nice thing to say about the Democratic response from Stacey Abrams. No tongue in cheek compliments. Legit nice things. A few people played along well, a few people confided that the whole system was so stressful they couldn’t even bring themselves to watch. Some people started comment fights while knowing those are almost never productive or healthy for anyone involved. Some tried to find nuance and argue the details. Most sad to me is that some, on both sides, doubled-down. They said there is absolutely nothing redeemable about the other side. The other side is so terrible that I must reject every single thing they say.

President Trump and the Republicans are so terrible I can’t even say: “You know what, I agree, it’s kind of awesome that HIV could be essentially eradicated within the decade.” Ending HIV would have been an implausible thought just a few years ago and it it shocks me that we are willing to throw that away if doing so helps make our own catch bigger.

Stacey Abrams and the Democrats are so terrible I can’t even say: “Yea, it seems like a good idea to make sure every vote is counted correctly.” A basic tenet of democracy that should be unimpeachable.

Regardless of the side, it is more comfortable for us to throw the good out with the bad. We want to stay in the familiar old world for every moment we can and it keeps us from confronting what is really happening inside our hearts.

Is this really where we are? I sure hope not. I empathize with your anger. I feel it too. I hate being angry every time I turn on the news. I really do. But my heart tells me that this “throw it all out” mindset  isn’t the new world that God is building. It isn’t the new world we have the option of being a part of. The new world we can build alongside God. All we have to do is choose to love and choose to follow.

Compare the messy catching of the fish in our passage today, a metaphor perhaps for how the old-world catches people with the image of how Christ caught his first followers. No hard sale. Not even an ask. Don’t be afraid. I’m God, I know you’ll do the right thing. And take your time, only follow when you are ready. What if you’re never ready? That’s okay too. A God this self-confident in the fullness of grace will find a place for you too. I am who I am. And you are who you are. There is a place for all of us in God’s new world, evidenced by the mere fact that we exist. Everyone is welcome. No exceptions. No matter what.

That’s how Christians should catch people. That’s how we should welcome people in. Leading by example. Finding humanity in everyone. Giving people the space to make their own choices on their own timelines, refraining from judgment and shaming when those choices and timelines don’t match our own. We aren’t perfect but it is work we try to do at St. Peter’s with our learning groups and opportunities like politics in the purple church - putting ourselves in positions to be uncomfortable - not for its own sake but so that we might see the world from many perspectives to dispense with this all or nothing way of viewing the world.

The nets are easier but the open road - behind Jesus - is so much more fulfilling.

Is following Jesus a huge risk or a great oppor-TUNA-ty? That’s #4.

The future Disciples in our passage today knew it was both. And so do you. And so do I. Onward we go, faithful of the possibilities and having been promised nothing but love and hard work. My headphones and showtunes may still be my safe place to run to, but I don’t do it the same way - gone are the days of the Sony Discman CD players, replaced by the shininess of music right on my phone. We don’t have to accept the old ways of viewing disagreement either. Jesus has moved us past that.  It doesn’t have to be ugly and we certainly shouldn’t have to shed blood. Jesus has prepared a place for us in God’s new world. The only thing asked is that we love one another. You don’t even have to believe the details, just in the possibility of what we can achieve together as a community of Christ.

I pray you’ll hear these choices and choose the harder but more fruitful path. It’s your choice. Let MINNOW. Let … me … know … Let MINNOW. That’s it. Amen.