February 08, 2003
Far More Than a Fish Story

Text: TEXT: Luke 5:1-11
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

In my opinion, one of the most gifted entertainers today is Garrison Keiller with his Prairie Home Companion show. This man has a great talent to draw verbal pictures of life in Lake Wobegon. This fictitious Norwegian community in Minnesota, according to Keiller, is a place "where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and all of the children are above average."

Garrison Keiller, in his presentations of this community, describes life in Lake Wobegon in such a way that makes the characters seem alive. You can actually picture them going about their daily tasks with all the joys and frustrations of their rather simple life. While these stories make one double over with laughter, they are far more than fairy tales. They become real people.

Those of us who have come from similar backgrounumor, but acknowledge the truths being presented. On a vacation in northern Minnesota some years ago, I found myself looking around for this community and wonder, one of the town characters, was still living.

Today, in our text, we meet another great story teller. His name is Luke, and his inspired pen brings us some great Biblical truths that are an important part of our Christian faith. I relived the story in our Scripture text several years ago as I stood on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. I recalled the days when Jesus sat in a boat teaching the crowd that had gathered. It was also the day when Jesus called Peter and Andrew to leave their fishing nets and become His disciples.

Seventy years ago, my Sunday school teacher, Mary Thompson, taught me this story. This woman, like Garrison Keiller, could make stories come alive. "Today, Jesus is calling all of us to be fishers of men," Mary emphasized. "Some might become pastors and preach these great Biblical truths from a pulpit. Others will remain right here in our hometown and work in the paper mill where they will have an opportunity to tell the same story to their friends. It matters not where you tell the story about Jesus. It only matters that you tell it."

Then she taught us this song that I have sung all these years:

I will make you fishers of men.
Fishers of men,
Fishers of men.
I will make you fishers of men

If you'll follow me.
If you'll follow me.
If you'll follow me.

I will make you fishers of men
If you'll follow me.

Think of it! This gifted woman taught this lesson to her Sunday school class, and it lives not only in my head, but also in my heart today! That shows how important it is to have good Sunday school teachers. They impart truths that we carry with us for the rest of our days.

Let us study this story in more detail. Jesus stood by the Lake of Gennesaret teaching the people. The people crowded around Him in order to hear. So, to give Himself a bit more freedom, Jesus got into a boat, which belonged to a fisherman by the name of Simon. When he finished speaking, Jesus said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch."

Simon replied, "Master, we have been fishing all night and did not catch anything. (Those of us who are professional fishermen know you do not catch fish at this time of the day, nor do you catch fish in deep water.) Yet, because you have told us to do this, we will obey."

Can't you see the crowd? Most of them knew the basic rules for fishing, and this simply did not make sense. Probably someone in the crowd said, Jesus is a master teacher, but it is obvious He knows nothing about fishing. Another could have argued, Don't be too sure. I am sticking around to see what happens.

When Peter and his brother Andrew did what the Lord told them to do, they caught fish. They caught so many fish, in fact, that their nets broke and they had to ask other fishermen, probably James and John, to assist. The crowd went wild. They had seen Jesus perform a miracle before their very eyes.

This was too much for Peter. When on the shore, standing in Jesus' presence, he fell on his knees, and said, "Lord, go away from me. I am a sinful man." (I don't belong in your presence.)

Then came Jesus' punch line: "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." The Bible says they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed him.

Yes, this is a great story, but it is more than a story. It carries with it an important lesson for those of us who trust Christ as Savior and desire to follow Him as Lord. For in fact, Christ calls us to be fishers of people. This then leads us to a couple of questions: Who is Jesus calling to fish, and where are the fish they are supposed to catch?

The fish in our text symbolize millions of people in our world who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Where are these people? Many live in parts of the world where the Gospel of Jesus has never been heard. Hearing Jesus' command to go and tell the Gospel, the Church, throughout its history, has sent thousands of people to proclaim it. The results are that some of the strongest parts of the Christian Church today are in Africa.

During these last years we have become better acquainted with the Mideast where the name of Jesus is not known. Though the doors are often shut to the Gospel of Christ in these Moslem-dominated countries, our missionaries continue to labor there, often in great danger.

Our young people have a renewed interest in world missionaries. Some denominations and para-church groups are sending hundreds of people to these wide-open fields to bear witness to Christ, both in word and in deed.

The Internet gives us another opportunity to proclaim the Good News of Christ. Even in our small Internet ministry we hear from many countries on a weekly basis. People hear the message on ChristianCrusaders.org and want to know more about the Christian faith.

The United States continues to have masses of people who live without Christ. We find many in our prisons. The Church has been responsive to the needs of the men and women who are incarcerated. Prison Fellowship, under the leadership of its founder Chuck Colson, has had a rich ministry among these people. Not long ago a man, who greeted me following a service, told me he became a Christian while in prison.

When we look at what is happening in our government, we find evidence that many of our leaders have no relationship with Christ. The decisions of our judges and legislators reveal their defiance of Christian teachings. If that were not so, abortion would not be legal, and the blessing of same sex marriages would receive no consideration. What shall we do? Jesus tells us to use every opportunity we have to let people know that God's Word is still supreme.

Unbelievers are also found in our churches. Some stand in the pulpits; others are found in the pews. Much work needs to be done within the walls of some of our most beautiful and prestigious churches. Let us not kid ourselves. Not all that is proclaimed on Sunday morning has the blessing of Almighty God.

It is exciting to know spiritual fishing is good right in our everyday society. Unbelievers are all around us – at our schools and where we work, play, and socialize.

Who again are those Jesus is calling to fish? He is calling those who know Him in a personal way. They are Sunday school teachers, pastors, lay people who share Christ with others during the week. They are parents who have built their homes with God's Word at the center and are teaching their children the great Biblical stories that will shape their lives and make them great people of God.

Tell the story. Many are anxious to hear. Some of them are walking around you every day.

Amen.

Homer Larsen
Christian Crusaders