Fishing for People

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."
                                                                                --Luke 5:10b

Together we read Luke 5:1-11; it is Luke's version of Jesus calling the first of his disciples. The account is more detailed than what we read in Mark.  We found it quite remarkable.

In this version, Jesus is teaching a large crowd on the seashore.  The crowd is "presing in on him to hear the word of God."  There is a sense of urgency that is quite striking.  Looking nearby, Jesus sees two empty fishing boats.  The fishermen had gotten out of them and were cleaning their nets after a night of fishing.

Jesus takes the opportunity to get into one of the boats, which belongs to Simon.  He asks Simon to put out a little way from the shore, which the fisherman does.  Sitting in the boat, Jesus teaches the crowds.  When he finishes the lesson, he turns his attention specifically to Simon, suggesting that they go out into the deep water and that Simon let down his nets for a catch.  Addressing Jesus as "Master," Simon informs him that they have just labored through the whole night and caught nothing. 

"But, if you say so, I will let down the nets."  So Simon (and presumably his brother Andrew), let down the nets and catch so many fish that their nets start to break!  From Simon's boat, they signal their partners in another boat (James, John, and their father Zebedee) to join them, and the catch is so great that it fills both boats, threatening to sink them.   Simon (now called "Simon Peter") is so overwhelmed that he goes to his knees and begs Jesus," Lord, go away from me, for I am a sinful man!"  The scene is rendered above in Jacopo Bassano's "The Miraculous Draught of Fishes" (1545).  Everyone in amazed at the catch. Jesus tell Simon not to be afraid; from now on he will be "catching people."  When they had brought thier boats to shore, they left everything and followed him (v.11). 

There was much for us to discuss, stimulated by some  perceptive questions:
--Why is Simon called "Simon Peter" when he kneels down before Jesus?
--Why does Jesus call him?
--Why does Simon ask Jesus to leave him?
--What does Jesus mean when he talks about "catching people," or in Mark's gospel, "fishing for people?"   Is Jesus being serious?, one person asked.

Reflecting on the first question, a class member wondered if it was to show us that Simon's personality was changing.  What a great suggestion!  We talked about how Jesus might be calling forth from Simon parts of his own identity and being that Simon hasn't realized before.  We remembered that elsewhere in the gospels Jesus gives Simon the new name Peter, petros meaning "rock" (Matthew 16:18).  This man's discipleship would be part of the foundation of what Jesus was building.  A "cornerstone" or "keystone," people suggested!  It was also suggested that Simon Peter's stubbornness offered another texture of meaning.  Simon  began the morning with no idea that Jesus saw so much in him!

The change in him might manifest a new kindness that would enable Simon to reach out to people, connect with them, tend to them (catch them)--another great reflection! Indeed, Peter would become the most demonstrative of the disciples.   And in the wake of Jesus' resurrection, he becomes one of the key leaders of the early church. The fisherman who was just cleaning his nets had never imagined such a thing.

But why him?  "Why not him?," someone else asked.  We looked at how Simon was just a regular person, coming off the night shift following a frustrating and unproductive term.  In the story,he might represent more than just himself.  Jesus comes into our lives and meets us where we are; where we live and work and invest ourselves.  Jesus appropriates Simon's boat (his workplace) and turns it into a pulpit for preaching.  Does he come to us in our workplaces? And after he preaches the larger message to everyone, he gets very specific in applying it to Simon (and in equally personal ways, to each of us).  Maybe regular people are the only ones Jesus calls!

One of the first observations was about Jesus saying to Simon, "Do not be afraid."  'The magic words!,' one person exclaimed.  How so?  It's what the angels say to people when God is doing something in their lives. 

Why did Simon want Jesus to go away?  Because he felt unworthy, another person suggested.  Yet Jesus has a very different measure of his worth. Simon and the others already know how to catch fish; now they will learn to gather people for the "Jesus Movement," the Reign of God.  Who knew?
Jesus' reference to fishing for people or catching them is playful and at the same time suggestive.

Simon's discomfort may also be because this whole thing is way bigger than anything he can personally manage.  The life of faith isn't meant to be something we do by ourselves--it is how we live out our relationship with God.  So don't be afraid. The faithfulness of everyday people,following Jesus, will change the course of the world, and have an enormous impact on the lives of others.

When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.  We noted how dramatic the change sounded.  James and John left their father Zebedee in the "Zebedee and Sons" boat.  Right when Jesus had helped them find the most productive fishing hole ever, their lives would change direction and be committed to a greater purpose.  We also noted that in the story what was once perceived as failure has now become abundance.  And the abundance in the lake is an indication of the abundance that will be revealed in their lives.

Maybe, in teaching them to "catch people," Jesus is showing them that their own discipleship will shake up people's lives just like Jesus did with Simon Peter!!!  Wow.  There is something to ponder.

What else do you remember from our discussion?  What further reflections or questions do you have?

Here is some inspired artwork fromWednesday.