NL 323: Fish for People - Luke 5:1-11
image: pixabay
January 24, 2021
Luke 5:1-11
Initial Thoughts
What did we skip?
Jesus leaves Nazareth to go to Capernaum
Jesus rebukes spirits
The unclean spirit names Jesus as “holy one of God”
Went to home of Simon
Rebukes Simon’s Mother-in-law’s fever
More people press him, he exorcises more demons, who call him “God’s Son.”
Crowds try to keep him from leaving town (as opposed to Nazareth, where crowds want to throw him off the cliff).
He leaves, and “continues preaching in the Judean synagogues.”
This text is at Lake Gennesaret
Gennesaret is the next city west of Capernaum, along the Sea of Galilee.
Compare to miraculous catch in John 21
Bible Study
Three themes of Luke at this point
Jesus is popular, gathering witnesses in Galilee (until turning point of 9:50, when he heads to Jerusalem)
Jesus is a teacher (about abundance of the Kingdom of God)
Response is repentance
Popularity
Jesus is being followed by crowds.
He left crowds in Capernaum.
The crowds here push him into the water to try and gain some space.
One of the first instances of Jesus speaking to crowds, but then teaching a few with special attention (see parable of the sower, and the feeding of 5000 followed by Transfiguration)
Luke’s location of this story of the call of his first disciples implies that Jesus’ popularity and the size of the crowds made it necessary to have helpers. This becomes more evident later in the sending of the Seventy (10:1-2). The work of Jesus is thus prophetic of the church’s successful spread of the gospel, a condition that also required the enlisting of more workers (Acts 11:19-26)
Teaching/abundance
We don’t get the details of what Jesus had been teaching in this particular instance, but we can guess that he has kept with his theme of “good news to the poor.”
The sign of the miraculous fish is an extension of his teaching.
They follow his instruction
Even though this was a huge pain. They had worked all night, and cleaning the nets was an tedious task. To go back out again after cleaning the nets was a big, presumptuous (maybe even insulting) ask.
Absurdity here that a carpenters son is going to tell the fishermen how to do their job - and to do it in a way which goes against everything they know (to fish at night, etc)
The enormous catch brings about another important theme of Jesus’ ministry and teaching - that is abundance
Part of Jesus’ good news is one of abundance.
Repentance
“Lord leave me, for I’m a sinner,” is the response of being faced with something too great for your own good.
“Lord” is a big deal- “the term the Septuagint translated the sacred and unpronounceable name of God (YHWH)”, Gonzalez, Luke, p.74
Similarity to other call stories (cf. Isaiah 6:1-11)
“Sinner” - Peter never confesses to a specific sin, but this could be a cultural designation in which to the Jewish elite, sinners were those who did not attend worship or participate in the temple sacrifices. This would have included many of the poor living far from Jerusalem (which Peter might have been one of). Gonzalez
Only after his recognition that he is in the presence of the “Lord”/ the Holy that Simon is referred to as Simon Peter- the one who will later be commended for his declaration of Jesus as Messiah
Fear and unworthiness is how to respond to angels and God
Jesus response is also typical of how the angels responded: “Fear not.” But then he moves on with teaching, “You will fish for people.”
Like the calling of Isaiah and others, the pronouncement of “do not fear” is couples with a commission/invitation to a ministry which will be fraught with difficulty and danger
Repentance leads to acceptance of mission.
Peter, James and John “leave everything”, they repent/turn away from what was to reorient themselves toward the way of Jesus. They are living out the invitations of both John the Baptist (to repent) and Jesus (to living into the Kingdom of God as described in Luke 4)
“The calling of the disciples in Luke and in Mark is narrated very differently. Luke alone includes a miracle, that of the great catch of fish. Stress is laid, however, upon the consequence of the miracle, Simon Peter’s confession of sin…. After his repentance, Simon Peter and those with him become fishers of men or true disciples.” (Anatomy of the New Testament, Seventh Edition, p. 136)
Thoughts and Questions
Ched Myer: “There is perhaps no expression more traditionally misunderstood than Jesus’ invitation to these workers to become ‘fishers of men.’ This metaphor, despite the grand old tradition of missionary interpretation, does not refer to the ‘saving of souls,’ as if Jesus were conferring upon these men instant evangelist status. Rather, the image is carefully chosen from Jeremiah 16:16, where it is used as a symbol of Yahweh’s censure of Israel. Elsewhere the ‘hooking of fish’ is a euphemism for judgment upon the rich (Amos 4:2) and powerful (Ezekiel 29:4). Taking this mandate for his own, Jesus is inviting common folk to join him in his struggle to overturn the existing order of power and privilege.” (Binding the Strong Man, p. 132)
The calling of the disciples is different in Luke in that Jesus is already a well-known teacher and healer. In fact, before Simon follows Jesus, he has already hosted him for dinner, and Jesus has healed his mother-in-law. After that healing, there is no response from Simon. It is not until after this teaching and catch that Simon finally follows. I think there is a misconception that all the disciples just picked up and followed Jesus immediately, without any knowledge. We often understand them to make these giant leaps of faith. Luke tells the story differently, though. Simon has a relationship and knowledge on which to base this life-changing decision.
Abundance and Repentance are important themes. Jesus brought abundance, not to the entrenched powers or religious leaders, but to those who were in need of repentance.. He called and ate with a tax collector, Levi. He allowed a sinful woman to ‘waste’ oil on him. He tells the parable of the soil which bears great abundance. He heals a demon-possessed man in Gerasene. He feeds 5000.
Simon is seen as the model for how to respond to Jesus.
He listens to his teaching.
He obeys his commands (with some reluctance)
He recognizes his own sinfulness
He responds by following - laying everything aside.
“The story of the church is reflected to some degree in this story itself. When Jesus calls, Peter is hesitant and thinks that what Jesus asks of him is both unnecessary and too demanding. Nevertheless, Peter responds, and he discovers that life has a surprise in store for him. By doing what Jesus asks him to do, he experiences an epiphany of God.” (Arland Hultgren, Working Preacher)
Opening music: Misirlou, One Man 90 Instruments by Joe Penna/MysteryGuitarMan at MIM
Closing Song by Bryan Odeen