One of my favorite fishing stories in the Bible is found in Luke 5:1-11. The story begins in Luke 5:1-3 (NIV). "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." Now you have probably noticed that Jesus has already violated a number of rules regarding fishing etiquette.
Fishing etiquette rule number one.
You don’t step into a fisherman’s boat and ask to go for a ride at the end of a long day, especially when they're cleaning up their equipment. Some of those guys spend as much time pampering their equipment as they do fishing! Besides, they hadn’t caught any fish all day long. Who did this Jesus think he was?
Fishing etiquette rule number two.
You don’t just sit there talking out loud to people on the shoreline while other people are trying to fish. You’ll scare the fish away! I love my wife, but whenever we go fishing, she doesn’t actually fish. She brings this little portable television and watches it in the boat. She turns it up really loud. She also brings our dogs along. She rummages around in the boat and starts the dogs to barking. So much for sneaking up on the bass. I’ve never caught any bass with her in the boat! Like my wife, there's Jesus talking loudly and scaring the fish away.
Oh, and then Jesus does the unthinkable. Luke 5:4 (NIV) says, "When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.' "
Fishing etiquette rule number three.
When you are in another fisherman’s boat, you never tell him where to guide his boat and you certainly don’t tell him how to fish. After all, these were professional fishermen. They did this for a living. They were the best of the best.
Luke 5:5 (NIV) continues, "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.' " Do you detect a little pride there? "This isn’t what I would normally do", says Peter, "but Jesus, because you say so, I will let down the nets." Simon Peter is trying to save a little face after a disappointing day. And now everyone’s watching.
Fishing etiquette rule number four.
Forget all those stupid rules so long as you help me catch a boatload of fish!
A huge, unexpected catch!
Look what happens next. Luke 5:6-7 (NIV) says, "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."
Boy, talk about a fish story! Spoken from the lips of a true fisherman! Luke probably should have interviewed someone on shore to get the real story. "How’d the tournament go?" Well, the good news is that we won the tournament. The bad news is that we’ve got to go to Bass Pro Shops and buy all new equipment before next weekend." "Well, where’s your boat?" "Honey, we caught so many fish that our boat sank. Even our competitors' boats sank. I’ve already got my eye on that 2006 Nitro with the 150 horsepower four stroke Mercury engine. Don’t yell at me, take it up with Jesus." Did you know that Simon Peter was married? I wonder what his wife thought?
Take note of Peter’s response to Jesus. Luke 5:8-11 (NIV) tells us, "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 (Jesus)." What was it about Jesus that caused a rugged outdoorsman like Peter to fall on his knees and say, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"
Different species of fish have different reactions to bait.
I have loved fishing since childhood. My brothers and I took wooden dowel rods out of my dad’s workshop and made fishing poles. They worked, sort of! We would take slices of bologna out of the refrigerator and use them as bait.
Have you ever noticed how fish have such different reactions to bait? Out of anger, large-mouth bass explode when confronted with a bait. I was reading that bass are one of the most territorial and aggressive species around. A friend of mine was telling me about a picture he’d seen of a large mouth bass leaping out of the water, going after the red-tipped wing of a blackbird! What’s that all about?
Now carp respond altogether differently when confronted with a bait. This is what my brothers and I used to fish for in a creek when we were growing up. Carp take extraordinary patience. They are very non-committal. They play around with the bait forever before biting. They are very wary of any kind of resistance. If they sense any kind of monkey-business, they high-tail it out of there, making waves in the process, which signals to other fish that it's time to run! What’s really tricky about carp is that they can sense you coming a mile away, and often disappear before you even bait the hook! To catch carp, my brother and I would bait our hooks, crouch down, tip toe up to the water's edge, tuck down behind tall grass, and set the bait down into the water as gently as we could.
Fishing for bluegill is the exact opposite of fishing for carp. You can practically catch a bluegill with an empty hook. My brothers and I used to try and were successful! Bluegill are so hungry and desperate that they are willing to eat anything. Worms, bugs, bologna, hotdogs, peanut butter, plastic, rubber, or thread all work as bait for bluegill. Hey! Bring the kids, bring your stereo, or splash in the water. You’ll still catch bluegill.
With catfish, you might as well pull up a chair and grab a cold soda. Carp will at least tease the bait. With catfish, it can take even longer. They are so simple. They like to rummage around, eating all the trash and junk that falls to the floor of the lake. They have a special mud vein that helps them digest their food. But once they're hooked, it is virtually impossible to unhook them!
More could be said about other species, but you're starting to get the point.
Depending on what they are fishing for, fishermen must alter their presentation.
I am not sure why all these species of fish respond so differently, but they do! And so, as fishermen we take different approaches with different types of fish. With bass, you have to constantly keep the bait moving. You have to excite them, threaten them, startle them, or shake them up somehow. With carp, you have to give them a lot of slack in your line, and wait till the last possible moment before setting the hook. And don’t set the hook too hard, because their mouths are soft and you’ll rip the hook right out of their mouths. With bluegill, you just need to bring a bucket because the're ready when you are. With catfish, you have to fish with lead weights to get the bait down low enough to where they can sink their tiny teeth into it.
Jesus' approach to fishing for men.
Jesus was a master fisherman. Here he was fishing, with people crowding all around him, craning their necks to be able to hear what he had to say. But the big fish, over yonder cleaning up their equipment, weren’t too interested. They weren’t part of the religious crowd. They marched to their own drumbeat. They had other things going on at that moment.
Jesus went to where the big fish were and he dropped his line. Boy, did he get a catch! There is no fish too hard for Jesus to catch. He can catch fish that even the professionals cannot catch. Bass, carp, bluegill, catfish; it doesn’t matter.
Jesus brought Simon Peter to his knees, "Go away from me Lord: I am a sinful man." No fish was too disgusting or slimy or sinful for Jesus to catch. Simon Peter was humbled that the living God should want anything to do with him. In an instant, he understood that Jesus was offering him forgiveness and eternal life. And not only that, but Jesus was offering him an entirely new life with a new purpose. "Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19 (NIV)
Men are as hard to catch as fish are!
If you think fish are hard to catch, try fishing for men like Jesus did. In John 6:37-40 (NIV) Jesus says, "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
Later in that same chapter many of Jesus' disciples turn back and stop following him. But in John 6:67-69 (NIV) this exchange takes place between Jesus and Simon Peter. " 'You do not want to leave too, do you?' Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.' "
What kind of fish are you?
Perhaps this sounds a little bit silly to ask, but what kind of fish are you? Bass explode in anger, they're aggressive, they attack a bait, and they're territorial. Does that describe you? Some people are terrifically threatened by the good news of Jesus Christ. They are threatened by this notion of God forgiving sin and offering eternal life. Maybe you're one of those fish who instead of embracing the gospel, you just attack it, trying to minimize the apparent threat it poses to your way of life.
Carp are very wary of a bait, they're non-committal, and they don’t like any monkey-business. Does that describe you? Some people are wary of the good news of Christ. They have been burned before. They’ve been hurt, disappointed, and disillusioned by the Church. Maybe you're one of those fish who instead of embracing the gospel, just procrastinates, holding out from commitment, trying to explore every possible angle of the claims of Christ, and making Christ prove himself to you over and over.
Bluegill are hungry and so desperate that they’ll try anything. Maybe you're one of those fish that is so hungry and desperate that you’ll try anything. You’ve sunk your teeth into so many different things that you don’t know what’s good or bad for your nourishment. You're just as apt to get a dose of Dr. Phil and Oprah as you are of Christ. Mohammed, Buddha, pop-psychology, self-help- just throw it on the hook! You’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to be working.
Catfish are simple. You have to sink the bait low enough for them to grab it.
All this talk of Jesus Christ--- salvation, justification, sanctification, glorification, theology, creeds, catechisms. I have to confess that even as a preacher, it can be a bit much! The gospel itself is really quite simple. These three verses summarize the gospel in a nutshell. 1 John 5:12 (NIV) says, "He who has the son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." John 3:16 (NIV) says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV) says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
Jesus understands you and he wants to catch you.
One thing is for sure, Jesus wants to catch you. Jesus understands if you are one of those bass who needs to the see the gospel in action. "I’ll believe it when I see it. Show me God’s love."
He understands if you are one of those carp who needs some space. "Cut me some slack and let me think about this. I’m not ready for church. Get off my back. Don’t give me a guilt trip. Let me go at my own pace."
He understands if you are one of those bluegill, desperately seeking any kind of spiritual nourishment. "Just give it to me, more, more. I cannot get enough. Anything will do."
He understands if you are one of those big catfish who needs a little extra patience. "Could you tell that to me one more time? I don’t understand. Could you sink that down to my level? Tell me if I got this right. Jesus forgives my sin and promises me eternal life?"
2 Peter 3:8-12 (NIV) says, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming."
The deadliest catch of all.
In Matthew 13 Jesus tells a little fishing story of his own. It’s a story about the deadliest catch of all. The one that will happen at the end of the age. Matthew 13:47-50 (NIV) says, "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Right now, we all have an abundance of opportunities to be caught by Jesus Christ. He offers forgiveness, his promise of eternal life, and his gift of a new life. There is this opportunity tonight. There was the opportunity last week when Miles spoke. There may be opportunity next week and the week after that.
But at the end of the age it will not be so. At some point we will all be caught in Jesus’ net. And on that day, we will judged by one simple criteria. "He who has the son will have life, he who does not have the Son of God will not have life." 1 John 5:12 (NIV)
I’m not one for giving fancy invitations. If you want Jesus to step in your boat, let’s talk. Talk to Miles Clark. Talk to Carl. Let's pray.