The Call – Luke 5:1-11

The account of the calling of the first disciples that we heard today is found in two other Gospels – Matthew and Mark.  When you read the accounts of these Gospels, you soon learn that they share a common source.  But even with that common source, each of them orders the accounts differently as each of them has a purpose behind how they have chosen to relate the life and ministry of Jesus.

The call to the first disciples in Luke’s gospel comes after Jesus has begun his ministry and his rejection in Nazareth.  He has traveled to Capernaum in the Galilee region. There he teaches in the synagogue and heals a man with a demon. Then Luke relates the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law. It is interesting that this story is related before the account of the call of the first disciples of whom Simon is one.

On the day when the first disciples are called, Jesus was on the shore of the lake.  The people were pressing in on him to hear the word of God. Creating a space for himself from which he could speak to them, Jesus gets into the boat belonging to Simon.  When he was finished teaching, he asks Simon to go further from shore where the water was deep and to let down his nets. Simon and his friends had worked all night and caught nothing yet because Jesus asks him to, he agrees to let down the nets.  Now why would Simon give in to Jesus? After all, Jesus was not from around the area and – as far as Simon knew – he had no knowledge of fishing.  But while Simon may have thought Jesus’ request was ridiculous, he had been the witness to a miracle in the healing of his mother-in-law and had probably witnessed or heard of the many other people who had been healed.  And as he had sat in the boat, he would have heard every word spoken by Jesus to the crowd.

So it is with faith in Jesus’ word that Simon lets down the nets. The catch is unbelievable. So many fish that it seemed the nets would break.  Simon calls to the crew in the other boat to come and help them. The amount of fish was so great that it almost caused the boats to sink.

Such a catch was certainly miraculous. And while Simon did not yet know exactly who Jesus was, he did know that he was in the presence of one who could heal body and mind, and who spoke with an authority unlike any other.

“Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” The words are similar to those spoken by Isaiah when he found himself in the presence of God. And that is precisely what Luke wants us to understand. Those who will answer the call of God will not be those who know themselves to be righteous or holy or saintly but those who know their weakness, who know their frailty, who know that they do not possess the wisdom within themselves to be so bold as to believe that they can carry the message of God.

In the case of Isaiah, it is the burning coal that touches his lips and takes away his sin and frees him to take the message of God to the people. In the case of Simon, it is the fire of the Holy Spirit that will come upon him at Pentecost that will finally free him to speak the wisdom and word that God will give him.  But for now the miracle of the fish and the cryptic words of Jesus about catching people capture the hearts of Simon, James, and John.

On that day they leave behind everything they have ever known and follow him.

But there is more to this calling than may be evident at first.  Consider this: in the Bible many people are chosen by God for a purpose. There is a plan for what they are to accomplish, and God gives them the messages they are to speak and the actions they are to take but in the case of Simon and the others, they are called to catch people. How exactly do you catch a person? You can’t throw a net over them; you can’t cast a line and hook them.  Simon and the others are not told by Jesus in a few words how to catch people. They will find out how to catch people by watching and listening to Jesus.  Every word that Jesus will speak and every action that he will take will give the disciples clues to how they can catch people.  And how does Jesus catch people? He does not do it by simply speaking words of wisdom. He does it by backing up his words with actions.  Every time he teaches or preaches, he will touch people not only in their minds, but in their hearts and bodies and spirits. He will show the disciples that the way to catch people is to engage them. Build a relationship with them.

For close to three years, Jesus would live with and work with a close band of followers who would be trained by Jesus so that they could continue to catch people and teach others to catch people until the time that Jesus would return.  At this point, the disciples know nothing of the future because all they need to know is how to make a difference in the lives of people in that time and place.

In a very real way, the call to Simon and the others is a call that is meant for every believer in every age and place until the time of Jesus’ return.   Because to be called by God is to listen for the voice of God and letting God direct our words, our thoughts, and our actions.  It is about faithful living.

Remember the popular wristbands of a number of years ago? One was WWJD (what would Jesus do) and another was FROG (fully reliant on God).

And while those may have been seen as snappy catch phrases, they really remind us of the account of the Call from Luke’s gospel.   From that day forward, Simon, James and John looked to what Jesus would do to guide them in their lives and when they left their homes and their families and their source of income, they became fully reliant on God.

May we go and do likewise!

AMEN