Knee Jerk Devotional: September 28, 2020
Luke 5:1-11
Photo by Oziel Gómez on Unsplash
Passage:
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were 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 fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
When we follow Christ we find our truest self.
Sure, we could talk about trusting Jesus and how that brings about results we could never imagine. We could talk about faith and draw some conclusions about heading out into deep waters. There’s also the whole evangelism thing there at the end.
I think that I’ve heard all these thing taught from this story. There’s a lot there.
Simon (Peter), James, and John these guys were cleaning nets. They had given up for the day. Jesus says put out to deep water and Simon pretty much wants to drop kick him. Jesus was undoing everything that these young men had been doing. They were experts at the fishing and Jesus was all, “Let’s go, you missed this.”
Sometimes to find our truest self we have to undo what we’ve been doing.
Sometimes to find our truest self we have to let go of what we know.
Sometimes to find our truest self we have to trust someone else.
Sometimes to find our truest self we have to go by faith.
When Christ meets these guys he takes them and gives them a bigger picture, a grander narrative, a story and sense of self beyond what they could imagine.
I find it fascinating that Christ doesn’t tell them, “You’re going to start a new movement.” Nor does he tell them you’re no longer fishermen.
Christ transforms what they are to something more.
I love that Christ says, “You will be fishers of men.” I love it because he is taking what they are, fishers, and giving it deeper meaning. He is making it more.
As we discover our truest self it is a discovery of depth.
As we discover our truest self it is a discovery of meaning.
As we discover our truest self it is a discovery of purpose.
As we discover our truest self it is a discovery of more.
As we follow Christ we are no long just a…
No, we become more.