But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” Luke 5:3-10
What do you observe from the passage?
When confronted with evidence of God’s power, we cannot but notice our inadequacy, our humanity. Like Peter, we may have fished the same lake for 20 years, so we humor the “novice” who asks us to put out nets in way past the best hour to fish and then find that we knew nothing of what we thought was our field of expertise. That’s how it is when God shows up. All our best efforts, our worldly wisdom, our expertise are nothing more than a vapor.
Jesus’ last words to them are words of hope, words that speak to their future not their failures. Thank you Jesus that You always see us in terms of our future (with You) and not our failures.
