A Fisher

When Jesus Calls

Scripture: Luke 5:1–11

Three weeks ago, when John Barrow spoke, I included Luke 5 in our Scripture reading. John focused on Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. Today, I want us to look at Simon Peter’s call.

Throughout the Bible, God calls people in different ways. Abraham heard God telling him to leave his country. Samuel heard a voice in the night. Isaiah saw a vision of God’s throne. Paul saw a light and heard the voice of Jesus on the road to Damascus, which threw him to the ground for good measure. Every call is unique to the person receiving it. Psalm 42:7 says, “Deep calls to deep.” God calls us in our deepest places and invites us to follow him.

We often think of calling as something reserved for pastors and missionaries. But every Christian is called. We are a royal priesthood, as 1 Peter 2:9 tells us. Pastoral ministry is only one of many callings.

A Calling is not simply something we decide we want to do. It begins with God. We listen, we discern, and we respond. Sometimes God calls us to do something we would never have chosen for ourselves. We resist, make excuses, or even say no. But when we recognize that Jesus is calling us, we must decide whether we are willing to follow him.

I see my own life as a series of calls. My first call was to receive Christ in  baptized. Then came my commitment to Stephanie, in good times and in challenges. Raising our children was a calling, and so was becoming a pastor.

MY CALL

I often share stories, but this one is a little longer about my call. I shared it a few years back. 30 years ago, Stephanie and I were living in Yokohama and attending YUC. I served on the board and preached a few times a year when the pastor was away. I also had a good teaching job. Life was good. After a few rough years trying to find a good place to work, I had finally found a job where I felt valued and fairly paid for the work. Our kids were happy, Stephanie had a great group of friends, and we lived in the cutest traditional Japanese house. Life was good. Hint: when life is good, don't mess with it! 

On a church clean-up day. I was clearing old wood and debris around the church, some of it dating back to a section of the building that had been bombed during World War II. We wanted to burn the pile, but it wouldn't catch. So I poured six liters of gasoline on the debris, moved everyone back, and lit the pile.

It didn’t just light—it exploded. The explosion threw unlit gasoline over my body, and the fumes ignited on me. I was on fire. (Not the good kind.) I managed to roll on the ground, but I was rushed to the hospital with severe second- and third-degree burns, mostly on my legs because I was wearing shorts.

I had to take two months off work. I was bedridden and on heavy painkillers. As I lay there, I began hearing a voice in my head: “Come, follow me.”

My grandfather had been a well-known missionary / pastor. But I knew one thing for sure: I did not want to be a pastor. I honestly wondered whether the painkillers were messing with my head! Another hint: Don’t make major life decision when on painkillers.

When I mentioned being a pastor to Stephanie, she wasn't interested either. She had grown up as a pastor's kid and had seen the difficulties of church life on the family. She said, “We are happy here.”

But about a week later, Stephanie came to me and said, “God spoke to me. He told me that we are called to go to seminary to get trained.” My response was, “Life is good. We have good jobs, good friends, and happy kids. Why mess with a good thing?” We went back and forth.

We eventually asked God for a sign (Gidion style). We asked God to have three people mention that I should go into ministry or say that I would make a good pastor, without us bringing it up, within the next week. It didn’t take a week. It took a day. And two of the people who brought it up were not even Christians.

I still had three big objections.

1. Money. We had some savings, but nowhere near enough for three years of seminary.

2. My personality. I wasn't (and still am not) the most reverent person, and I didn't fit MY own idea of what a pastor should be. I can be crass, and I really have to work at controlling my tongue.

3. My learning disability. I had struggled throughout school and felt lucky to finish high school. Then God and my dad tricked me into going to university. I think the reason I am a good teacher is that I understand that learning is not easy, at least for a lot of kids. How could I manage a master's program?

I had plenty of reasons why this would not work. But the call would not go away. I kept hearing those words: “Come, follow me.” When I told people at YUC, they didn’t laugh. They affirmed our call.

And do you know what? We graduated with no debt. Like the flour and oil in the story of Elijah and the widow (last week), our resources did not run out. I graduated, and although more than a few people earned higher GPAs than I did, I was asked to give the commencement message at graduation.

I had been sure I wasn't the right person. But Jesus called, and eventually, I followed. When Jesus calls us, he doesn't promise that the road will be easy. But we can trust him enough to take the next step. Let's look at how Jesus called Peter in the middle of his ordinary life.

Can I use your boat

First, Simon Peter isn't at church. Jesus meets him at work. And it hasn't been a good day. Peter has fished all night and caught nothing. Now he and the other fishermen are washing their nets.

We all know what it feels like to work hard to get a goal. But to work hard and to have nothing to show for it. It stinks. It really does. Into his bad day steps Jesus. He gets into Peter's boat and asks him to put him out a little from shore so he can teach the crowd. Peter has already had some contact with Jesus, who healed his mother-in-law in Luke 4. But Peter has no idea where this encounter will lead.

Notice that Jesus doesn't begin by asking for anything big. He asks Peter to do something simple: Can I use your boat?

Amish

Years ago, when Stephanie and I lived in Toledo, we allowed an Amish family to stay in our home while the mother of the family had brain tumor surgery at Toledo hospital. A pastor from their area contacted me, and it happened to align with a two-week vacation we were taking. So we allowed them to use our home.

Since they were Amish, I wasn't even sure whether they would use electricity! While we were away, there were heavy rains, and our basement flooded and filled with water. (All the basements in our neighborhood flooded). But when we came back two weeks later we found our basement all cleaned up. Better than it was before despite the messages that we had flooding. We never even met the family as they left a day before we came back. 

Here is what God was teaching me. I thought I was doing them a favor by letting them stay in our home for free. I thought I was the one doing a good deed. But I got so much more in return and isn’t that the way it is with God. We think we are doing the hard work when we are getting so much more than we can ask for or even imagine.  It reminds me of Hebrews 13:2: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Peter thought he was doing Jesus a favor. Jesus was changing his life. Sometimes we think we are helping others, but God uses even a simple act of kindness to bless us in ways we never expected. God often begins by asking us to serve him right where we are. We don't know where a small step of obedience will lead.

Because you say so…

Luke 5:4–5 “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.’”

Peter is a fisherman. He knows what he is doing. Jesus is a carpenter. Yet Peter listens to Jesus even when he is tired and discouraged. You know those days when you just want to go home, take a shower, and go to bed. That is how I imagine Peter. Yet he goes out again at the advice of a carpenter.

Peter's response is honest: “We've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything.” In other words, this doesn't make sense! Plus it is the wrong time to fish. Can you relate to that? Have you ever felt God leading you in a direction that made no sense? Perhaps you knew what was right but were afraid of what it might cost you. Perhaps you felt unqualified or wondered how you would manage financially. Following Jesus does not guarantee an easy life. It means finding purpose in a life lived in obedience to the Lord.

Look at what Peter says: “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” I think this one line is the key to a fulfilling Christian life. “But because you say so, I will…” Peter does not pretend to understand. He simply trusts Jesus enough to act.

It is okay to ask questions and bring our doubts to God. But do we stop at, “I don't want to,” or “I don't think it will work”? Can we say, “But because you say so, I will do it”? Faith means trusting Jesus enough to take the next step, even when we cannot see how everything will work out.   

Go Away From Me

Luke 5:6–9 “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 Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’”

This is no ordinary catch of fish. But Peter's reaction is even more remarkable. Jesus gives Peter fishing instructions twice in the Gospels: here, when he first calls Peter in Luke 5, and later, when he restores Peter and renews his call in John 21 after the resurrection.

Both times, the catch is extraordinary. But look at Peter's reaction. In Luke 5, he doesn't celebrate his success or calculate his profit. He falls at Jesus' knees and confesses his sinfulness. In John 21, when Peter realizes that the man on the shore is his risen Lord, he jumps out of the boat and swims straight to him, leaving the others to bring in the fish.

In both stories, the fish point Peter toward Jesus. The catch is impressive, but Jesus is all Peter sees. Peter is beginning to recognize that he is standing before someone far greater than himself. He is not simply impressed by Jesus' ability to help him catch fish. He recognizes Jesus' authority and sees himself differently.

When we come face to face with Jesus, we can no longer pretend that we have it all together. We see our weaknesses and recognize our need for God's grace and forgiveness.

Peter doesn't say, “Lord, look how good I am. I am ready to serve you.” Instead, he says, “I am a sinful man.” Pick someone else.

In Luke 9:57–62, we meet people who express a willingness to follow Jesus, but Jesus challenges their understanding of what following him requires. Some people approach Jesus believing they are ready to follow him. Peter approaches Jesus by recognizing that he is not worthy. Yet Jesus calls Peter anyway.

Jesus knows exactly who Peter is, but he also knows who Peter can become. Peter will make mistakes and fail to understand Jesus many times, but Jesus will continue working in his life.

When God calls us, we can be quick to list our flaws. We think, “God, you've got the wrong person. I'm not good enough.” But Jesus sees us as we are and knows who we can become in him.  

A Different Kind of Fisherman

Luke 5:10–11 “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.”

Jesus responds to Peter's confession with three important words: “Don't be afraid.” Jesus knows Peter's weaknesses and sins, yet he calls him anyway. That is grace. Jesus does not wait for Peter to become perfect.

Jesus takes Peter's skills as a fisherman and gives them a new purpose: bringing people into God's kingdom. Peter leaves his boats, nets, and incredible catch of fish to follow Jesus.

The call begins with Jesus, but it requires a response. Peter could have stayed with his boats and nets. Jesus did not force him to follow, but Peter could not follow Jesus and keep living exactly as before.

We cannot always choose when or how Jesus calls us, but we must decide how to respond. Calling does not always mean becoming a pastor or missionary. It may mean helping someone in need, forgiving someone who has hurt us, speaking the truth, or using our gifts to serve others.

That brings me back to my own story. When I was recovering in Yokohama, I gave God all my reasons why following him would not work. I was afraid of my learning disability and uncertain about leaving teaching.

But God provided for seminary when we had no money. He carried me through the academic work and redirected my life toward pastoral ministry and teaching.

There have been plenty of bumps along the way. I am not who I was, but I am not yet who I will become in Christ. He is still working on me, and he is still working on you.

I did not become a pastor because I had everything figured out. I became a pastor because I believed Jesus was calling me to follow him. Our weaknesses do not disqualify us from following Jesus.

Calling is not just a one-time event. God calls us to faith, to love our families, to serve our neighbors, and to use our gifts. He calls us in our daily work and sometimes leads us into a new season we never expected.

Look at Simon Peter. He was impulsive, overconfident, and often got things wrong. Yet the Holy Spirit transformed him into a bold witness and a humble shepherd.

God didn't wait for Peter to have it all together before calling him, and he doesn't wait for us either.

Where is Jesus asking you to trust him today? What excuses are you holding onto? Are you waiting until you feel qualified or have all the answers?

Peter had worked all night and caught nothing. But by morning, Jesus had caught him.

Jesus knew Peter was a sinful man, and he called him anyway. He took Peter as he was and transformed him step by step.

Jesus knows us just as well. We don't need to be perfect. We need to trust the one who calls us.

Whatever stage of life you are in, hear Jesus' words: “Don't be afraid.” Follow him!

Discussion Questions

1. When have you thought you were doing a good deed, only to discover that God was also using that deed to bless you?

2. Peter obeyed Jesus even though he thought the request made little sense. Have you ever felt God leading you to do something that seemed unreasonable or difficult? How did you respond?

3. Peter said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Why do you think Jesus called Peter despite his weaknesses? How does this encourage us when we feel unqualified to serve God?

4. Jesus told Peter, “Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” Where might Jesus be asking you to trust him, serve someone, or take a step of faith in your life today?

When Jesus Calls