Oct. 18, 2015

If you had been Simon Peter, what would you have done? After all, you had labored all night long and not caught one fish. That was disappointing, but not surprising, for sometimes the fishing was good and sometimes it was not so good. Last night had been one of the latter times.

Returning to the shore at last, you joined a throng of people who had gathered by Galilee to hear the prophet from Nazareth, the man some were saying was the Messiah. In fact, when the crowds became so large that the Nazarene had scarcely a place to stand before the crowd, you offered to let him use your boat, pushing off a few yards from shore where he proceeded to speak to a vast throng of people.

You joined the crowd because you were curious about the claims some people were making for him. His words, however, challenged and intrigued you greatly. Whatever or whoever he was, this was a powerful man of the spirit. It seemed God Himself spoke through him.

You began to hang onto every word. You had never encountered anyone like this before. But when, at last, he finished speaking to the crowd, he turned to you with an amazing command: "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch" (5:4).

Who did this Nazarene think he was? Did he pretend to know more about fishing than you and your brothers? Was he trying to make you look foolish? Or was he, after all, just another wild-eyed fanatic who didn’t know the difference between reality and imagination?

So, what would you do if the Master were to say something similar to you? "Launch out into the deep!" – plant that barren field one more time; take apart that automobile engine and this time you will find the problem; don’t mind the rejection slips and send that manuscript to another publisher; give your friend another chance – "and let down your nets for a catch!"

Simon Peter’s reaction was understandable: "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing" (5:5). It isn’t as though you hadn’t already tried or had given up easily. But when Jesus does not reply, Simon Peter finds himself saying: "But at your word I will let down the nets."

So, partly because this man has spoken with such authority, partly because of what you have heard about him and partly because you want to see for yourself, you and your co-workers do exactly as he tells you. Almost immediately your nets are full of fish and, in fact, there are so many of them the nets begin to break under the great strain.

Soon you are calling to others for help and before you are finished, there are two boats filled with freshly-caught fish. Only a fisherman would know how amazed this made you feel.

Perhaps "terrified" would be more accurate, as you ponder this man’s fantastic power and conclude that here is a man truly sent from God. Perhaps he is the very Son of God himself. If such a man knew where to tell you to cast your fishing nets, surely he must also be able to see into your very heart.

"Depart from me," you exclaim, "for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (5:8).

His purpose, however, is not to frighten you with his judgment, but to use his power in bringing forth from your life something worthwhile: "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men" (5:10). This man sees not only your flawed life, he sees something else which even you have not seen: A God-given potential and value far beyond anything you might have dreamed.

There must have been numerous times later on in Simon Peter’s life when it seemed that people were not responding to his preaching, teaching and healing in the name of Christ. But perhaps in these times of discouragement, he remembered the day Christ called him to launch out into the deep "and let down your nets for a catch."

Remembering also the great catch of fish from a sea that had seemed so devoid of fish, Simon rallied his faith and continued to do what Christ had called him to do.

•Think of a situation in which you, like Simon Peter, have been frustrated in your work or some endeavor with little or no results. Translate his command to Peter, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch," into terms that are applicable for your own situation. What does Peter’s discovery say to you about your own life?

•Note that Jesus’ miracle was experienced in Simon Peter’s work, not some religious enterprise. What does this say to you about the relevancy of the power of Christ in your vocation?

•Note that the miracle of the draught of fish does not take place until Simon Peter is willing to obey Jesus’ command and launch "into the deep." The miracle comes after Peter takes a risk of faith. How does this principle affect our own reaction of Christ’s promises to help us?

•Do you think there are great untapped potentials within you which Christ could call forth and use? What do you think they might be?

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Rev. Althouse may write to him in care of this publication.