The crowds were pressing in on Jesus to listen to Him, and He escaped to a nearby fishing boat on the Lake of Gennesaret — at first to better teach the eager, receptive, and large crowd. The scene in the boat changed when Jesus directed Peter to put out into the deep waters and lower the fishing nets for a catch… Peter protested, as his crew had been fishing all night and had caught nothing.
Even though
we might not be fisherfolk ourselves, we can sympathize with Peter – the
professional fisherman. He knew the
waters of the lake, the best times and places for fishing; it was critical for
his livelihood. Along comes Jesus the
Carpenter, who tells him to go fishing in the deep water at the wrong time of
the day. Peter’s initial protest,
“…we’ve worked hard all night long and have caught nothing…” was immediately
followed by his profession of faith in Jesus: “…if you say so, at your command
I’ll lower the nets.” The result: a boatload of fish — and the call of Jesus to
leave everything and follow Him as a disciple. (Luke 5:1-11)
If we want
to take up the challenge Jesus gave to Simon, the best place to start might be
to deepen our own prayer life; seek the help of the Holy Spirit to feel
comfortable sharing the good news; and pray that those with whom we interact
will find a place in their hearts for God.
With the
Holy Spirit at our side, some of us might share the good news when we encourage
others to attend services, invite friends to participate in a Bible study
group, or simply share stories of our faith.
Maybe just
as important as overt actions intended to encourage others to know the Good
News, is the need to focus on living our lives in a way that reflects God’s
constant love for us. To demonstrate our faith through our deeds means actively
serving others, forgiving those who have wronged us, and being a friend who
will encourage and support others when in need.
By living
our faith, we, too, can show others the endless joy we share because God is
first and foremost in our lives.
