Jesus is going - are you going with him?

Fishermen in the news this week with the so-called scallop wars! Like star wars only more wibbly. Who here’s ever been fishing? Who’s ever actually caught anything?

[My first fishing experience: Scotland; fishing from a motorboat; like they were jumping onto the hooks]

But that’s not everyone’s experience. It can be a battleground sometimes - like with the scallops - or it can just be frustrating and disappointing; a way to spend a long time and accomplish not a lot, a pretty unrewarding business.

Continuing our journey through Luke’s gospel, his biography of Jesus. Jesus’ three years of active ministry just started in earnest; rejected at his hometown; embraced at Capernaum but says he’s moving on. Where next? Time for a spot of fishing: but how will Jesus, a carpenter by trade, get on with those slippery wet things?

READING

Jesus is going - Peter’s staying

Jesus has said he has to go elsewhere (Lk 4:43), he’s not staying in Capernaum. Peter seems happy to let him go - good guest, cool healing, interesting teaching; see ya later. So Jesus sets out on the road from Capernaum

Does Peter really not care if Jesus goes? looks like that to begin with. Peter’s back to minding his own business, been out fishing all night. “life must go on” “people have to eat”

Or does he wish Jesus would stay? A man of amazing words and power. Someone he’s seen at close quarters. Seems plausible he was part of the crowd trying to keep Jesus from leaving Lk 4:42b

Maybe Peter wants something else... Perhaps he dares to imagine he might go with Jesus. Perhaps this could be more than just a “festival high”? Jn 1:40-42 shows Jesus and Peter go further back, to Jesus’ early days around Jordan where he was baptised. It gives us a glimpse into the Jesus-Peter relationship behind this passage: Jesus has seen something in Peter, spoken something over Peter: “you will be called [rock]” (and rock [Peter] resurfaces alongside Simon here in Luke 5:8)

But whatever - that just seems impractical, impossible. It’d be like running away to join the circus. Time to go fishing...

Just passing through?

[meanwhile, back at the ranch] Jesus is on his way out of Capernaum, off down the road — which just happens to pass beside Lake Gennesaret (that is Lake Galilee). He’s still teaching the Word of God, good news of the Kingdom, and people are still listening - crowding around to listen, in fact.

Jesus borrows a boat as a platform - and lo-and-behold, it just happens to be Peter’s (so Peter can’t escape his teaching?).

When Jesus is done teaching, and Peter presumably just wants to go home + get to bed after a long night fishing, Jesus has other ideas… [Like teenagers finally ready to chat at midnight] “a relaxing fishing trip - perfect,” thinks Peter. not.

A reluctant fisherman

Peter somewhat reluctantly puts out into deep water - “because you say so” [parents, can you hear your children?!]

Years of experience, an expert’s knowledge of the lake, last night’s disappointment and his tired body all tell him it’s crazy, a waste of time. But, reluctantly, he takes a step of faith - and you can see it’s a set of faith because of the way he reacts when the fish show up. It’s not like he knew Jesus was going to ace the fishing thing as he put out into the deep. When the net comes up full Peter doesn’t just look over at Jesus and nod: “told you so, crew”. He’s astonished v9 tells us. So Peter is not expecting this to work.

But what if?… Peter exercises faith (before evidence; remember 2w ago). Now it’s true he knows Jesus can heal and cast out demons. But fishing? That’s a whole ‘nother kettle of fish, if you will.

And then there, out in the deep he sees Jesus’ power displayed again. Displayed in his personal speciality [a fisherman taught to fish by a carpenter!]

Experience the chaos of abundant and overwhelming success. Things are out of control! What happens now? Here’s the surprise:

A fearful fisherman

“Go away from me, Lord”. Why? “I am a sinful man” - Peter’s suddenly overcome by fear. We know that because Jesus tells Peter not to be afraid in v10. But what’s he afraid of, exactly? Why does he want Jesus to go away?

Well Peter knows - and says - he’s a sinful man. Perhaps that why he’s afraid: he’s suddenly clicked he’s in close proximity to a holy God? When the prophet Isaiah has this experience, in Isaiah 6, fear’s definitely his response; he thinks he’s doomed.

Fear’s definitely a very reasonable response for anyone in the presence of an all powerful, awesome and holy God. A God of perfect justice who tolerates no evil at all.

But why no similar response to the healing of his mother-in-law? Or to the words of power+authority in Capernaum?

Did neither of those reveal Jesus’ divinity and power in quite the same way as lots of fish? Is catching lots and lots of fish really that big a deal? That categorically different to healing everyone who was sick and casting out all the demons?

So why is he suddenly so desperately afraid and conscious of his own shortcomings here and now?

I think he’s suddenly grasped that Jesus might not just say some interesting things, and make things better, and keep a safe distance; Jesus might be about to drag Peter into the action, into the story - and turn his life upside down in the process. Might that be the sort of thing that would suddenly make Peter so afraid?

Why then does he want Jesus to go away on account of his sinfulness? (Because the underlying Greek marks this out as the reason that Jesus should go away) Because he thinks his sinfulness means he shouldn’t be in the centre of the story. That he doesn’t deserve to be in the centre of the story. And make no mistake: he’s right about that.

And perhaps that means there are really two sides to the fear: Perhaps at one and the same time he’s afraid that Jesus is going to turn his life upside down (and that’s a scary prospect) — but at the same time he’s also afraid that Jesus won’t; that Jesus is going to go away like Peter asks him to, and that the story will end there for Peter. Perhaps he longs to be a part of the Jesus revolution, be at the heart of the Jesus revolution, but he’s afraid his sinfulness is going to close that door for him.

Fisherman no more

Either way, Jesus isn’t going anywhere. Not without Peter, at least.

“from now on you will fish for people” is Jesus’ simple statement to Peter. It’s happening. Sinful Peter, fearful Peter, will no longer be fisherman Peter. Peter’s life is going to get turned upside down. It’s going to be changed beyond recognition. And so are the lives of those with him. Who’d have thought a fishing trip could end up making that much difference!

That’s where today’s section of the story ends: they pull their boats up on shore, leave everything, and follow Jesus.

So what?

Jesus isn’t just about making people well again and teaching some interesting things and then moving on, so life can just go on pretty much as usual, just a bit nicer.

He’s about turning the world upside down. He’s about changing everything. If you were with us last week, you might say he’s about the Kingdom of God coming. One person at a time.

Out in the water, on the boat, I think Peter finally grasps this. That’s why Peter’s afraid. That’s why Peter thinks he can’t be a part of it. He’s not ready. He’s not worthy.

Unready

First, Peter’s not ready. So what about you?

If you’re not following Jesus yet, are you ready for Jesus? Or are you afraid of what Jesus would mean for your life?

If you’re not at least a bit afraid, you probably haven’t quite grasped yet just how much he plans on changing your life. It’s not just a home make-over: a lick of paint and some new nicknacks, a bit of sprucing up and maybe a new carpet in the lounge. He’s planning on taking the whole house down to the ground - and then building a new one from scratch in its place. Have you ever seen Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? [describe the show; move that bus] that’s what it’s like.

Jesus is planning something absolutely huge for you. He’s planning open heart surgery, fundamentally changing the core of your being, coming to live inside you by his Holy Spirit. He’s planning on transforming you and your whole life from the inside out.

Are you really ready for Jesus, for what it will mean for your life? If you’re a little afraid, that’s probably about right.

And if you’re already on this journey with Jesus, are you ready to go the next step? To take it up to the next level? Because there is always more to following Jesus, always another level of obedience and commitment and sacrifice and service ahead of us. At least until we get to heaven. Does that thought make you afraid? That idea of going further, going deeper?

Unworthy

First, Peter’s not ready. Second, Peter’s not worthy.

Here’s the question for us: Are we worthy of joining this Jesus journey? Are we worthy of his attention? Of his intention? Do we have any right to be a part of this story, whether we want to or not? NO!

I’m sure our culture doesn’t get this as clearly as Peter did. He knows he has no right to be a part of what Jesus is doing, that he is broken and warped and twisted, that Jesus shouldn’t have anything to do with him. “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” He knows there are standards, expectations, requirements even. And he knows that he doesn’t measure up. He’s not even close.

Instead of responsibilities and requirements, our culture’s filled with right. Our culture instead is filled with entitlement. The world owes me. I can be whatever I want to be. I can do whatever I want to do. No-one has the right to tell me how to behave or what to do. I’m worth it, right, like the advert says.

But the truth is, like Peter, the only thing we have any right to say to God is “go away from me, Lord, I’m a sinful person”. To presume that he might have a place for us, a role for us, a part for us in his plan, that would be such huge arrogance when we have failed to listen to him and honour him and respect him. [illustrate: appointing yourself into the queen’s entourage]

Peter’s not worthy. Neither are we.

And yet Jesus won’t go. It’s not clear at this stage in Jesus’ story how our perfect and holy God in Jesus can work with broken and twisted people like Peter, people like us. It’s still a shock. But as we read on we’ll see Jesus embrace the broken and sinful again and again. To tell us those are the very people he came to, the ones he came for. Jesus is going to deal with our brokenness and mess once for all at the cross - if we will let him. But today the point we need to see and remember is there’s no way we’re worthy of this. By all rights, Jesus should go away.

But he doesn’t.

Unexpected

Peter’s unready. Peter’s unworthy. But there’s a third U: Unexpected. Jesus unexpectedly calls him to join in anyway.

This is the amazing good news - the unexpected good news - we call the Gospel: Jesus will go on to die for unready, unworthy people, dying in our place so that all of our unworthyness is dealt with, and then unexpectedly calling us into the new life he has for us. A life filled with purpose - because he calls each one of us to join him in fishing for people just like he calls Peter and the others here.

Costly

Let’s not beat around the bush, though: this call is going to be costly. That’s part of what I think made Peter afraid. Could he really live like this is true, like the Kingdom of God is coming right here, right now in Jesus? That would be the sort of good news everyone must hear if it was true. That would be the sort of good news that would require total commitment, that would create an overwhelming urgency. That would turn your life upside down. That would call you to leave everything and follow him.

Peter leaves the fish, leaves the boats, leaves everything - and walks away with Jesus. Ouch.

Jesus means to mess up your life and my life in the same way. In the best possible way. He calls you and me to follow him no matter how unready we are no matter how unworthy we are no matter how unexpected this is, no matter how costly this will be.

Worth it

But I need to end with this: if we do, it’ll be worth it.

I think that’s part of the message of the fishing trip for Peter, part of what it still shows us today: if we listen to Jesus, if we follow his call, even if that’s out into deep water, are we going to catch anything? Absolutely. Because Jesus it Lord. And his Kingdom is coming.

Is giving up your life to Jesus worth it? It’s the only thing that’s really worth it. It’s the only thing worth giving your whole life to. Think of what it means to become fishers of people: your goal is to see others’ lives transformed. Transformed forever.

That fishing trip pictured catching so much that the nets begin to break and the boats begin to sink. What does that look like? How’s going from 12 disciples to 2.4bn Christians today? That’s the incredible power of multiplication. Jesus is calling Peter to go and fish for people — and the word Jesus chooses there, fish, more literally translated means “capture alive”. This is not about putting dead fish on the table. This is not just about addition to God’s people. This is about catching alive! This is fishing for people who themselves will then be called to go and fish for people. This is multiplication. Disciples who make disciples. Who make disciples. Who make disciples. This is starting an exponential explosion of change.

Unready. Unworthy. Unexpected. Costly. But worth it. Jesus is going. The question today is are you going to go with him?

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