Luke 5:1-11 (3)
The Gospel of Luke • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Introduction:
-Encourage to follow along (Luke 5:1)
Attempt to cover 11 verses!
Be reading from our Bibles a fair amount.
-Introductory matters before we read:
Most likely a break in chronology
Some disagreement (commentators) on whether:
2nd or 3rd “calling” of these disciples
(very few think it’s the 1st)
-Solid Commentators on all sides.
What we can be confident in:
Wasn’t Peter and Andrew’s first encounter with Christ.
But, it was one that would leave an indelible mark on their lives.
And, (I believe) that if we, too, will...
Hear it
Receive it...
…that it will leave such a impression upon ours as well!
Read 1-11
Luke 5:1–11 (ESV)
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,
and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.
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.
But 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 that they had taken,
and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Pray
(5 minutes)
Verse 1:
-As I mentioned in the introduction...
…the way Luke begins verse 1 seems to indicate that he is...
…beginning to describe an event that isn’t directly connected to the ones that came before.
It’s important that we’re aware of this transition...
…because these events may have taken place:
Before that long day in Capernaum (last few weeks)
They do, however, remind us of that day in 2 significant ways:
The sense of its setting
The sense of its Christological declarations.
We’ll (of course) look at the setting first:
Luke 5:1 (ESV)
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,
-See the immediate similarities:
Ministering around the Sea of Galilee (Gennesaret = Galilee)
Being “pressed upon” by the crowds
-But, notice here:
“to hear the WORD OF GOD!”
assumes better-placed priorities
Jesus’ proclamation was the Word of God.
(3 minutes, 8 total)
-But, there’s a logistical problem here:
Hard to speak to a large crowd (and be heard)...
...from the middle of it!
So, Luke tells us:
Luke 5:2–3 (ESV)
...he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. (elaborate)
Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land.
Already we see a previous relationship being suggested (elaborate)
And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
Remember: Posture of a teacher
(3 minutes, 11 total)
-Now, Luke doesn’t tell us anything about the content of Christ’s sermon here.
His focus is more on what happened afterwards
Luke 5:4 (ESV)
And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Notice:
Luke gives no introductory qualifiers for Jesus’ command to Peter.
(Further evidence of a previous relationship)
-Peter’s response to him suggests an intimate one:
Luke 5:5 (ESV)
And Simon answered, “Master...”
These commentaries explain:
The word translated “Master” (Luke 5:5) is used only by Luke and it has a variety of meanings, all of which speak of authority: chief commander, magistrate, governor of a city, and president of a college - The Bible Exposition Commentary
In this verse Jesus is called Master for the first time in the Gospel of Luke. Whereas the other Synoptic Gospels refer to Jesus as “Teacher” or “Rabbi,” only in Luke is he called “Master,” and only by his followers (see Luke 8:24, 45; 9:33, 49; 17:13). - Background Bible Commentary
Our suspicions are confirmed when we examine:
John 1:35–42 (ESV)
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,
and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
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-So, it would appear:
Andrew and Simon (at least):
Already become disciples of Jesus...
…but had not yet begun to follow him “full-time.”
Still (somewhat) committed to their secular vocation as fishermen
-Don’t overlook a practical point here:
Peter was a professional fisherman
Jesus was a carpenter
Now, Jesus:
Telling these seasoned tradesmen:
Where and How to fish!
(5 minutes, 16 total)
Notice the way Peter responds (verse 5):
Luke 5:5 (ESV)
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!...
Remember:
This was net-fishing,
not pole-fishing.
This was a commercial enterprise,
not a recreational activity.
Also, (from what i can gather):
The best fishing in deep water:
was done at night
During the day:
Fished in shallow water
So, not only does Jesus (a carpenter)...
…tell them to do something totally counterintuitive...
Totally contrary to their training and experience...
He tells them to do so:
After a long, unsuccessful night of hard work...
After they had already:
Come to shore
Been cleaning up their equipment.
After all of that, He tells them to “go back out,” and “fish some more...”
…in an illogical manner...
…and promised them success!
Peter’s initial response shouldn’t surprise us:
Tired
Broke
Probably felt that his:
Intelligence and Acumen (as a fisherman)...
…had been insulted.
(3 minutes, 19 total)
Yet, he acquiesces to his Master’s command:
He says:
Luke 5:5 (ESV)
...“Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
And as they obeyed his word, this happened:
Luke 5:6–7 (ESV)
And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.
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.
-How exciting!
These fish were capital!
They just brought in a LITERAL “boat load”
(two… in fact!)
But look at how Peter responds to this great blessing:
Luke 5:8 (ESV)
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
-Why isn’t he happy?
-He’s rich (at least temporarily).
-Because he has just realized:
John 1:3 (ESV)
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
That all of creation was subject to the Word of Christ
Remember, These fisherman had exhausted this spot a few hours ago...
…with no response from the fish.
-But at the command of Jesus...
…they threw themselves en masse into Peter’s nets.
-Don’t think for a second that he wasn’t connecting the dots of implication here.
Remember what Psalm 33 said?
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
You see, this is what Peter realized about the authority...
…with which his “master” spoke!
And it filled him to the depths of his soul with:
Fear,
Reverential Awe!
And seeing Christ for who he really was...
Terrified Peter!
This is a common response of fallen men to even a glimpse of the...
Holiness and Majesty of God
Of the Israelites at Sinai we read:
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off
and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”
Isaiah’s vision of the Lord of Glory helps us to understand why this happens:
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Remember Isaiah’s response?
Isaiah 6:5 (ESV)
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
If you’ll remember, even “righteous” Job had had a similar reaction:
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
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It’s easy to think highly of yourself...
while looking at other men...
other fallen sinners.
If you measure your righteousness against theirs...
often times, you’ll measure up pretty well...
might even feel good about yourself!
But if you look in the face of God
If you see a glimpse of his:
Holiness
Majesty
Divine glory...
If you contrast yourself (there is no comparison)...
...With his holy perfections...
…Then, and only then, will you see yourself clearly...
And when you do, you’re going to react the same way...
Israel
Isaiah
Job
and Peter did!
Philip Ryken explains:
Peter understood that he was in the presence of someone perfectly holy, and that by contrast, he himself was totally depraved.
So he fell down and confessed the sin of his entire nature. - Ryken
Calvin, with characteristic wisdom wrote:
Hence we see, that it is natural to all men to tremble at the presence of God.
And this is of advantage to us, in order to humble any foolish confidence or pride that may be in us, provided it is immediately followed by soothing consolation.
And so Christ relieves the mind of Peter by a mild and friendly reply, saying to him, Fear not.
Thus Christ sinks his own people in the grave, that he may afterwards raise them to life. - Calvin
We see this in many of our OT examples:
After Isaiah’s crisis of holiness, we read:
Isaiah 6:6–7 (ESV)
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
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You see, it was after Isaiah:
Saw himself as wholly and entirely sinful
Realized his own destitution
Came to terms with that
Confessed it before God
Gave up any hope in his own goodness...
…That GOD saved him!
Cleansed him of the filth of his sin
Took away his guilt
Covered him in an alien righteousness!
And, not only does he remove the barrier of separation...
…he draws him close and commissions him to work for him proclaiming his word!
That’s Grace!
-And this same Thrice Holy One (now incarnate)...
...condescends in similar fashion in our text...
…to the great benefit of:
Andrew and Peter
James and John
(11 minutes, 30 total)
Let’s get caught up (verse 9):
Luke 5:9–10 (ESV)
For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,
and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
Mike McKinley notices here that:
Jesus’ response is just as unexpected as Peter’s.
Jesus doesn’t argue with Peter’s statement of his own sinfulness.
He doesn’t say, Peter, don’t talk that way. You need to believe in yourself and have confidence in your abilities.
Instead, Jesus simply tells him not to be afraid and commissions him to a new career. Peter will now “fish for people” (Luke 5:10). - Mike Mckinley
He goes on to explain:
The word picture Jesus uses is inverted: while fishermen snatch living fish away to their death, Peter and the other disciples will be engaged in snatching spiritually dying people away to life. - Mike McKinley
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-This time the calling is absolute.
-There’s no returning to commercial fishing (per se)
-They have a new:
Commission
Purpose in life
Vocation.
Casting the net of the gospel...
and catching men unto life eternal!
And, Luke tells us in verse 11...
…that after they had experienced...
...THE TRAUMA OF HOLINESS...
Luke 5:11 (ESV)
And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Consider what that means...
…and weigh for yourselves the weight of discipleship:
It means they left:
That massive payload of fish
Their equipment
Their Father (James and John)
The family business...
…to follow a man who “had nowhere to lay his head.”
Why would they do that?
Why would they give up everything?
Because He alone has the words of eternal life!
Because He alone provides the means for peace with God!
Because He alone (as our human representative) has:
Taken our sin upon himself
borne its guilt and punishment
provided a perfect obedience to the will of God...
…and a perfect conformity to the nature and perfections of God!
FOR US!
-He has done that!
-Where else will you go?
-Whom else will you follow?
-Whose disciple will you be?
-What manner of disciple will you be?
I’ll leave you with Jesus’ own thoughts on the matter:
Mark 8:34–35 (ESV)
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Let’s Pray
(7 minutes, 37 total)