St Luke 5:1-11/1 Kings 19:11-21/1 Corinthians 1:18-25
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
These seasoned fishermen had toiled all night. They made their living by their abilities on that lake. They had already brought the best of their knowledge, experience, and skill to bear. But even the most skilled farmer can’t make it rain. Sometimes the world’s greatest fishermen get skunked.
When our Lord said, Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch, He might as well have said, shoot this arrow randomly into the sky and it will fall into the heart of a deer. It didn’t make any sense. This was a fool’s errand. It was not the way to catch fish, to put meat on the table. Fish wouldn’t be in the deep during the morning. Even if they were, the water was too deep to effectively catch fish with a net.
St Peter lets on to his doubt, We toiled all night and took nothing! This means, “This won’t work. We know how to fish. This is a waste of time.” Doing as the Lord commanded would cost Peter. Even if they caught nothing, which Peter assumed, the nets would have to be cleaned again.
But Peter had already seen this Healer restore his mother-in-law’s health. Peter has seen Jesus cast out demons and heal the sick. He had heard the wisdom of this Rabbi, and there was in Peter the beginnings of faith. And so along with his doubt, Peter says, At Your Word I will let down the nets. He may not expect it to work, but he will do it. Like Elijah anointing kings and appointing prophets; Peter will do as the Lord commands, though it seems wasteful and foolish.
So it is with following the Word of the Lord, the foolish Word of the Cross, to this very day. What good will it do you to forgive those who sin against you? The wisdom of the world is carpe diem, seize the day, press every advantage. Mercy is weakness. Letting go of grudges, turning the other cheek, is like letting down your nets in the deep when toiling all night has already failed.
What of charity? The world’s wisdom is that wealth is a measure of success; it should be accumulated and used for personal luxury. The question of our age is, “Have you saved enough for retirement?” not, “Have you provided for the poor?” Giving away money is like letting down your nets in the deep when toiling all night has already failed.
Or what of defending marriage as existing only between one man and one woman? The wisdom of the world is that this is antiquated and old-fashioned. Holding to natural marriage is bigoted; homophobic. You are told to get with the times, even at the peril of loosing your reputation, or worse. Are you wiser than the Supreme Court of the United States? Defending man-woman marriage is like letting down your nets in the deep when toiling all night has already failed. These things will cost you.
But Peter does it anyway. He does it at the Word of the Lord, because the Lord says so, even though Peter expects it will be a vain effort. And it costs him. Not merely will he have to re-clean the nets. It is worse than that. He gets the fish he had longed for all night. It is a miracle, just what he had prayed for. The nets are filled with fish. It’s the biggest catch he had ever seen. It is more than one boat can handle. They call over a second boat.
Then the fish begin to sink both boats. They are going to die. Now at stake is more than a few hours of extra work or a net or a night’s wasted labor. When they get what they thought they wanted, what they longed for all night in their toil – fish – their lives are in danger. They cannot contain the gifts of God. The glory of the Lord threatens to destroy them.
Then Peter sees clearly. He no longer humors this Rabbi. He no longer makes a nice gesture, doing God a favor by indulging a silly request, giving a memorial to get a plaque on the wall. Now he throws himself at the feet of the Lord. He prays no for fish or wealth or success. He prays for life, for survival. He prays for the Lord to depart. Sadly this prayer is even more foolish than the ones that went before it. For the Lord’s departure would be no better for him than the fish that are skinning his boats. If Jesus departs, the boat sinks.
But the Lord does not depart. Instead He brings Peter and his companions and the fish safely to shore. A miracle equal to the catch itself, but not to be outdone by the miracle that Peter, James, and John following Jesus. For here we see the cost of Peter’s following the Word of the Lord. He forsakes all. He leaves the boats, the nets, the men, the prestige, the wealth, and the livelihood. He follows Jesus who did not depart. Jesus who remained faithful to him. Jesus who showed him the end of worldly things, and promised him a Friend with God; safe access to the glory of the Lord.
There is wisdom in following the way of the Lord, which is the way of the Cross. You have authority and power to forgive the sins committed against you. You can be free from the self-absorbed concern of how you have been wronged. You can breathe anew and set your mind on things above, noble things. You can have peace not just with God, but also with men, peace inside yourself. You can sleep at night. You can look your children in the eye. You are forgiven and free to forgive.
So, too, can you serve your neighbor in charity. You can give away your goods and find yourself richer because of it. You can speak the truth in love in the public square, confident that the word you profess is not your own, but the Word of the Lord. You can defend the unborn and the widow and the fatherless. You can defend natural marriage for the sake of your children. You can spread the Gospel to all the world that men might truly be free. Those are good works. And there is wisdom in them. They are good and they are good for you. As good as a large number of fish caught in an unexpected way.
But remember how Peter’s boat almost sank? Your good works, pleasing as they are to God, cannot save you. No matter how faithfully you let down the nets at the Word of the Lord, no matter how much you expect to be blessed, no matter how strong your faith is, the boat sinks because the reality is that you have not been good enough.
How much have you given? How much have you put into the offering plate? What is God worth to you? Unless you’ve given it all – sold your house and care and have nothing but the clothes on your back, emptied your retirement and take out a loan to give it away – unless you’ve given everything you have, even your life, you have not given enough. And even then, its not enough. Unless you’ve always turned the other cheek, never grown angry or borne a grudge or remembered some small insult or slight, you have not forgiven enough. The boat sinks because you are not good enough.
Even if your faith was not riddled with doubts, it could not save you. Faith needs Jesus. Your faith and your works are good, but their goodness stands in contrast to the evil you have done. The Law exposes and condemns you. If Jesus departs, the boat sinks.
But Jesus does not depart. He does not! He brings you safely to shore. He is Master of more than simply waves and wind, fish and loaves. He is Master of Hell. He has entered into its fiery tomb and taken all it had to demand of you and more. He has paid the price, suffered the defeat, been emptied of Himself to death that He might bring you safely to shore. He went down to the depths of Lake Genneserat and pulled out the fishermen it had claimed. He will not depart. He loves you to the end.
And this boat, His Church, will not sink, even though the gates of Hell attempt to storm her and drag her down. For He is here, the Word made flesh, the Strong Word, in His risen Body and Blood poured into the hearts of His people. He is here with His consoling, forgiving Word and His sacred benediction. His favor is upon you. You are a sinful man, just as Peter, but He is good and His mercy endures forever. He declares you righteous and He will not depart.
How much then must you give? You would not want to be an ungrateful Cain. Yet the price is too much. How can you give everything? It is impossible.
Do not be afraid. Jesus does not depart. He will take care of it for you. Indeed He has. And here is all you are left to pay: nothing. You don’t have to give anything; not a penny. Let the offering plate pass by. The Lord has taken care of everything. He has done what you could and would not. He has offered a perfect sacrifice for both Cain and Abel. The kingdom is bestowed on you absolutely free, no strings attached. Jesus loves you.
And any works you do are above and beyond. They are not necessary – because everything has already been taken care of for you. Your boat and your cup run over, but there is no danger. Jesus will not depart. He does not stay because you are good enough, because you let down the nets, or gave a good offering. He stays because He is faithful. He is love. He is good. And He keeps His promises. He leads by His Word. He feeds you with Himself, His Body and His Blood. And He brings you to the shores of heaven, to Himself, that you would forsake this foolish world, with its fish and wealth, its SCOTUS rulings and Baals and vain wisdom.
Come. He is calling. Come, leave everything and follow Him for free.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
These seasoned fishermen had toiled all night. They made their living by their abilities on that lake. They had already brought the best of their knowledge, experience, and skill to bear. But even the most skilled farmer can’t make it rain. Sometimes the world’s greatest fishermen get skunked.
When our Lord said, Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch, He might as well have said, shoot this arrow randomly into the sky and it will fall into the heart of a deer. It didn’t make any sense. This was a fool’s errand. It was not the way to catch fish, to put meat on the table. Fish wouldn’t be in the deep during the morning. Even if they were, the water was too deep to effectively catch fish with a net.
St Peter lets on to his doubt, We toiled all night and took nothing! This means, “This won’t work. We know how to fish. This is a waste of time.” Doing as the Lord commanded would cost Peter. Even if they caught nothing, which Peter assumed, the nets would have to be cleaned again.
But Peter had already seen this Healer restore his mother-in-law’s health. Peter has seen Jesus cast out demons and heal the sick. He had heard the wisdom of this Rabbi, and there was in Peter the beginnings of faith. And so along with his doubt, Peter says, At Your Word I will let down the nets. He may not expect it to work, but he will do it. Like Elijah anointing kings and appointing prophets; Peter will do as the Lord commands, though it seems wasteful and foolish.
So it is with following the Word of the Lord, the foolish Word of the Cross, to this very day. What good will it do you to forgive those who sin against you? The wisdom of the world is carpe diem, seize the day, press every advantage. Mercy is weakness. Letting go of grudges, turning the other cheek, is like letting down your nets in the deep when toiling all night has already failed.
What of charity? The world’s wisdom is that wealth is a measure of success; it should be accumulated and used for personal luxury. The question of our age is, “Have you saved enough for retirement?” not, “Have you provided for the poor?” Giving away money is like letting down your nets in the deep when toiling all night has already failed.
Or what of defending marriage as existing only between one man and one woman? The wisdom of the world is that this is antiquated and old-fashioned. Holding to natural marriage is bigoted; homophobic. You are told to get with the times, even at the peril of loosing your reputation, or worse. Are you wiser than the Supreme Court of the United States? Defending man-woman marriage is like letting down your nets in the deep when toiling all night has already failed. These things will cost you.
But Peter does it anyway. He does it at the Word of the Lord, because the Lord says so, even though Peter expects it will be a vain effort. And it costs him. Not merely will he have to re-clean the nets. It is worse than that. He gets the fish he had longed for all night. It is a miracle, just what he had prayed for. The nets are filled with fish. It’s the biggest catch he had ever seen. It is more than one boat can handle. They call over a second boat.
Then the fish begin to sink both boats. They are going to die. Now at stake is more than a few hours of extra work or a net or a night’s wasted labor. When they get what they thought they wanted, what they longed for all night in their toil – fish – their lives are in danger. They cannot contain the gifts of God. The glory of the Lord threatens to destroy them.
Then Peter sees clearly. He no longer humors this Rabbi. He no longer makes a nice gesture, doing God a favor by indulging a silly request, giving a memorial to get a plaque on the wall. Now he throws himself at the feet of the Lord. He prays no for fish or wealth or success. He prays for life, for survival. He prays for the Lord to depart. Sadly this prayer is even more foolish than the ones that went before it. For the Lord’s departure would be no better for him than the fish that are skinning his boats. If Jesus departs, the boat sinks.
But the Lord does not depart. Instead He brings Peter and his companions and the fish safely to shore. A miracle equal to the catch itself, but not to be outdone by the miracle that Peter, James, and John following Jesus. For here we see the cost of Peter’s following the Word of the Lord. He forsakes all. He leaves the boats, the nets, the men, the prestige, the wealth, and the livelihood. He follows Jesus who did not depart. Jesus who remained faithful to him. Jesus who showed him the end of worldly things, and promised him a Friend with God; safe access to the glory of the Lord.
There is wisdom in following the way of the Lord, which is the way of the Cross. You have authority and power to forgive the sins committed against you. You can be free from the self-absorbed concern of how you have been wronged. You can breathe anew and set your mind on things above, noble things. You can have peace not just with God, but also with men, peace inside yourself. You can sleep at night. You can look your children in the eye. You are forgiven and free to forgive.
So, too, can you serve your neighbor in charity. You can give away your goods and find yourself richer because of it. You can speak the truth in love in the public square, confident that the word you profess is not your own, but the Word of the Lord. You can defend the unborn and the widow and the fatherless. You can defend natural marriage for the sake of your children. You can spread the Gospel to all the world that men might truly be free. Those are good works. And there is wisdom in them. They are good and they are good for you. As good as a large number of fish caught in an unexpected way.
But remember how Peter’s boat almost sank? Your good works, pleasing as they are to God, cannot save you. No matter how faithfully you let down the nets at the Word of the Lord, no matter how much you expect to be blessed, no matter how strong your faith is, the boat sinks because the reality is that you have not been good enough.
How much have you given? How much have you put into the offering plate? What is God worth to you? Unless you’ve given it all – sold your house and care and have nothing but the clothes on your back, emptied your retirement and take out a loan to give it away – unless you’ve given everything you have, even your life, you have not given enough. And even then, its not enough. Unless you’ve always turned the other cheek, never grown angry or borne a grudge or remembered some small insult or slight, you have not forgiven enough. The boat sinks because you are not good enough.
Even if your faith was not riddled with doubts, it could not save you. Faith needs Jesus. Your faith and your works are good, but their goodness stands in contrast to the evil you have done. The Law exposes and condemns you. If Jesus departs, the boat sinks.
But Jesus does not depart. He does not! He brings you safely to shore. He is Master of more than simply waves and wind, fish and loaves. He is Master of Hell. He has entered into its fiery tomb and taken all it had to demand of you and more. He has paid the price, suffered the defeat, been emptied of Himself to death that He might bring you safely to shore. He went down to the depths of Lake Genneserat and pulled out the fishermen it had claimed. He will not depart. He loves you to the end.
And this boat, His Church, will not sink, even though the gates of Hell attempt to storm her and drag her down. For He is here, the Word made flesh, the Strong Word, in His risen Body and Blood poured into the hearts of His people. He is here with His consoling, forgiving Word and His sacred benediction. His favor is upon you. You are a sinful man, just as Peter, but He is good and His mercy endures forever. He declares you righteous and He will not depart.
How much then must you give? You would not want to be an ungrateful Cain. Yet the price is too much. How can you give everything? It is impossible.
Do not be afraid. Jesus does not depart. He will take care of it for you. Indeed He has. And here is all you are left to pay: nothing. You don’t have to give anything; not a penny. Let the offering plate pass by. The Lord has taken care of everything. He has done what you could and would not. He has offered a perfect sacrifice for both Cain and Abel. The kingdom is bestowed on you absolutely free, no strings attached. Jesus loves you.
And any works you do are above and beyond. They are not necessary – because everything has already been taken care of for you. Your boat and your cup run over, but there is no danger. Jesus will not depart. He does not stay because you are good enough, because you let down the nets, or gave a good offering. He stays because He is faithful. He is love. He is good. And He keeps His promises. He leads by His Word. He feeds you with Himself, His Body and His Blood. And He brings you to the shores of heaven, to Himself, that you would forsake this foolish world, with its fish and wealth, its SCOTUS rulings and Baals and vain wisdom.
Come. He is calling. Come, leave everything and follow Him for free.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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