Because You Say So

Luke 5:1-11

“Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’” Luke 5:5

The setting was the Lake of Gennesaret, known better to us as the Sea of Galilee. Screenwriter Lewis Foster said, “The sea shore, the hillside, the whole out-of-doors became Jesus’ auditorium.”

The people present were crowding around Jesus to hear the word of God. This is what people want and need to hear: God’s word. We make big mistakes when we substitute men’s words instead. That leaves people empty, hungry and thirsty for the real thing and often misguided as well.

Because of the press of the crowd, in order to be seen better and probably because acoustics are better over water, Jesus got into Simon Peter’s boat which was nearby and asked Simon Peter to go out a little piece from the shore. Then Jesus sat down, which was the position for teaching, and taught the people from the boat.

Afterward, Jesus told Simon Peter to “put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch”. (Luke 5:4) Simon Peter told Jesus they had worked hard all night and hadn’t caught a thing. Around the Sea of Galilee the best time to catch fish was at night, and the best place to fish with a net was in shallow water. Jesus wanted Simon Peter to fish in the deep water in the day time. Common sense told Simon Peter this was foolish. And Simon Peter was the expert fisherman. Jesus was a carpenter. Nevertheless, Simon Peter told Jesus, “Because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

We have a “because you say so” religion. Often the call of God is contrary to common sense or the way the world works. Like Simon Peter, we may not always agree with God or understand why He is doing what He’s doing, but we can always obey.

Obedience brought big results in this case. There were so many fish in the nets that they began to break, and the weight of the fish almost sank Simon Peter’s boat and the boat of his partners, James and John. It must have been an amazing sight. Not only were the nets and boats overwhelmed by the large catch, but the fishermen themselves were overwhelmed as well. Luke 5:9-10 tells us, “For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon Peter’s partners.”

Simon Peter fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” When Simon Peter saw the divine power of Jesus, he also saw by comparison his own sin and unworthiness. The closer we draw to Jesus the more we see our sinfulness.

Jesus told Simon Peter that from then on he would fish for people. God wants us also to be fishers of men, but if we are to be successful, we must be obedient to Jesus and go where people who need God are to be found. I have heard Jill Briscoe say that, all too often, we are trying to fish in a swimming pool!

Father, at your say so, may we launch into deeper waters to find those who are looking for you. Amen.