Catching Fish

Bible Passage:  Luke 5: 1-11

“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch…”

– Luke 5: 4

For those who use the English hymn book would find the first five words familiar as they can be found in hymn 285 (“Launch Out”). And everyone knows that this hymn as an evangelistic hymn, and lyrics describe us going out into the unknown and preaching the gospel, not remaining in our little shell.

Fishers of… Fish…

I would infer from this part that the fishermen of that time don’t normally venture out into the deeper waters to fish (Of course I could be wrong…). Perhaps it’s because it could be a little daunting to go there or maybe it’s not known that much fish dwell there at the time. But whatever the reason, they probably remain at the shallow waters to fish. At least that’s where Peter and his mates were before Jesus talked to them.

But when they followed Jesus’s instructions, they got a catch. And boy was it a catch! Another boat had to come and help them haul the load in.

Fishers of Men…

In a very comfortable society such as Singapore, many of us would feel very safe and kinda complacent, such that we get too use to our little area and would rather not go out to anywhere to do anything (Note: Going for a holiday does not count).

But when it comes to preaching the gospel, as we can see in today’s passage, one needs to go out there, to get out of our comfort zone, to go out to the deeper waters to fish for men. We won’t be able to catch much if we all just decide to remain in our comfort zones. Not geographically speaking, of course.

We need to get out of the comfort zones and get out there to preach the gospel to those who have not heard of it yet. In a way, it is a like a great unknown out there. We don’t know what kind of people we will meet. We won’t know how people might react towards us. We can’t really predict what might happen to us (i.e. get yelled at, get the door-to-the-face treatment, etc.). But if we’re very terrified of getting these, then we won’t be able to preach to anyone.

The Lord had commissioned all of us to preach the gospel, and He had said that He will be with us if we do so. We need not be afraid but trust in Him and rely on Him for courage and ability to preach…

Had Peter and the rest been scared of going out there, would they have been able to make that humongous catch?

Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go…

– Joshua 1: 9

…And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak…

– Ephesians 6: 19-20

Submissiveness…

And as a little extra at the end, I also kinda admire Peter’s submissiveness when he was instructed by the Lord to cast the nets into the deep.

“Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net…”

– Luke 5: 5

After all, as many of us have heard, submissiveness is not just about doing something when someone tells us to do something. It’s about being told to do something that you might not like or agree with, but still do it regardless. And although Peter was probably unsure if they could really catch any fish out there, I do think he already had that faith in the Lord that something would happen…

Likewise, may we submit to the instructions of the Lord and head out there to preach the gospel to the whole world…