Put out into the deep water
Texts: Luke 5:1-11

Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch. Then you will have an eternal life…a life full of joy and abundance in the midst of a life (of struggle, sadness, and boredom….

It was sometime after dawn, the morning after a long night of being in the sea. They had the hope of catching fishes, but no luck of catching any. With despair and tiredness, the fishermen pull the boat near the shore, and began to wash their nets. Washing nets were a closing ritual of their work. It was that moment that Jesus showed up. (pause)

He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out the boat a little away from the shore. There he sat down in the boat and taught the crowds. When he had spoken, he asked Simon Peter again. “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets.”

What a bother! Peter was about to close up the shop, about to leave his office after a long hard day, when the odd carpenter-turned-rabbi came. Now this psycho-rabbi was asking him to do more work.

But our Peter was polite and meek. Peter kept his coolness and called him “Rabbi. ” although inside he could have thought, Oh he drives me crazy. So Peter said “We, who have been expert in this business, worked whole night, used all sorts of ways, but have caught nothing. But I’ll try again since you said so. (and will prove that you are wrong.)

Peter must have thrown the net down with reluctance, if not with cynicism. But hen they had done this, follow the direction of Jesus, they caught so many fishes that their nets were beginning to break. So they had to signal their partners to come and help them. As they put the fish in the boats, both boats were about to sink..

Recently an archeologist found a first century fishing boat in the mud of the Sea of Galilee. It measures approximately 26 feet long by 7 feet wide by 4 feet high. A boat this size could accommodate a crew of four to seven, with all their equipment. It certainly would have taken a lot of fish to make it about to sink.

So what does the story mean? Catching thousands of fishes. Does the story tell about God’s abundance, as was the story in the wedding of Canna? That is one aspect for sure….The story would also tells us to move away from our own thoughts/methods and move toward God’s method …sunk in God—sunk in God, God’s direction, God’s abundance.

All the more, what spoke to me this time over and over again has been the word of Jesus to Peter, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for catch…put out into the deep water… It speaks to me as a metaphor for moving into the life of people deeply….Open myself a little bit more, towards unknownmystery, unfamiliar; move into the space of one another and see what happens. Not move from one projects to the other with no thinking…No fear, open yourself, move into, getting in there…, and let down your nets for catch..

Peter’s initial response to Jesus’ invitation to throw the net into the deep water was reluctance, what a bother, what do you know about me and my business, you dummy! Peter was done, he was tired, I worked hard but it did not worked, so he was ready to wash the nets and hands and go home…stay home with no rest..

But God said, move away from you accustomed ways, or turn yourself a little bit into the other direction …try this, throw your net to a deeper water..

Being a know-it-all makes it hard to try something new. But Peter was open enough to listen, or meek enough not to say, no. And when following Jesus’ word produced dramatic results, the weight of awe literally pushed Peter down. ….He fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

When people encounter the presence of God, their response seems similar. Peter said I am a sinful man, Isaiah said I am a man of unclean lips, Paul said I am unfit to be called an apostle… Moses, Elijah have similar expressions as they were unexpectedly captured by the presence of God… a feeling of unworthyness, ……a feeling of unfit to be next to God.

So then we ask God to move away from them. Go away. Wanting to hide while wanting to be found by God, the friend..

But that’s exactly when God calls, …It wasn’t the time that when Peter and the fishers were successful, it wasn’t the time when Peter was bright and full of energy when Jesus showed up to them. Jesus came to the fishermen in the early dawn, after the long night of exertion, and discouragement, with no energy even to say no, when they were most vulnerable. At that very moment, God comes to our space and tells us put out into the deep water and let down your nets.

That’s God’s strangeness…God doesn’t come to people who thinks we are fine and perfect…God comes when our health is not quite right, God comes to us when we are reluctant to go out in the cold weather, come on, I’ll be with you, let’s go to the church and see the people, they want you..God comes in the middle of moving from one classroom to the other in the robust cold wind, God comes when we struggle with our own identity in my not quite right relationships with spouse, friends, parents, children…God comes to us when we think we are too old or too young,…

(God knows our response during his different suggestions, call , will likely be reluctance and resentment, yet he highly regards our yes…. give credit to Peter, who said yes, even if half heartedly….lots of people would say sorry we are closed, come tomorrow…..)

Jesus came to Peter and other fishermen during their everyday work setting, while he was trying to make his work for him and his family. Isaiah’s call came during his daily life too. His profession was a priest, so when God came to him in the temple that was also his time of work. Moses’ burning bush, came while he was working as a shepherd…The same is true for Samuel’s call ….So we too should expect God’s call came that way…during our everyday life. Also we should expect that call to come when things are not going smoothly….during challenging times. When we could not make our minds to go to school, go to dentist, go to the church in the robust cold winter…God comes to us when our health is not quite right..—suffered with asthma, cancer, thyroid problem, migrain, hip replacement, headdach, arthraidus……

Yesterday, I was visiting a friend who is pastor of a Korean church. I was hoping to knock on his door but, I saw a small do not disturb sign. Later as I looked at it closely the sign did not say, “do not disturb”. It said “do disturb”…a wonderful message for the pastor to be sending.

Often we give that message to one another, we are busy, so do not disturb…sometimes good things going on. But lots of time, we stay in our own cage, trying to solve problem alone. Moving one cage to the other…moving one program to the other.. with not catching any.
When peter says, “Go away from me Lord” Jesus knows Peter needs him, so Jesus says, kindly, “do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” It is an assurance that Peter will not need to work hard by himself. He will catch people…He will be surrounded by people. His needs will be fulfilled, no more loneliness, no more fear, no more poverty….There will be enough food, enough friendship, you soul will be fed …This is God’s economy, isn’t it?

When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him..

So they left everything…everything…their former ways of thinking, former lifestyle, and followed Jesus in whom the life’s abundance is found, in whose presence all our needs got met…And more importantly God has need for us too. and God invites us to be with him, to move into the life of eternal, abundant peace and joy. Throw out into the deep water and lay down your nets… Amen…


University United Methodist Church 608-256-2353