LUKE 5:1-11

WHEN JESUS WENT FISHING

 

Luke 5:10 - And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

 

It was Wednesday, April 10, 1912. The ship was the Titanic.

"And on that ship, in the second-class section, was a man named John Harper who was coming to America to preach here at Moody Church.

 

If you had been with John Harper on the Titanic that fateful night you would have felt a tremendous jolt when the mighty ship collided with an iceberg on the starboard side of her bow. You would have heard the hull plates buckle as an iceberg tore a 300-foot long gash in the side of the ship.

And you may have even heard the panic in the Captain’s voice when he knew his ship was sinking, and he only had enough lifeboats for half of the passengers....

The Captain also knew he had to keep order among the 2,227 people on board. So he asked John Harper to remain on deck and keep peace among the passengers.”

 

John Harper kissed his six-year-old daughter, Nana, goodbye and put her safely in a lifeboat.

"As the minutes crept by, and all of the lifeboats were gone, 1,521 people were left on board the sinking ship—including Harper.

With every minute that passed the deck became steeper as the bow plunged under the water. Finally the ship broke in two, hurling the remaining passengers into the icy depths of the Atlantic.

 

"But, during this horrific tragedy God was at work.

 

"You see, Harper wasn’t afraid to die; he knew that he was going to come face to face with his Maker. And he wanted other people to know his Lord and Savior.

 

So with death lurking over him, Harper yelled to a man in the darkness, “Are you saved?”

 

“No,” replied the man.

 

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and ye shall be saved!” Harper screamed as he struggled in the dark, cold, Atlantic.

Then the men drifted apart into the darkness. But later the current brought them back together. Weak, exhausted, and frozen, a dying Harper yelled once more, “Are you saved?”

 

“No!”

 

Harper repeated once again, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and ye shall be saved.” And with that, Harper slipped down into his watery grave.

 

The man whom Harper sought to win to Christ was rescued by the S.S. Carpathia. Because of Harper, he dedicated his life to Jesus Christ right there, two miles above the floor of the ocean, and lived to tell people that he was Harper’s Last Convert."Erwin Lutzer, The Moody Church Radio Ministries monthly letter, June, 1998 bible.org

 

John Harper was a fisher of men.

 

You may remember the recent incident in which an Ethiopian Airlines flight was hijacked and crashed into the ocean off the Comoro Islands after running out of fuel. The dramatic moment of impact was caught on home video and broadcast around the world. Only later did we learn of something even more dramatic happening in the cabin as the plane headed for disaster.

 

A man named Andrew Meekens stood up and tried to calm the passengers, sharing his faith in Christ and presenting the gospel. Just moments before the plane hit the water, some twenty people responded to his invitation to receive Christ. A surviving flight attendant had to tell the story, because Andrew Meekens died in the crash. Today in the Word, February, 1998, p. 33 bible.org

 

Andrew Meekens was a fisher of men.

 

You and I know that one of the jobs of the Christian is winning souls!  We are to be fishers of men.  Often was the day when our Lord Jesus fished for men.  He would "fish" to bring them to salvation. He would also "fish" to recruit them into His Service.

Tonight we want to see what happened in one instance when Jesus went fishing. We'll see the

 

CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP Vss. 1-4

COMPLIANCE BY THE CREW Vs. 5

CATCH OF THE DAY Vss. 6-11

 

Luke 4:44 tells us that Jesus preached throughout the region called Galilee in the synagogues.

 

CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP Vss. 1-4

 

Vs. 1 - Jesus was down by the Sea of Galilee with a crowd.

          Please notice what Jesus is doing.

          He is fishing!  Not with a pole and line, not with a net, but

          with the Word of God!

 

We know that Jesus wants us to be fishers of men.  Yes, we should fish for men as far as salvation is concerned, but we are also to fish more men by helping those people who have come to Christ as Savior.

 

Listen again to the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20!

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

 

2 Timothy 2:2 - And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

 

When we fish for men, the most important tool that we have is the Word of God.  Yes our lives are to witness for Christ. Our lights are to shine before all men so they see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.  But God's Word is to be used by us as we speak.  Why is this?

 

1 Peter 1:23 - Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

 

2 Timothy 4:2 - Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

 

Besides fishing for men, you know you should read your Bible.

One reason you need to read your Bible is so that you will have something to share with others!

 

When Jesus fished for men He used God's Word.

 

The crowd by the lake was pushing, probably to get closer to Jesus.

 

Vs. 2 - There were two boats on the shore.  They probably

           belonged to Peter and Andrew, James and John.  The

           fishermen were washing their nets.

 

Fishing along the Sea of Galilee was night fishing, and it was done with nets.  The nets, sometimes over 100 feet in length were cast out in a semicircle and then pulled in hand over hand. This was repeated time after time. It was hard work. At the end of the fishing chores, the nets then had to be washed and dried or they would rot.

 

Vs. 3 - Jesus went into one of the boats.  It belonged to Simon Peter, who was no stranger to Jesus.

 

John 1:40-42 - One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

 

Matthew 4:18-20 - And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

 

This was evidently an earlier call of the disciples.  They evidently traveled with Jesus for a short while and then went back to fishing.

 

Vs. 3 - So Jesus got into this boat and requested that Peter take the boat out a little from land.  Then Jesus sat and taught the people from the boat.  Jesus was acting as captain of the ship right away.  He was the authority that did the teaching.  Peter and perhaps other members of his crew including Andrew, were also in the boat as a captive audience.

 

Jesus was very creative about where he preached.  What are some of the different locales that Jesus used as a pulpit?

 

A house

A mountain

A boat

A cemetery ( Lazarus)

A synagogue

The temple

A desert

 

This is a good reminder to us that sharing the Word of God is appropriate in many different places.  Where there are people who are available and willing to listen, we should be willing to share.

 

Thinking about it, I've shared the Word,

 

On a mountain - Easter sunrise

In Jail

Nursing homes

On the internet

In a military chapel

Back Yards

Parks

Private homes

Hospital waiting rooms and patient rooms

In various dining rooms for banquets

And I'm sure other places

 

Vs. 4 - The teaching was completed for that time.

           Then Jesus gave a command that was very unusual.

 

It was unusual because fishing on the Sea of Galilee was done at night.

It was unusual because fishing on the Sea of Galilee was done in more shallow water.

It was unusual because Jesus, a carpenter by trade, was telling a fisherman what to do.

We bristle when people who know less about a subject try to advise us.

Imagine how Peter must have felt.

 

Jesus was asking for quite a bit.

These men had already fished all night. They were tired!

They had already washed their nets.

And now, in the heat of the day, Jesus was telling them to do it again, in front of a crowd that would have thought that Peter and the rest of the fishermen were insane indeed!

 

This leads to an interesting question.

Is Jesus captain of the boat called your life?

Can he ask you to do something that is beyond conventional wisdom or sometimes logic?  Indeed much of what Jesus tells us to do the Bible is contrary to what the world thinks is right or even normal.

 

When I got back from Vietnam, I felt led to join Dottie in the ministry of Child Evangelism.  My father thought that I should go back to my school teaching job and wait until we had gotten established before taking the plunge into ministry.  I told my father that the Lord would provide.

 

A month of two later, we were at a birthday party for my mother. In front of me my father said something like this to somebody else. "I wanted Jack to keep his teaching job, but he told me the Lord would provide. He's renting a house for $75 a month. I'd say the Lord is providing!"  Conventional wisdom said "Keep the secular job."  The Captain of my ship said "Go into Child Evangelism Fellowship."  Who was right? The captain was right, of course!

 

CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP Vss. 1-4

COMPLIANCE BY THE CREW Vs. 5

 

Vs. 5 - Although Peter is spotlighted here, there others in the boat, and the partners, James and John would also be included.

 

Peter's answer is precious.

 

He tells him "Lord, we've fished all night and caught nothing."  He's implying that the fish are not biting. He might have also been thinking that it was the wrong time and place to fish.

 

But Peter didn't stop there.  Instead of refusing to be a part of such a "silly" idea and instead of committing mutiny by refusing to do what the Captain said, he said, "Nevertheless, at thy word I will, let down the net."

 

Darrell Bock - "In his willingness to cast off the nets, Peter responds solely on the basis of Jesus' word (vs. 5). His professional training told him that there was no chance for a successful catch, but Peter apparently knew enough about Jesus that the latter's insight might just exceed his own. This willingness to follow where Jesus leads may occasionally go against the gain of culture, custom, or common wisdom. Sometimes God takes us in surprising places in surprising ways to stretch us." Darrell L. Bock, The NIV Application Commentary – Luke (Grand Rapids Michigan, Zondervan Publishing House, 1996) p. 164

 

The most priceless lesson that we get from Peter here is his obedience.  He did as Jesus told him to do.  What was the secret to Peter's obedience? It was how he viewed Jesus.

 

According to Warren Wiersbe, "The Word translated "Master" is used only by Luke and it has a variety of meanings, all which speak of authority: chief commander, magistrate, governor of a city and president of a college. Peter was willing submit to the authority of Jesus, even though he did not understand all that the Lord was doing. And remember, a great crowd was watching from the shore."

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Volume 1 (Wheaton, Illinois, Victor Books, 1989) p. 186

 

Of course the question for us is, "When the Captain speaks, how do we respond? Are we willing to obey, even if what we are doing may appear to be foolish to others?"

 

CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP Vss. 1-4

COMPLIANCE BY THE CREW Vs. 5

CATCH OF THE DAY Vss. 6-11

 

Vss. 6-7 - The fish were so numerous Peter had to call for help.

               And with that, the boats still began to sink.

               The boats were probably 7 1/2 feet wide and over 27

               feet long.  There were thousands of pounds of fish!

               No doubt this was a miracle.

               But this was NOT the catch of the day!

 

Vss. 8-10a - Here we see Jesus beginning to reel in the catch.

           Peter in his humility falls on his knees and asks Jesus to

           depart from him, because he was a sinful man!

 

Peter had already been following Jesus some.

But Peter realized that he had no right to be in Jesus presence as a sinner!  This is a proper reaction.

 

Isaiah saw the Lord and his response was, Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. (Isaiah 6:5)

 

Job had an experience with the Lord and his response was, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:5-6)

 

The Apostle John son the glorified Jesus in Revelation 1.  His response was And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. (Revelation 1:17)

 

The interesting thing about the miracle in front of Peter and the appearances to Isaiah, Job and John is that they were not designed by God to scare them away, but to draw them closer!

 

When God works miracles, they should challenge us to Godly living.

 

The interesting thing is that after the resurrection there was another miracle catch of fish.  When Peter found out that it was the Lord Jesus who had worked the miracle, he rushed to Jesus!

Even though he had recently denied his Lord. 

 

Peter had learned a secret. The best friend any sinner has is the Lord Jesus.  He will cleanse and restore us.

 

Vs. 10b - Now Jesus is finishing up his catch of the day.

              He says "Don't be afraid, from now on you'll fish for men."

 

According to Kent Hughes, Catch men here is a combination of two Greek words and means "to catch alive." From then on Peter and the other Apostles would catch men alive. R. Kent Hughes, Luke, Volume 1 – That You May Know The Truth (Wheaton, Illinois, Crossway Books, 1998) p.163

 

When a person is caught alive he or she has been born again into the family of God.  The fish would soon be dead, but anyone caught alive for Christ lives for all eternity.

 

Kent Hughes - "Our family had a particularly joyous experience of this sort some years ago, when our daughter Holly began kindergarten. We were delighted when she became on of Mrs. Smith's kindergartners. Susie Smith was known as 'the best.' She was a tall woman in her mid-thirties who was unusually graced with the French call the joy de vivre.

 

"Mrs. Smith brimmed with joyous enthusiasm about life and teaching. And she loved her students. Mrs. Smith's smile and warm cheer of her voice soothed the anxieties of students and parents alike. This winsomeness along with her wholesome enthusiasm and creativity made her a master teacher. And our shy little Holly loved Mrs. Smith.

 

"As Holly, nurturing soul that she was even then, walked home from school or tended her menagerie (a parrot, a cockatiel, a white rate, and some turtles), she often thought of Mrs. Smith and how nice it would be if she would come to church - and especially if she would come to know Jesus. So every Friday Holly's guileless big brown eyes engaged Mrs. Smith's as she asked, "Mrs. Smith, will you come to church this Sunday?" And every Friday Mrs. Smith answered, "We, maybe." This was followed every Monday, as Susie Smith tells it, by our disappointed daughter saying, "Mrs. Smith you didn't come." At last it simply became too much for Holly's poor teacher to face, so she promised to come to church.

 

"And Susie Smith did come to church, and she came again and again and again, for she had a deep unrequited spiritual need that was only met when she came to faith in Christ. She was 'caught alive.' Susie became a good friend, and a vibrant Christian, bringing her vitality and and elan to the work of Christ.

 

"Today Susie Smith, though confined to a wheelchair by MS, still flashes that same sparkle because over twenty years ago she was 'caught alive.'" Hughes, pp. 163-164

 

Who do you know that needs to be "caught alive" for Christ.

 

Special meetings are coming.  How about inviting them?

 

Vs. 11 - This wraps it up.  The biggest catch of their lives was left

             behind.  They followed Christ!

 

Nothing was more important than following Him!

 

What about you, have you been caught alive?

And if you have, are you willing to forsake all to follow the Master.

It doesn't mean you'll be a full time preacher, teacher or missionary. It does mean you'll be available for whatever the Lord wants of you!

 

CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP Vss. 1-4

COMPLIANCE BY THE CREW Vs. 5

CATCH OF THE DAY Vss. 6-11