From Fishermen to Followers: Embracing God’s Call
At this point in Luke’s Gospel account, we are realizing that Jesus is gaining quite a following. People want to hear what he has to say. Many, I would venture to guess, want to witness or experience a miracle. Yet in this scene, we hear about Jesus calling his disciples. He focuses on a smaller group. The majority of this scene even focuses on one disciple: Peter.
Jesus uses the fisherman’s boat to help teach and address the crowd. He uses the acoustics of the water. But that isn’t the focus. We don’t even know what he taught them. We do know, however, that after teaching, he tells the fishermen to let down their nets. For many reasons, this is strange. For one, fishing is often more successful at night. Peter also points out that they have already done the best they could do the night before.
Jesus instructs them to do so. Peter complies, as he witnessed Jesus heal his mother-in-law and knows what he is capable of. And then there is the miracle many wanted to see. I’m pretty sure this miracle was for the benefit of Peter and the other fishermen. It was more for them than for the crowd who came to hear him teach.
Jesus calls these fishermen to something new. Something that will change their lives completely. He not only calls them to leave their families. According to Luke, he calls them to leave “EVERYTHING” (5:11). Yet he uses what they intimately know to ultimately call them to a new vocation. A vocation of working to draw people to God like they would have worked to draw fish into their nets.
I got my Bachelor’s in Information Technology. I was blessed to find a job in the field. I truly felt called to what I was doing. I got to love people who had tech issues every single day. It was a significant blessing to provide well for my wife, Elizabeth, and me. I had felt the call to ministry in high school. I had not forgotten. I just didn’t know when a transition to full-time ministry would happen.
Then one day, God’s call became real. A church three hours from Elizabeth’s and my home was looking for an associate pastor. I would finally be moving towards the call God had placed on my life years earlier. However, it would come with major changes. Pastor salaries are very different from Senior Network Engineer salaries. We had lived in the same town where we had both been raised. This meant there would be no more surprise meals. One of our moms would no longer leave a crockpot on our counter when we came home from work. And it would mean Elizabeth would have to find a new teaching job.
I can’t imagine what Peter felt like as this entire scene unfolds. Peter has seen Jesus heal his mother-in-law. He is asked to drop nets when he knows his profession well, and this “teacher” isn’t a fisherman. Yet he does it anyway. When he witnesses this miracle, he is like Isaiah. He recognizes his brokenness and unworthiness to be in the presence of Jesus. Yet, Jesus still calls him to leave everything, be a disciple, and ultimately fish for people.
When we encounter God’s call on our lives, it’s scary. Our worlds are going to be turned upside down. The comforts of this world aren’t the reason we follow Christ. We follow Christ because of who he is and what he has done for us.
I’m pretty lucky. Elizabeth found a new teaching job. The congregation we are part of has become like a second family. They have always been present and supportive, even though no one is breaking in to leave surprise meals. When I had open-heart surgery, some drove all the way to Cleveland Clinic. They prayed with me the night before surgery and sat with Elizabeth. They dropped off meals and, most importantly, prayed for the surgery and my recovery. God warmed me up to following His call. The way he called me was with a transition, and yet these fishermen were put on the spot.
Christ transformed the fisherman’s vocation into something beautiful for His kingdom. So maybe you aren’t a fisherman, and maybe God isn’t calling you to a totally new vocation. God called an IT guy to go from fixing computers to “fixing” (sharing Christ’s love with) the brokenhearted. What about your profession helps you see where God is calling you?
It might cost a lot by the world’s standards. However, there is no greater fulfillment than walking with our Creator and Savior.
Lord, help us know and trust where you are leading, no matter the cost. Amen.