“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”

The Abundant Provision of the Lord

1. The Provision of the Word

“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.”

We’re again shown a scene of Jesus teaching the people. Matthew 5:1, the beginning of the Sermon on the mount says,

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.”

There is significant symbolism to Jesus being seated and teaching from a mountain top, and the clarifying authority he brings to the people’s understanding of the Law and its power structure. Here, seated in a boat upon the water, there is also heavy symbolism for the authority and deliverance He provides over the chaos of the wind and waves. It’s a subject we’ve addressed before and will likely revisit in the future, but it’s crucial as we take in the gospel that we give proper attention to the teaching of Jesus. The miracle work is amazing, and the blind, lame, leprous, and demonically possessed people who were liberated by Jesus stood as living examples of His blessings, and testimonies to His power and authority. But oftentimes water into wine, or the multiplied loaves and fishes can be spoken of like parlor tricks, which is especially easy to do if we have no eye or ear for the underlying teaching. We have to remember that many first century Jews lived in a state of religious obscurity, meaning that many of the teachings they were given were confusing, circular, or truly impossible to fulfil. Their religious leaders were in an overly comfortable position with Rome, and the additions they had made to the Law during the intertestamental period, the “heavy burdens, hard to bear,” that Jesus references in Matthew 23:4, were just tools that they used to exalt themselves over others. Jesus taught with clarity, perfect understanding, and authority in a way that no one had ever heard from any other teacher. So when Jesus heals the lame, gives sight to the blind, or raises the dead we should take note and revere Him as He is due, but note that today’s passage begins by saying, not that the people were clamoring for gifts and miracles, but to hear the word of God.

• 2. The Provision of Faith

“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’”

Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8–9,        

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Faith is a subject with essentially endless theological depth, but simply put, the value of the faith is only worth whatever it is placed in. If I have faith with all sincerity that a flimsy bridge made of yarn and popsicle sticks is going to support my weight across some deep chasm, my faith doesn’t somehow imbue the inadequate materials with the strength to keep me from falling to my death. A person can have faith in their sacrifices before pagan gods, it doesn’t make the empty idols real. The thing that makes our faith in God such a true and precious gift is that in Him we have license to actually have real faith. We can have confidence and assurance in the Lord and His provision because He’s real, His Word is true, and His power is complete. However with this being said, we still have to address the fact that while nothing is impossible for God, essentially everything is impossible for us on our own. Paul writes in Philippians 4:11–13,

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

People often quote this final verse, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” and really fixate on that part. It’s not that it’s not worth really honing in on this amazing blessing, but we must always remember that what’s so crucial in this isn’t the power of the one who is doing, but the One who strengthens, since without Him there would be nothing. Sometimes our idea of faith can be very black and white, and this isn’t exactly a bad way to think of things. James writes in James 1:5–8,

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

James writes here of wisdom, and while this has implications relating to other things, this passage can sometimes be misused in a very broad sense, supporting false, “name it and claim it” teachings. I can’t force the will of God, I can however fully entrust myself to the provision of God’s will, and understand that He gives an attentive ear toward those who submit themselves before Him. What we see in today’s passage from Peter is actually a beautiful picture of what it looks like to be human, sight limited by our flesh, and yet even through acknowledging this, placing our faith in Christ. Sometimes we can presume on God’s provision to such an extent that we downplay the might of His work. Jesus tells Peter to put the boat out into deeper water and cast their nets. Peter acknowledges the problem that he’s personally experienced – they’ve been fishing all night and have come up with nothing, there’s no conceivable reason why this should be different now. But he doesn’t use this as a reason to doubt, or to disobey – he acknowledges the problem, but then, without fully realizing it, he acknowledges the solution. They’ve fished all night and caught nothing – yet at Jesus’ word, they will cast the nets again. We don’t have to understand every facet of God’s plan – we can’t understand every facet of God’s plan – but neither do we have to operate blindly, obeying because it’s what we’ve been told to do, without giving consideration, or the due honor and praise to the One who is our great Provider. Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:9–11,

“Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

God is not a genie, and we’re not given everything we might pray for, but what we can see in today’s passage is that true faith placed in the Lord is not fruitless.

“And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.”

Matthew and Mark both record the calling of the first disciples in a similar way to how Luke writes of them here, though with a little more brevity. Both record the call, but neither write of Jesus’ command for Peter to cast the nets, or of the miraculous catch. While there are many things we can learn from Luke’s inclusion of this part of the event, one element to take note of is the fascinating counterpoint that this early ministry occurrence makes against what John writes of after the resurrection in, John 21:3–11,

“Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, do you have any fish?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.”

So many elements here are the same – the night of unsuccessful fishing, the instruction to lower the nets, the massive, miraculous catch. But there are other things that show a marked difference – in Luke 5 the size of the catch begins to tear the nets, and the catch is so great that once hauled in it causes the boats to begin to sink. However, in John 21 the catch is hauled to shore and Peter, at Jesus’ command, seemingly brings it into the boat singlehandedly, and there’s specific note made to the fact that the net is not torn. In this we’re given a picture of what God does in us through the process of sanctification as we’re prepared to do the work He has given us. We can see how in the beginning the call to follow Jesus, while wonderful, was also humbling and intimidating. It was beyond these men, and yet, not by their own power, but by the provision of God, they were blessed and trained, raised up to be His Apostles. I’ve heard it said many, many times, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” However, personal experience and, more importantly, the study of Scripture has told me that this couldn’t be farther from the truth. How much you can handle, how competent, skilled, or wise you might be is irrelevant – God will give you how much He can handle, and in the vast expanse between where your limited strength failed and His boundless provision delivered you, He is glorified. Both Luke 5 and John 21 show miracles – a catch of fish beyond any expectation, and particular responses from both equipment and men that point to the development and building up that God works in those who follow Him. But in both of these things, and in the underlying theme of sanctification we can see the ways in which God provided and prepares those He has called to serve Him.

• 3. The Provision of Eternity

“But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’”

Part of seeing the righteous glory of God is seeing the broken wretchedness that exists in yourself. The world will relegate the ministry of Jesus to a series of helpful teachings at best, completely ignoring the miracles and His deity, thereby allowing themselves to claim that they’re still good and moral while cherry-picking what they see as helpful advice from Scripture. The reality that we can’t quite come to grips with in the darkness of our flesh, but that is exposed through the Light of Christ is that we are hopelessly wicked, and mired in filth there is nothing that we can do to make ourselves clean. Paul writes to this, and to the great hope we have in Christ’s redemption in Romans 3:21–25,

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”

Addressing the same matter, but speaking on an even more personal level, Paul would later write to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:15,

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

Paul – church planter, miracle worker, writer of most of the New Testament, survivor of countless acts of persecution, all in the name of God, did not think to stand on the work that the Lord had done through Him and boast. Rather his attention was toward the blind and wicked man he had once been and the amazing grace and miraculous provision that had been given him despite his unworthiness. It is not wrong that we should feel unworthy before the provision of God, because we absolutely are – but neither should we miss the beauty of what God has done and what He offers us in the gift of salvation.

“For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’” “

It’s interesting to note that here Jesus says the same thing that the Lord and His angels have said previously to those who stood in awe in their presence. There is a degree of comfort, even complacency that we can know in the mundane and seemingly predictable things of our natural world – though this is often out of a blind, humanistic arrogance. It is another thing entirely when we’re faced with inexplicable, supernatural forces – the things of God that reveal the fragility and complete lack of control that marks our existence, and the overwhelming nature of His power. The calling that we’re given in Christ – that we die to self, be reborn in Him, reject the toxic sin of the world, and joyfully take up our cross – can be a scary prospect, it can be something that inspires fear, as it’s so counter to the calling of our flesh. But what we can see is that even in the midst of this fear, there is kindness and comfort from the One who calls us to something greater than anything this world could ever offer.

“And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”

There are two possible responses to what has happened here and Jesus’ call to follow Him. One would be the response of the world. We have to consider that while Jesus just worked a miracle and called these men to something far greater than their current profession, they’ve been fishermen up to this point. Peter, Andrew, James, and John drop everything and follow Jesus, as is right, but this wasn’t a response borne of the flesh, but of the Spirit. A worldly response would have looked like the story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16–22,

“And behold, a man came up to him, saying, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.’ He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘All these I have kept. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

This same sentiment can be seen in the crowds that come following after Jesus after He feeds the 5,000. We see His response to them in John 6:26–27,

“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.’”

The first disciples were fishermen, and Jesus just gave them a massive supply of fish. This act attested to His power, station, and provision, but had they missed the point and become fixated on the fish rather than the One who provided them. But rather than trying to convince Jesus into staying there with them and filling their nets with fish each night, Peter, Andrew, James, and John drop everything, leave their boats and follow Jesus. They were called to eternal work, to spread the gospel, to seek and save the souls of men rather than to harvest fish, and though they were not yet prepared, though they couldn’t fully understand the implications of what lay before them, they followed, placing their faith in the One who alone is worthy.

Pastor Chris’ sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSRWgwx5rjE