Jesus gave Simon Peter a call to go deeper. Luke 5: 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” [1] Remember, Peter is a professional fisherman and knows his trade. He knows that the best time to catch fish is during the night in shallower water. But it had been a disappointing night.
Luke 5: 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing.[2] Now Jesus, a carpenter, is asking Peter to do something that must seem like a waste of time. It would be like an art teacher trying to instruct an accountant on tax returns.
Obedient to the Call
We know that Peter has met Jesus at least two times before this event. Peter has probably been listening to Jesus’ teaching as he cleaned his nets. To his credit, Peter obeyed Jesus’ request, although he may have done so begrudgingly. Luke 5: 5bBut if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. [3]
Peter’s obedience resulted in success, but almost led to a catastrophe. There were so many fish that Peter’s boat began to sink. Even when Peter called for help from his fishing partners, their boat was in danger of floundering. If these were average ancient fishing boats, they would be twenty to thirty feet long.[4] That is a lot of fish. This made no sense in the natural, it was a miracle.
Jesus Calls Us to Go Deeper
Just as Jesus asked Peter to do something that made no sense to him, He can call us to do something similar. Isaiah 55: 8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. [5]
God may ask you to take a risk socially to share your faith. Or perhaps He wants you to turn down a job promotion because it would decrease family time. Sometimes, Jesus will ask you to move to serve Him differently.
It has been my experience that if God is calling you deeper, He will show the way. Peter was obedient, and Jesus supplied an enormous catch of fish. As we are obedient to a call to go deeper, it won’t be easier. Often, these calls test our faith. But God will provide, sometimes in unexpected and surprising ways.
As we delve deeper and learn to trust God, our faith grows. Then, as our faith grows, God may call us to go even deeper with Him. At this point, Peter had no idea that he would become a leader in a new movement that would become the Christian church. What surprising things does God have for you as you are willing to go deeper with Him?
To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-radical-reorientation
[1-3,5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.
[4] Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 5:1–11). InterVarsity Press.