What I’m Thinking: Now He’s Impressed

Simon (later called Peter) had seen Jesus heal and heard Jesus teach. If that impressed him, he hid it well. But when Jesus got fish into his nets, well. That was another story.

Here’s a transcript:

I’m thinking about the fifth chapter of Luke’s Gospel (Luke 5:1-11), Jesus’ summons to his first disciples: Simon, Andrew, James, and John.

Curiously enough, Jesus and Simon had already had dealings. In chapter four, Jesus had exorcised a demon from somebody in a synagogue during worship. Simon had then invited him back to his home for a meal. They found Simon’s mother-in-law was ill. Jesus healed her and the family then gathered together with their guest.

In chapter five, Jesus has left the streets of Capernaum and come out along the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. Simon and Andrew, James and John (partner fishermen) are out trying to make their living. A crowd followed Jesus. Jesus asked Simon if he could sit in the boat and teach from there; that formed a a kind of a natural amphitheater.

Teaching done, Jesus suggested that Simon and Andrew pull back out from shore, let down their nets, and catch some fish. They’d had no fortune – no fish – during the night. When the net came back up, it was so full that they had to call over the other boat, the one with James and John, to help them get the load safely back to shore.

Well, now Simon was impressed.

Curious, isn’t it? Simon had seen Jesus send away a demon, a powerful spiritual force. Simon had seen Jesus heal his mother-in-law. Simon had just spent who knows how long listening to Jesus teach. There’s nothing quite like having something happen in your field of expertise, the thing that you know, to have that be changed by someone coming in from outside – there’s nothing quite like that to make all the difference in the world, is there?

That is what Jesus did. It explains some of the awe with which people responded to him. It also explains some of the shock and anger that came out of people as well. That’s what Jesus, what God, what the Holy Spirit continues to do in us, to confront us in the centers of our expertise, and there to puncture our inflated egos, our hubris, our pride.

With that brought down to size, we are in a place that we can with honesty and faithfulness and joy follow Jesus.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below; I’d love to hear from you.