Luke 5:1-11

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/Finding_Four_Fishers_of_Men.htm

Investments are made in hopes of gaining a good return.  We are willing to part with our money and invest it because we expect our investment to grow and multiply with time.  This same principle holds true as we consider investing in the kingdom of God.  Whether that investment is in the form of money or time, we recognize that the kingdom of God is eternal and that there will be an amazing and eternal return on those investments.  When Jesus called His disciples, He went to their place of work.  He even provided them with the most lucrative day of their lives, and then He called them to leave it all behind in order to come and follow Him.  They were leaving a small fortune of fish behind on the beach in order to follow Jesus.  The only reason that they would have done that was because they believed that the kingdom of God was of greater value than any amount of fish could ever be.

THE DISCIPLES LOANED THEIR BOAT TO HEAR JESUS’S TEACHING: Jesus came down to the beach in the morning after the fishermen had been out fishing during the night.  Crowds of people were gathering to purchase fish but also in order to see Jesus.  Peter and Andrew were washing their nets after a long and unsuccessful night of fishing.  Perhaps the lack of fish made the crowd even more restless.  Jesus asked Peter if he could borrow his boat in order to be able to put some distance between Himself and the crowd.  Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowd while Peter and company continued taking care of their fishing gear.  We do not know what he said to them from the boat but we can imagine that He was teaching about the kingdom of God.  Our involvement in the kingdom of God should always spring from an understanding of the Word of God.  There may be people who go into ministry out of a sense of adventure but those who will truly be effective will do so as a result of understanding the teaching of God’s Word.

THE DISCIPLES LOADED THEIR BOAT BY OBEYING JESUS’S INSTRUCTION: When Jesus finished teaching the people he told Peter to take the boat out and put down his nets for a catch of fish.  They had just been cleaning their nets after a frustrating night of fishing.  The last thing they wanted to do was put the nets back in the water at this inappropriate time of day for catching fish.  However, because they believed that Jesus was the Messiah and they had already observed other miracles and heard His teaching they were ready to obey.  As soon as the lowered the nets, they were full of fish.  The boats were filled with fish to the point that they began to sink.  This was a clear demonstration of who Jesus was and the fact that He had the ability to care for them in accordance with His will.  Suddenly there was an abundance of fish.  God is always able to supply every need that we have.  He does not always supply in miraculous ways like He did in this situation but He is fully able to do so.  If He does not provide for us in the way we hope; we must trust that He knows best and never question His goodness or power.

THE DISCIPLES LEFT THEIR BOAT IN ORDER TO FOLLOW JESUS’S CALLING: Peter’s response to the catch of fish was to worship at the feet of Jesus.  He saw His own sinfulness in light of the holiness of Jesus and knew that He was not worthy to be in the presence of Christ.  None of us are worthy to come into God’s presence which is why Jesus came into our presence so He could pay for our sin and reconcile us to the Father.  Jesus responds by calling the disciples to follow Him and become fishers of men.  They immediately obeyed the Lord and left the fish and their boat behind.  At that call of God in their lives there was really no other choice to make.  We must be willing to leave anything and everything behind in order to obey the calling of God in our lives.  When we refuse to do so it is because we have failed to recognize the eternal investment of the kingdom of God.


APPLICATION: Pay close attention to the Word of God and allow it to transform our lives and priorities.  Trust the Lord to meet all of our needs according to His will.  Rejoice when He provides and trust when He chooses not to for whatever reason.  Be willing to leave anything and everything behind in order to follow the Lord.

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