Luke 5:1 ¶ And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
It is impressive to
hear how the people pressed upon Christ to hear Him preach the word of God,
which at that time consisted only of what we call the Old Testament. I visited
a church in Pensacola, Florida on several occasions where people would
literally stand in line for an hour or more to get in to hear good preaching.
It is not a usual occurrence in America in this era although I have heard of
such things in Africa and Asia.
The word of God is very
important to Him and should be to us.
Psalm 138:2 I will worship
toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy
truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above
all thy name.
John 17:17 Sanctify them
through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than
any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is
a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
But, what is the word
of God? Is a preacher’s opinion or political and social views the word of God?
Or is it what is preserved for us in the text we have, in the context in which
it is written, the word of God? Like the Bereans you should search the
Scriptures to see if a thing you are told is true.
Acts 17:10 ¶ And the
brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of
the Jews. 11 These were more noble than
those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of
mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
God has selected these
rough commercial fishermen for a purpose that He did not use princes, the
wealthy, or the educated for. He teaches them a lesson about fishing for men as
they are chosen to further His message to their people and to the world.
Habbakuk 1:14a And makest
men as the fishes of the sea,
They leave their
fishing employment and follow Jesus. It is important to note that Christ’s
immediate mission is to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel as stated in Matthew 10:6 and 15:24 and context. The
expansion of this mission to the world is a process revealed in Acts and in the
rest of the New Testament.
Another thing that
comes to mind about this passage is the parallel to our own efforts. We can
work all night in a manner of speaking to win lost souls to Christ but it is
only with His power and direction that we can be successful.
In the same vein we can
toil in the night that came on the world when Christ, who is the Light of the
world, left.
John 9:4 I must work the
works of him that sent me, while it is day:
the night cometh, when no man can work.
Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day
is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on
the armour of light.
But, we await His
return for all things to be completed and revealed.
Titus 2:13 Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ;
Revelation 11:15 And the
seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and
ever.
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