Introduction

In a world of individuals and individualism, the most peculiar thing is that we are all following something. In a world where we are meant to look into ourselves for our power, purpose and identity we spend a lot of time and money trying to find it elsewhere. We are all followers, and if people know us well enough they will be able to tell someone else what we are following, or what we look to for belonging.

If you ended up stuck beside someone on a long flight and you wanted to make some awkward conversation to find out something about them, to see if you find them interesting, you might ask them if they play any sports, and then if they play any sport – what team they follow. We are all following something; if it’s not a team, it might be a trend, brand, influencer or thinker. In a world of following, we are all following something – the question is, are we following the right thing?

Context Setting

There is nothing special about this moment, nothing that would draw the world’s eyes to see what is happening. As we enter Luke Chapter 5 we are entering into the most normal of settings, with the most normal men doing their everyday routine. There is nothing historical about this scene, nor nothing history would think to record, yet as their daily life and rhythms along the shore of the lake were interrupted by a call to follow – the world was changed..

This is by all accounts just another Monday as some local men are running a fishing business, as one man is finishing up at the end of a busy day – washing his nets – and getting ready for the work to come. This is the most ordinary of scenes, and that ordinariness is perfectly summed up at the beginning of Chapter 5:1 “One day.” This was the most ordinary of days when a man was following what was expected of him, yet his ordinary would soon be interrupted by something extraordinary, some-one-extra-ordinary.

It is the most ordinary of scenes, in the dullest of places, with the average of people doing their thing and following what is expected of them where they are. Simon, James, and John are in no way special, have no great influence and are not people that some might choose to follow; rather, they would be people who would be drawn to follow. Yet, there, Jesus meets them and changes their life by changing what they live for. Why does the ordinary matter? Because it is there that Jesus meets us, and in it that Jesus calls it, and through our ordinary that God will make known his Grace, power, and extraordinary love and work in the world. Jesus meets. It is in the ordinary that things call us to follow and promise us something more, yet, as Jesus meets us in our everyday routines, he will transform the mundane of our ordinary into the extraordinary privilege of following him if we allow him to, and the Holy Spirit to work in us, into a divine encounter.

It was in the ordinary of the end-of-day routines where Simon’s normal was interrupted by the busyness of a gathering crowd and the request of a teacher to borrow his boat as a pulpit because the crowd was pressing into him so much. On that boat, Simon Peter witnessed a miracle and came to a slow realisation of his sinfulness and subsequent call to discipleship. He changed his life by changing what he lived for and followed the only one worth following. He is one who without realising it has answered the Question rightly and will begin to spend his life asking all are they following the right thing?, as the Spirit of God moves him in power to become one who will cast nets for the Kingdom of God.

The Scene of Divine Encounter (Luke 5:1–3)

Towards the end of a busy working day, Simon Peter is trying to finish up, and he is interrupted by the growing crowd. Can you imagine the intrigue as to what is going on? Things are not normally happening on the Shore of Gennesaret. Then, the busyness that is far off draws a little bit closer, and he can begin to hear voices and mummering; there is an energy abounding as the crowd draws closer to him. It is no longer the buzz of noise he can hear and sense; it is one dominant voice that all ears seem to be listening, and that voice is teaching about the word of God and its speaker soon addresses Simon as he asks for Simon’s boat to become the portable pulpit by which he will address the crowd.

It may seem simple, but God often uses the familiar and mundane to do something exceptional and reveal the extraordinary truth of the Gospel. Whether it’s serving in the shop, discussing our faith in the gym, or inviting friends to church, these ordinary moments can become extraordinary when we live for the one we follow. Let’s recognize that God can use the ordinary moments and places in our lives to impart the wonder of the Gospel and the power of the Kingdom – even when we don’t realize it.

The Miracle of Obedience (Luke 5:4–7)

Jesus has been teaching the crowd as they moved along the shore and into the boat. We don’t know the specifics of what he was saying or proclaiming, but we do know that it was what they needed to hear – the Wod of God. Little did Simon realise at the time, that he had the most significant figure in History on his boat. He had the privilege of listening to him first hand, and if this moment had ended as it being only that, what a privilege it would have been to have had Jesus – the Son of God – on your boat and listening to him. Yet, for Simon, it was never about that moment because everything would change from it. Jesus might have finished preaching, but he had not yet finished teaching. When Jesus finished preaching, he immediately turned to Simon for instructions. Simon might have expected Jesus to ask him to bring him back to Shore; instead Jesus instructed him to put out into deep water, and let down his nets for a catch.

Simon’s Hesitation and Obedience

It’s a strange request, and one that in the moment would not have made sense; yet, for Jesus, we will learn that every moment is a teaching moment. His strange request is to teach Simon just who it is that he has in his boat. Simon responded with the reality of what had happened the night before – nothing! He informed Jesus that they had been out all night, working away and had nothing to show for it. Simon is an expert fisherman; he has been in these waters his whole life, suffered the night before, and knew there was no real reason to go out now. Yet, despite all the logic and his hesitancy, he ultimately obeys the instructions he does. He has explained to Jesus that there is no reason to go out into deeper water; yet, he does even when it makes no sense – because he senses something about the one who has asked him.

The only way to make sense of Simon’s obedience is to recognise that he has seen, felt, or sensed something in the one who has asked it off him. Thus, even though he can’t make sense of it, we are listening to him think aloud: “We were fishing last night and did not catch anything….” Simon does not respond to Jesus because it is not a question; he is reasoning why he obeys when it makes no sense. Why? Because God is at work, and through his moment of obedience he will see a miracles that will change his life, and his reason for living.

The Miraculous Catch

They might not have caught much the night before, but once their net hit the water at the command of Jesus, the fish started hitting the night, and the weight became too much. They did not just catch up some fish, they were overwhelmed by the moment – to the point that their nets began to break under the weight of the load, and they had to call for help. It is not an excellent thought that the miracle Jesus performed convinced not only one person to follow him but also helped bring two others into his circle and heed his call. The catch that Jesus brings forth is an image of life with him – abundant, and the Kingdom of God – increasing. God’s provision is always plentiful, and the catch serves as a tangible reminder that Following Jesus will always lead to abundance. That is Abudance beyond our understanding, expectation or means, and abundance that will look nothing like this world because it comes from another one. When we choose to follow Jesus, we will see the work of God in our lives.

The Call to Discipleship (Luke 5:8–11)

What an afternoon it has been for Simon, as his everyday routines were interrupted by the crowds following a popular teacher. Who hopped into his boat and finished his message before asking Simon to put out into deep water and cast his nets. The result of this has meant calling his partners out to help, and both boats were so full of fish that they began to sink. Normal is no longer expected, as gazing upon the scene at the feet of Jesus, Simon-Peter is transformed.

Recognition of Sin and Grace

He might not understand what has happened or how the two things are linked, yet, as he responds, it shows that in some way he recognises the significance of this moment and the significance of this person on his boat. He seems to get hit with the Jesus moment, when suddenly something begins to dawn that there is something about this man, something we can grasp, yet something we will always struggle to comprehend. We can touch his humanity, but equally as we do this, we should always be humbled by his Glory, and both should overwhelm us. The humanity of Jesus reminds us that we can approach the God of the universe, and his Glory humbles us because of the state we approach in – our sinfulness. Simon grasps this as he falls at the knees of Jesus and begs for mercy, showing reverence for the one in whose presence he stands. He does not understand it, but he understands that there is something significant here as he acknowledges his sinfulness in sight of one so mighty:

”Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Why? Because they were amazed/astonished at “the catch of fish they had taken.” They did not understand it but knew the two things were linked. Jesus had displayed authority over the water and all that was in her, and now men who had thought themselves authorities on the water found the one who had all authority. Do you also notice that for the first time, Luke uses Peter’s confession to underscore the necessity of humility and recognition of one’s need for the Grace of God by faith and through trust in his Son? Grace is all we need, and it is so powerful and wonderful that it requires nothing of us but the apparent response. Do you notice, Simon did not enter into a process to weigh up what had happened, at every point the presence and person of Jesus compelled him to what seemed natural in the moment – obedience, delight, abundance and response – his response to Grace was a gift of Grace itself as the Spirit of God worked in him.

There is something so subtle that we often miss it, and I will be honest; it only crossed my eyes for the first time yesterday. There is something new at the beginning of verse 8. Do you see it? Luke introduced our fisherman by his name until this point – Simon, a common name for fishermen at this time and place. Yet, as he witnesses the catch and its magnitude, not only do we witness a change within him as he falls to his knees before Jesus, but we also see that his name has changed. He is no longer just Simon; he is Simon-Peter, an addition that signifies transformation in the life of this man, “Rock” foreshadowing the foundational role he will play in the early Church and the life of the Kingdom. Simon-Peter was part of God’s plan all along. Additionally, it is a recognition of his new identity in Christ, and along with falling at the feet of Jesus, it shows us the way to Christ – humility and repentance – and the way of Christ in us through the Holy Spirit – Transformation. All he was as Christ has redefined Simon; for Christ, he is now Simon Peter. Thus, finally, the name tells us what Peter’s ministry will be – foundational. A ministry that is hinted at in the last few verses as Simon Peter and his partners Jame’s and John the Son’s of Zebedee move to a new vocation of fishing, they respond to a more excellent call, as if there was no choice to be made at all

The Call of The Kingdom

“Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

Jesus’ words in this moment completely redefine what it means to follow, and in a moment help these minds find what they have been looking for – even though they did not realise it. His command—“From now on you will catch men” is a radical invitation to a transformed way of living, and a way of living that will transform the lives of those who get caught up in it and the world around them. No longer would Simon-Peter be lost in the mundane and everyday world – a fisherman tending to his daily work – no, now he would find himself and his reason for living in Christ, and the Call that Christ has placed on his life and all respond to his Grace.

A Kingdom call to follow Christ and live for him that should challenges us to reexamine the very foundations of our identity and purpose. It invites us to step away from the comfort of our established routines and to cast aside the nets/idols of our regular: habit, security, and even self-sufficiency. Just as Simon had to leave behind his tried-and-true methods to embrace the unexpected, so too are we invited to consider what things – “nets” – we must set down in our lives for the sake of the Kingdom and its King! Whatever they are, if we like these three men have found the one worth living for, the one in who’s calling we find abidance and life, then in the strength of the Spirit and for the Glory of God we will lay them aside. The idols of personal attachments, professional pursuits, materialism or individualism – all that keep us from fully experiencing abundant life! Found only in Jesus Jesus offers. It is a radical call to live for something beyond ourselves – Jesus- and in that Living brings things to all who desperately need them. The call to be fishers of men, is a call to selfless living in a selfish world to make known the hope of the Gospel, as a church it means living missionally, as individual’s it means following the Spirit where he leads us to share about the one who has saved us. It is a difficult call, but life in Christ is the only thing that will give us what we are searching for, and its cost proves it.

The cost of discipleship might seem scary, as the three men show it in their lives behind their business to follow Jesus. Yet, they also show that they had grasped the value of life with Jesus, a value beyond this world. In the immediate response, the rewards far exceed the risks. Simons willingness to obey, even when it defied his expertise and common sense, transformed his ordinary existence into a life of purpose, power, and grace by Christ, through Christ and for Christ. Here is the beautiful thing: what is for Him is for us today! In the same way, when we choose to follow Jesus by humbling ourselves and knowing our sin, The Holy Spirit transforms us with a profound reorientation of our priorities and desires. Our lives begin to mirror the abundant, life-giving presence of Jesus, and in our living it out, the Spirit uses us to cast the net wide so that others can know the wonder of life in Christ and the value of its cost.

In embracing this call, we are invited to surrender our old ways and step boldly into the promise of a new identity—one rooted in grace, powered by faith, and propelled by the Holy Spirit of God, who gives us a deep, enduring purpose. As we consider what it means to indeed follow Jesus, let us ask ourselves: What nets are we still holding onto? And what would it look like to release them, so that we might fully participate in the Kingdom’s work and witness the transformative power of His love?

Conclusion Living Out the Call Today

At the heart of Jesus’s call to Simon Peter is a simple, yet, radical invitation to live every moment in light of the call that he gives to each of us; his Kingdom call that is lived now and will be lived eternally. When we commit ourselves to follow Him, our daily mundane routines become infused with His presence and power by the wonder of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and working through us. The Spirit of God transforms our normal and rountine into acts of worship, discipleship and ministry through which the Kingdom nets are cast out to draw others into teh wonder of his life.

This transformation may not always be seen at first glance, but as we step out in faithful obedience, God shows us the abundant blessings of surrendering our old ways for His. As individuals and the Church, we must ask ourselves how we can release the old “nets” weighing us down and respond fully to His call. Are we ready to give our all to the new identity He has for us? Let today be the day we choose not just to follow, but to make our lives purposeful in serving His Kingdom, using every opportunity, relationship, and task to bring others to the saving truth of His love.

We should be ever mindful that every act of our everyday lives—be it the simple routine at work, a conversation with a neighbour, or the quiet moments at home—can be transformed into an offering of worship when we align our hearts with God’s purpose, stepping out in faith as our Simon-Peter, James and John did. Drawing from our experiences of unexpected blessings when we obey Jesus. As we go, take a moment with the Holy Spirit to consider your daily interactions. Can they become opportunities to cast nets and draw others into the Kingdom, living as accurate “fishers of men?” May we, in the Power of the Spirit, for the Glory of God in every sphere of our lives, embody the call to discipleship with humility and courage so that others can know the wonder of following Him.