“Try Again”

Luke 5:1-11
February 4, 2007

St. Paul United Methodist Church

Rev. John Fleming

There is a look; maybe you have seen it. The look says, “It’s too late!” Along with the look comes the rolling of the eyes, the shaking of the head, and sometimes the pursing of the lips. Sometimes you see the look when you sit with a friend, a good friend. The divorce is almost final, it’s days away. Your friend doesn’t want it to end, and so you urge, “Maybe you could try one more time!” She shrugs her shoulders. Then she says, “I’ve done that!”

Maybe the it’s too late look comes from someone you love who cannot get along with someone else that you love. The two are not talking to one another, and so you plead, “Won’t you try again?” He looks up, lets out a deep breath that ends in a sigh. Then he says the words, “It’s too late!”

I think the it’s too late look was on Peter’s face in the scene that’s described in our scripture lesson for this morning, taken from the fifth chapter of Luke’s gospel. This is a great story. Jesus is on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. These days the shores of the Sea of Galilee sleep. Today they attract tour buses and a handful of fishermen. But in the days of Jesus, the area bustled with people. Nine of the seacoast villages boasted populations of at least fifteen thousand people. I get the idea that most of them were there the day Jesus came and preached on the beach. The crowd got bigger and bigger; there just wasn’t enough room for everyone and so Jesus improvised. Along the lakeshore, close to Capernaum, there was a string of steep inlets zigzagging up and down the seashore. These inlets had an effect, an amphitheatre effect. To this day, if you got in a boat and pushed out a bit from the shore, you could talk in a natural voice and the people on those slopes could hear you without any problem.

So Jesus commandeered a boat. It happened to belong to Simon Peter. With the fishermen listening to Jesus’ every word and the crowd hanging on to every thing Jesus said, he stopped teaching, turned to Peter, and suggested a mid morning fishing trip. Listen to Jesus’ invitation. “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” That is when Peter gave him the it’s too late look. I think Peter ran his fingers through his hair. I think he sighed. There are some things that Peter knows about fishing. Peter knows that the best time to fish is at night, not in the middle of the morning. Peter knows that the sun’s rays spook the fish. Peter knows that he and his crew have been up all night and haven’t caught even a single fish. No one wants to dock an empty boat. No one wants to tie that boat up, clean it up, wash out the nets, knowing the questions will come from fellow fishermen. You know the question, “How did you do?” Listen to Peter’s words of emptiness, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing.”

I bet you have felt that way before. We have all known the feeling of a sleepless and a fishless night. Let me tell you something Jesus knows. Jesus knows that our nets are empty. Jesus knows that our hearts are weary. Jesus knows we have had just about all we can stand.

I am not quite sure why he does it. Peter knows more about fishing than Jesus does. Still Peter does what Jesus asks. Listen to his words, “Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” So those in the boat head for the deeper waters and cast their nets. I would have liked to have been in that boat. The tug nearly pulled Peter into the water. It’s all he can do to hold on to the net until his fishing friends can help him. In a matter of minutes, the four fishermen and the carpenter turned teacher are up to their knees in fish, so many that other boats had to come and help them haul in all the fish.

Peter must have looked down at the miraculous catch. Then he must have looked up at Jesus. It is a moment of truth. Peter finds himself right out of his league. Peter falls face first among the fish, near the feet of Jesus. And he says, “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man!”

Jesus, of course, doesn’t honor Peter’s request. Instead he says that the same sort of thing will happen again, but the next time it won’t be with fish, it will be with people. The fishermen become followers, going off into a new life with only the sketchiest idea of where it will take them.

Now this is the kind of story that helps if we get inside, become one of the characters in it. Do me a favor. Become Peter for a few minutes. Pause and ponder. What do you normally do, day after day? Think about that. Now imagine Jesus suddenly appearing in your life. He asks for your help with His work. Maybe you tell him that you are too busy. There are a lot of things that need to be done. There are projects that need to be completed. Then Jesus tells you to do something that seems pointless. It is something you have tried a hundred times without success. It seems pointless to you. You know that it is a waste of time and energy. But you do it, nevertheless. You grumble about it under your breath. But then, suddenly, everything clicks into place and you succeed in ways you only dreamed of.. How did it happen? What’s going on?

Feel the sense of fear and awe all mixed in together as you come to terms with the power of this Jesus. Then notice it as he turns to you with what looks like a question in his eyes though it appears to be more of a command. He says, “You and I are going to be working together from now on.” You realize that you don’t have a choice. You cannot help being swept off your feet by what has happened. If this man isn’t worth following, who is?

Well, maybe that is a stretch. Perhaps you aren’t there yet. The idea of being in the boat with Jesus is scary. So imagine you are someone else. Maybe you are someone way back in the crowd. There you are, safe on the shoreline. You have just heard what Jesus has taught. You know the fishermen in the boat with Jesus. You know them as well as anyone else.

They are the hardworking fellows you see coming back from a full night’s work about the time you are making a pot of coffee. They are big and strong men. Their hands are like shovels. From the shore you can see them talk with Jesus. You notice them shrugging their shoulders. You watch as they reach for their nets. You see them throw them into the deeper waters. From where you are, you can hear the shouting. You can see the flurry of activity. You hear them call for other boats. It is hard to see from where you are, but you think you see Peter fall down in the boat. Then they all go off together.

Now, what is going through your mind? Now imagine being you. That is a lot easier, isn’t it? Or better yet, imagine being someone you know who is searching for answers. People who have heard enough to know that something is going on. They see people suddenly changed. Their lives are turned around. Maybe they are relieved that the spotlight has not been turned on them. Well, not yet. It will someday. The spotlight shines so that we can see the path towards life.

You see, Jesus doesn’t want anyone to be left out. His call to Peter and the other disciples was for them to start helping him catch people. The call came so that the good news would go wider and wider and wider, reaching as many people as possible.

Ultimately, there are no bystanders in this Kingdom of God’s. We are reading this gospel today because Jesus kept his promise to Peter. When Jesus calls, he certainly does demand everything. He does that but we all know that He has given everything of himself.

So are you ready to follow? Are you ready for a second chance? If that is what you need, it’s offered today. Go home asking yourselves this. Have you given Christ your boat? Have you given Him your heartache? Have you given Him your struggles? Have you given Him your dead end dilemmas Have you handed it over to Him? Have you gone deep? Have you by-passed the surface waters in search of the answers that only God can provide?

Beloved, try the other side of the boat. Go deeper than you have gone before. This God turns His back on the crowd to solve the frustrations of friends. He calls out to all of us who have empty nets, or full ones for that matter, “Follow me and the catch will be marvelous.”

(My fishing experience is limited. I know little about catching fish. I have spent the better part of my adult life trying to catch people, to let them know about the wonderful and great news of Jesus Christ. So I dedicate this sermon to all who are dedicated to the task of catching people. Be not afraid. Amen).