Come, Follow Me

Today's meditation is based out of Luke 5, specifically the calling of Peter.

Luke 5:1-11 NIV:
[1] "One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. [2] He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. [3] He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

[4] When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

[5] Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” [6] When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. [7] So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

[8] When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” [9] For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, [10] and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” [11] So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him."

Honestly, I have always been both amazed at this story and a little afraid of this story. Amazed at Peter, Andrew, James and John's willingness to leave everything and follow Jesus, afraid because I wondered if the Lord would call me to do the same. I have actually spent a good bit of time digging into the background and followup to this scene, maybe to understand it better, more likely to convince myself there isn't anything to fear.

From reading John's Gospel's, and just focusing on Peter, we see earlier interactions between Peter and Jesus (John 1:35-43) and these by an eye witness - John. Also reading John, we see that Peter apparently still had a boat, after Jesus died (John 21:1-14), so apparently leaving everything didn't mean selling the boat. Also we find that Peter, although clearly traveling with Jesus still had time for his family (Mark 1:29-34), and in 1st Corinthians we see it mentioned that Peter's wife traveled with Him (1 Cor 9:5).

However, none of this removes the amazing nature of the call, the response, or the life of dedication and following Jesus, as lived out by Peter and the other Apostles. Prior to the story of Peter's calling, Jesus had moved to Capernaum, and was obviously active in preaching and speaking, for already people were gathering around Him by chapter 5. Peter would have surely heard His teaching, and as demonstrated by John, already had personal interaction with Him. I like to think that Peter was favorably inclined toward Jesus, but had not made any solid decision about following Him. It was the experience of the divine nature hidden in Jesus, but evidenced through the catching of a record number of fish, that ultimately sealed the deal for Peter. It is one thing to be aware of the Lord, it is another thing when He intervenes in our life in such a way that only He could do.

Peter's immediate response to recognizing who Jesus really was, falling on his knees, demonstrates the overwhelming experience of God invading one's life. It wasn't just his life that got invaded, but his employment as well. I've heard a couple of good teachings about how Peter, the master fisherman would have scoffed at the idea setting out into deeper water to fish, as he knew where the fish were in the Sea of Galilee, and the location Peter was now fishing wasn't one of them. Jesus demonstrated His ability to provide for His followers, and the effect of fishing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. What Peter saw and experienced, convinced him to follow Jesus, no matter the cost. He was still overwhelmed and convinced of his own sinfulness, but absolutely convinced about Jesus.

I guess in summary, we all fear things, and we fear change and we fear that God might call us to do something we don't want to do, or aren't prepared to do. As I at Peter's response and experience, I believe the Lord will work with us, help us to recognize who He truly is, and convince us of our need to follow Him. Most of us won't get the call to leave everything, but will more likely be called to follow Him right where we are in our day to day lives. I know for me, following Him is the best thing I have ever done and I become more convinced every day of my need to follow Him. I might have left a few things behind when I decided to follow Him, but I don't miss them or need them in my life. He has more than made up for any loss, for knowing Him is the great treasure of my life.