Let Down Your Nets

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. (Luke 5:1-11 NIV)

This past week, I watched a new movie about a WELS pastor. It’s called “One by One.” Have you seen it? There is actually a full-length, real movie about a WELS pastor’s life. No surprise, right? We pastors live exciting, action-packed lives! At least, one pastor has. “One by One” tells the unusual life story of a WELS pastor named David Rosenau. He started out as a funeral home director. After a few years, he became a security officer in a jail, because it paid better. Then, he applied to be a narcotics officer and spent a decade staging drug deals with the most dangerous drug dealers around. Finally, he became a homicide detective and investigated murders.

And every step of the way, people kept telling him, “Maybe you should be in the ministry.” Know why? Because David had a gift for letting his light shine. As a funeral home director, he would comfort grieving families with God’s promises. As a jail security officer, he would give hope to men in jail. As an undercover narcotics detective, he was different than his coworkers. They would ask him, “What makes you different? How do you have so much peace?” And he’d say, “Because I know the Lord and what he’s done for me.” So, throughout his life, people kept telling him, “Maybe you should be a pastor.” But he always said, “No way. That’s not for me!”

That makes me think of Peter. You realize that Peter had no plans to be Jesus’ disciple, right? What was his job? He was a fisherman. Peter was a hard-working, blue-collar worker who lived in Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee. Our lesson is not the first time Peter had met Jesus. Peter’s brother, Andrew, had been a follower of John of Baptist. Once, Andrew had brought Peter to Jesus. That was nice and all, but after meeting Jesus, Peter went back to what he always did. What was that? Fishing! That was what Peter was: A fisherman. He had no plans for ministry.

But Jesus had other plans for him. Jesus came to Capernaum and stayed there a while. He even went to Peter’s house and healed his mother-in-law. People started to notice. We’re told, “The people were crowding around him and listening to the Word of God.” What a cool statement! Crowds were gathering to listen to the Word of God! Jesus needed a pulpit. So, “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.” Jesus preached from Simon Peter’s boat!

But that’s just the start of the story. “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’” Jesus’ command must have sounded foolish. First, what was Jesus’ family’s line of work? Carpentry. Do you think fishermen need fishing advice from carpenters? I don’t think so! On top of that, it was bad advice. “Go out into the deep water and fish in the middle of the day.” That sounds like a carpenter talking. Where and when are you supposed to fish? Close to shore, at night. Jesus’ command must have sounded foolish.

But, “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.” Know what that is? Faith! Peter had faith in Jesus. He said, “Jesus, this doesn’t sound like a good idea. But, because you say so, I’ll let down the nets.” Even though life suggested the opposite, he trusted Jesus’ Word and let down his nets.

What happened? “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 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.” That’s a lot of fish! Archeologists have discovered a 2,000 year old fishing boat in the Sea of Galilee. It’s big! 27 feet long, 7.5 feet wide, and 4 feet deep. A boat that size could hold a ton of fish—Literally. 2,000 pounds of fish. And they caught more than that! Peter had to call his partners over. Who were Peter’s partners? James and John. Heard of them? Both boats were filled so full of fish that they began to sink.

Do you know what we learn from this? Jesus is a good tipper. When Jesus used Peter’s boat, he didn’t leave him emptyhanded. I hope you realize this is what God is like. He sees every little thing we do, even the small and insignificant things. Jesus says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Let Jesus use your boat. Your time. Your energy. Nothing you do for Jesus goes unnoticed. Jesus is a good tipper!

Just notice how God blesses his people. Did Jesus magically put money in Peter’s hand? No! Did he make fish jump out of the water and land in his boat? No! Jesus could have done one of those things. Instead, Jesus chose to bless Peter like he usually does: Through his calling in life—his job. How does Jesus bless a fisherman? By having him go out and fish. How does Jesus bless a salesman? By having him go out and sell stuff. How does Jesus bless a nurse? By having her care for patients. When you faithfully do what you’re called to do, God finds ways to bless you.

Can you see the point? Everything comes from the Lord. Without him, we have no good thing. Peter had fished all night, and what had he caught? Nothing. We can’t succeed at anything without God’s grace. Yet, how did Jesus bless Peter? By having him put down his nets. By having him work. Yet, when his nets were full, could Peter take credit for it? No! Everything comes from the Lord, but put down your nets. And when your nets are full, give glory to God.

Peter was amazed. This fisherman knew this was a miracle from God. So here’s what he did: “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” Isn’t this unexpected? We might expect Peter to fall at Jesus’ feet and say, “Thank you!” Or, “That was really cool!” Or, if he really wanted to confess something, maybe Peter could have said, “I am a lousy fisherman!” But he didn’t. Peter realized there was a spiritual side to what was happening. Seeing Jesus’ amazing miracle led Peter to confess, “I am a sinful man!”

Here’s why: The closer you get to Jesus, the more sinful you realize you are. Have you learned that? The closer you get to Jesus, the more sinful you realize you are. That’s the opposite of what we expect. We expect to go to church and learn the Bible and feel like good people, right? Here’s the truth: The closer you get to Jesus, the more sinful you will realize you are. The more you hear God’s Word, the more it will hit you: “I’m not like God.” What am I? “I am a sinful man!”

And here’s what our sinful natures tell us to do when we recognize our sins: “Run!” “Get away from God. Stay away from church.” Did you hear what Peter asked Jesus to do? “Go away from me, Lord.” Our sinful natures want to run from God. To avoid him. To imagine that we can live over here, and God can be over there. Then we don’t have to think about him. The closer Peter got to Jesus, the more he realized he was guilty: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

That’s when Jesus did the greatest miracle in this story. “Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid.’” Aren’t those beautiful words? “Don’t be afraid.” Was Peter right that he was a sinful man? Yes! But whom did Jesus come for? Sinners. Like Peter. Like you. Like me. The greatest miracle isn’t that they caught 4,000 pounds of fish. It’s that Jesus forgives sinners. That Jesus died for sinners. That Jesus says to sinners, “Don’t be afraid.” When you sin, don’t run from Jesus. Run to Jesus!

Jesus didn’t just forgive Peter. He said to him, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” It was as if Jesus were saying, “This catch of fish you just made? That’s nothing. I have bigger plans for you in a bigger sea with a different net and a different boat. I want you to fish for people. I want you to use God’s Word to bring people out of the devil’s darkness into God’s light. Because bringing one person to me is better than catching thousands of fish. Peter, not only are you forgiven, but I have a job for you. I want to use you. So that more sinners—like you—can be forgiven and saved in me. So keep letting down your nets. Just not for fish. For people!”

That’s what this pastor in the movie has a gift for—fishing for people. One by one. He didn’t need to become a pastor to share his faith. As he went through his life, he learned to let down his nets. He comforted families at the death of their loved ones at the funeral home. He offered hope for people in jail. He worked with “tough” cops and let his light shine. Whatever his job was, what was he really doing? Letting down his nets. But then, like Peter, God called him to something more. At the height of his detective career, he resigned his job and spent eight years studying to be a pastor, so he could fish for people all day long. Does he think it’s worth it? Yes!

Maybe your story and my story isn’t so exciting, but God’s purpose for our lives is really the same. Let down your nets. Serve faithfully at whatever God has called you to do. It’s cool to think that there was a WELS member staging drug deals to catch criminals, isn’t it? Did you know that a WELS member was the 4^th overall pick in the NBA draft? If your gift is basketball, than play basketball to the glory of God. Did you know that WELS members own Kwik Trip? Not our Quik Trip. There’s a different Kwik Trip up north with almost 1,000 stores. They are great at business and excellent supporters of ministry. “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Let down your nets as a mechanic or mother or manager or grandpa.

But whatever you do, look for ways to bring people to Jesus. Every one of us gets to fish for people. What is it that we use to reel people in? Well, it’s tempting for churches to use activities or programs to try to get people in. But, do you know what? I don’t think a single one of you is here because of a program we’ve offered. You can find programs and activities everywhere. Do you know what we have that you can’t find everywhere? The Word of God. Let’s keep building a church that’s based on the Word of God. Bible study. Worship. Bible study. Worship. That’s what changes lives! The Word of God. Over the next weeks and months, whom can you fish for? Whom can you bring to hear the Word of God? Whom can you invite to church? Whom can you share a devotion with? Whom can you encourage with a Bible passage? Let down your nets.

Because that’s how God usually works: Through our work. Everything comes from the Lord. Yet, God calls on us to let down our nets. He wants us to be active and bold and courageous in fishing with the gospel, but whenever someone actually comes, who gets all the credit? God does. By nature, every sinner is trying to hide from God. Through Christ, what do we get to say? “Don’t be afraid! Jesus loves you!” Let down your nets. Let’s fish for people. One by one!

(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)