A Catcher of Men

I'm reading through the New Testament at the moment (very slowly I might add). This morning while I was babysitting I read Luke 4:1-5:11.

The story of Luke 5:1-11 really caught my attention. It's the story of Jesus calling Simon Peter to be His disciple.

At first I had to laugh at the story. In Luke it's written kinda like this,
Peter and a few others are out all night, they don't catch any fish.
Jesus sees them pull in their boats, and they're cleaning their nets, probably grumbling and complaining about all their hard work with nothing to show for it.
Jesus sits in their boat, pushing it a little way from the shore, just so that He can teach a whole bunch of people who have been following Him around.
After He finishes teaching, He says to Peter (who by the way, has probably just finished cleaning his nets and is ready to head off to bed), "Go back in, throw your nets on the other side."

FYI: Jesus is a carpenter, not a fisherman.

Peter replies, "Sure, since you told me to, I'll do what you said." I kinda think, and yes, I am completely using my imagination here, that he said it sarcastically, probably, kinda just wanting Jesus to leave so that he can lock up ship and go to bed.

But something extraordinary happens. He actually catches fish...tonnes of fish...so many that he has to call in a partner boat to help so that the nets don't break, and both boats begin to sink with the huge stinky load of fish that they are carrying.

Simon Peter, possibly filled with remorse for his attitude, sinks to his knees and asks Jesus to leave because he somehow realizes the power of who he is facing and his sin in the face of that power.

Jesus replies, "don't be afraid...from now on you will catch men."

That's what really caught my attention. When the story is told in Matthew and Mark, Jesus says, "I will make you fishers of men."

[I'm going to go into what this post is really about now, but if you ever want to hear the whole story of how I think this went down...just message me (and yes, it is imagination, but I'm pretty sure that when this happened, more than 4 sentences of conversation were exchanged).]

The difference in stories really captivated me. There is a huge difference between fishing and catching fish. You can go fishing for a whole week and never catch anything. If you're like me, you'll probably quit fishing long before the first day is over if you never get a bite.

But catching is so different. Catching means that you've accomplished something, you've achieved what you've set out to do. Your hope has been fulfilled.

Jesus promised Peter that he would catch men. He was promising a fulfillment of hope, a fulfillment of work having a reward. His nets would not return empty.

God spoke to me through this. I'm entering into a new time, a new season; God is showing me a new path, kind of like He was offering Peter a new profession, and I'm going from the familiar, from what I know how to do into an unknown. The past season, there have been many times where my nets were cast out and then returned to me empty. But I feel that God is assuring me, this time, this season, this change, your nets will be cast out, and they will return full. I feel that He is assuring me, that even though this change is hard, Don't be afraid; hope will be fulfilled.

It calms me, even though I know that life is never promised to be easy (tradition says that Peter was crucified upside-down on a cross for his faith); I know that there will be a catch, I will hold solid evidence of my work for God in my hands. That is blessing.

And so I want to close this by extending an encouragement, to everyone really, but especially to those who are choosing to give their lives to service in God's kingdom.

Your nets will not return to you empty! Even if the season that you're currently in is hard, you will catch men (and hopefully some women lol). You may not see the fruit of your own hands, but know this: God's heart is for all to know Him! And if this is God's heart, then He will not let one seed planted go to waste. Your labor is not in vain in the Lord.