Luke 5:11
When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
Obedience can be difficult especially when you don't completely know the person who is commanding. Because you may not really know them, it can be difficult to trust their judgement and to be obedient. You might even question the task. We see this in our work relationships and in our civic and government leadership.
In today's gospel reading from Luke, Jesus tells Simon to put the nets out to the deep. Simon, an experienced fisherman, says or probably thinks, "Come on… really? We fished all night, caught nothing, have just about finished cleaning the nets and gear, and now you're asking us to go back out in the boats, way out to the deep end, and start fishing again? Really? You don't know anything about fishing?" Yet Simon, who has some knowledge of Jesus, probably feels a stirring in his heart, maybe a feeling of trust, and complies with the command. After seeing the fruits of the command, Simon then truly believes. He believes so much in fact, that he is ashamed at his own questioning, calling himself a sinner and not worthy to be in the Lord's presence. Yet Jesus turns the situation around and says to him that in the future Simon will be fishing for men. Simon, in his mind, has witnessed a miracle and will go anywhere Christ tells him. When Jesus performed miracles, he did things in a big way. In changing the water to wine, he made over 120 gallons of the best wine. When feeding the multitudes, he fed so many yet had leftovers. Today he catches so many fish that they need an extra boat and helpers to help bring in the catch. One might say that we must help in the catching of the fish, in the bringing in of the bountiful harvest. When we trust in God, we are blessed in ways that sometimes we cannot imagine. In your daily life, are you willing to do all that God commands? Do you still question even miracles? Many of us do, partially because we have been duped so many times before that we don't know what to believe. The Christian walk is a glorious and happy one, but also one that has its difficulties and challenges. Jesus didn't ask Peter to put out in the shallow, where it is safe and you can see the bottom. No, instead, he asked him to take a chance, to trust in Jesus and put out into the deep. The deep can be scary but rewards can be tremendous. It takes courage to stretch and go beyond our horizons. Are you willing to put yourself out there in the depth of this world and cast your net for others? That's what Christ is asking of all of us.
