All for Jesus

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him (Luke 5:1–11).[1]

Following his time in Capernaum, Jesus traveled throughout the region, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.[2] He would enter a town, attend synagogue, read the word, and the teach the people. But his ministry was not always in an urban setting on the Sabbath, as we see in our passage today, where Jesus was preaching on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, also known as the Sea of Galilee. We also see that Jesus did not need a city to draw a crowd. Upon this seashore, Luke tells us, “the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God.” But it’s not the place or the people I want to draw your attention to. It’s this little phrase: “to hear the word of God.”

Up to this point, Luke has told us that Jesus read, taught, interpreted, and preached the word of God. This is the first time he refers to what Jesus was preaching as “the word of God.” That’s why the people crowded around him: His word not only possessed authority;[3] it was the authority. When the living Word of God spoke, the people were hearing the very word of God.

Hearing the Word

Although the word of God is perfect, seashore acoustics are not. And so, as the crowd pressed upon him, Jesus spied two boats beached upon the shore. In the providence of God, one of the boats was Simon’s, that is the same Simon whose mother-in-law was healed and in whose home Jesus stayed in Capernaum. Which may make us wonder if it was for Simon’s sake that Jesus had traveled to the sea and chose his boat for a pulpit. Regardless, the boat was pushed a bit away from the shore, so that as Jesus preached the downward refraction of sound would carry across still water. The water became a sound system so that the Word of God could be amplified and heard.

We do not know what Jesus said, but we do know the people heard him, and this should give us pause. What I mean is this is likely a crowd made up from Capernaum, and a crowd that heard the word of God. It was in Capernaum that Jesus casted out demons, healed diseases, and even resided occasionally.[4] In other words, they were not a people ignorant of Jesus’ works and word. But witnessing his works and listening to his word are not sufficient to save, as Jesus would later tell the people of Capernaum,

“You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you” (Matt. 11:23-24).

Those are harsh words for a place so seemingly word-saturated. As powerful as the word of God is, hearing is not enough.

In the tenth chapter of the apostle Paul’s epistle to the Romans, he says, “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Preaching the word of Christ that people hear the gospel is imperative, but unless you have “ears to hear,”[5] as Jesus often put it, you will not believe. This was one of Jesus’ critiques of his fellow citizens, who, he said, “hear but never understand,” who have ears but “can barely hear” (Matt. 13:14-15). You can hear the word of God in person on the seashore or through the Scriptures but if you do not believe it, then you will “hear but never understand.”

Do you believe the Scriptures to be “given by inspiration of God to be the rule of faith and life,”[6] or do you consider them to be something less than the very word of God? Do you accept by faith what the Scriptures reveal about the living and true God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are “one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory”[7]? Do you believe that Jesus is who Scripture reveals him to be, the Son of God and Savior of the world? Do you believe that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead? Or, have you been likely the people of Capernaum, hearing but not believing? Hearing is not enough. You must believe what you hear to be saved.  

Hallowing the Word

Luke tells us that when Jesus finished teaching, he turned to Simon with specific directions:

            “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (4).

Jesus’ shift from preaching to sending out the boat seems abrupt, as well as out of character. Jesus taught the word with authority, but did such authority include fishing? It sounds like professional scope creep: Shouldn’t Jesus “stay in his lane”?     

Simon seemingly shared this sentiment, answering, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets” (5). Loose translation: “I am a commercial fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, and I know exactly how your expedition will play out.” He knows his business, he’s put in the work when the fishing would be     best, and now is not. We might think him indifferent or repugnant but for these few words: “Master ... at your word ... I will.” Simon may have heard the word of reluctantly, but he had “ears to hear.”

To Simon, Jesus was more than a good teacher or miracle worker. Even in his limited knowledge, he knew enough to recognize Jesus’ authority, to listen to his word, and to obey his command. If “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ,” then this is simple faith. And, as is the case with faith, he acted on it, letting down the fishing nets and miraculously catching more fish than imaginable. But it was not the double-boated haul that overwhelmed Simon. It was the presence of Jesus.

Now, imagine you are Simon: How would you have responded? Would you have questioned Jesus about his tactics? Or, analyzed the location, the water depth and temp? Would you have thanked him for the catch of a lifetime? Or, calculated your future earnings at the market? What about planning a party with the sons of Zebedee? Or, perhaps you would have focused on the need of the moment, two boats connected by tearing nets and a mess of fish: Get the job done. But would you have ever considered, as a possible response, falling before Jesus, confessing your sinfulness, and begging him to depart, now? Simon did. Why? Why did Simon respond in the unlikeliest of ways, responding not to the situation but to Jesus?

It is possible to see Simon’s actions as gratitude. After all, he and his partners were abundantly blessed by the Lord’s miraculous provision. But what we see in Simon’s actions and hear in his words is not thanksgiving but humiliation. In the presence of the sinless Son of God Simon sees the reality of his own personal sinfulness. In the presence of “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3), Simon feels like Isaiah, who in the presence of God cried, “Woe is me! for I am undone” (Isa. 6:5 KJV). Simon is undone, pleading that Jesus leave and leave him alone to his sin and misery. He wrongly thinks that he will find mercy in Jesus’ absence, while in reality mercy is found only in his presence.

By his grace, God gives us ears to hear the word and faith to believe it. By his grace, he shows us our sinfulness that we may behold his holiness. It is only through his righteousness that we are made righteous before God, a righteousness received by faith in Christ alone. Our sinful flesh may wish that he would depart, but as he promised, he will never leave us nor forsake us.[8]

Heeding the Word

How does Jesus respond to Simon’s prostrate confession, and pitiful plea? How would you respond? Would you acquiesce? Or, would you counter his self-deprecation? Jesus does neither. Instead, he fans the flame of Simon’s faith by calling him deeper: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Jesus’ play on words for the fisherman introduces a new calling upon Simon, soon-to-be-Peter, whose life would change forever. Just as God had graciously revealed the Lord Jesus to him, now Simon would lead others to hear, hallow, and heed the word of God.

Christ does not call us to himself to build a houseboat to spend our days floating gently out at sea, away from the lost and dying. He calls to himself and then sends us to share the glory of his presence. Christian missions starts with you personally becoming a fisher of men. Insulating yourself from those who are different than you, who look differently than you, who think differently than you, who act differently than you, may feel self-righteous, but it’s actually a monoculture of mockery to your calling, diametrically opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, “When Christ calls a man,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “he bids him come and die.”[9]

We often think of our purpose, priorities, and plans in relation to our various roles and responsibilities, whether in work, family, or church. Compartmentalizing these aspects of our lives can be helpful in organizing and ordering our lives but can also lead to self-deception. When Jesus called Simon, and James and John, we’re told “they left everything and followed him” (11). In that moment, their purpose, priorities, and plans became Christ-centered. What motivated and directed their lives was following Jesus.

Such is the calling of every Christian, no more, no less. Though the specifics of what Christ calls each of us to varies, that he reigns as Lord over it all does not. As one commentator explains, “True discipleship is always costly because it means giving up what we want for us so that we can have what Jesus wants for us. We do this in principle as soon as we begin to follow Christ. Then we do it in practice every time something threatens to stand between us and a total commitment to Christ.”[10] When something threatens to stand between us and a total commitment to Christ, we must hear, hallow, and heed his word. 

            All for Jesus! All for Jesus!

            All my being’s ransomed pow'rs:

            all my thoughts and words and doings,

            all my days and all my hours.[11]

[1] Unless referenced otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001).

[2] Luke 4:43

[3] Luke 4:32

[4] Matt. 4:13

[5] For example, Mark 4:9.

[6] “The Confession of Faith” 1.2, The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms (Lawrenceville: PCA Christian Education and Publications, 2007), 3.

[7] “The Shorter Catechism” Q. 6, Ibid., 360-361.

[8] Heb. 13:5

[9] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (London: SCM Press, 2015), 44.

[10] Philip Graham Ryken, Luke, Vol. 1 (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2009), 213.

[11] “All for Jesus!” Trinity Hymnal, Rev. Ed. (Suwanee: Great Commission Publications, 1990), 565.