Gennesaret fishermen leave everything to follow Jesus
Joe Miller Jr.

Luke 5:1-11

Every time that I prepare a sermon I do research on the particular scripture that I am going to use. My study is a very structured and intense process that is a deep, dark secret (just kidding). However, I have developed the habit of asking myself (in several ways) at each step of the process; "So what?" If I want to probe deeper I even consider the question, "Who cares?"

These questions may seem a bit irreverent, but I believe that the Bible is a living document; that is, it reveals God to each generation and will never become obsolete.

So when we read about Simon and friends catching a huge load of fish at the direction of Jesus, we need to understand what that has to do with us. Many of us fish, but Simon made his living fishing. He did not have a bass boat with a trolling motor and a fancy casting outfit. He toiled for many hours dropping and pulling in heavy nets. His toil supported his family and himself. So what can I learn from a fisherman who lived 2,000 years ago?

Firstly, I do not learn about fishing. Although a carpenter named Jesus may have taught a fisherman how to fish, that is not the gist of the story. It is a great story and would make and has made some great scenes in movies about Jesus. We can envision the huge catch of fish flopping all over the decks of the two ships, and the fishermen knee deep in fish. What a mess. I think it would actually be humorous. Fish are slippery enough trying to handle and take a hook out of, but imagine trying to walk around while knee deep in fish.

But the greatest image of all would be the look on Simon's face. What a tough role for an actor to play! He would have a mixture of amazement, disbelief, fear, incredulity, and awe. The Bible says that Simon fell at Jesus' knees in an act of worship and called him "Lord."

But the greatest lesson for us is after the fishing is all done, and the boats are brought to rest on the shore. The Bible says that "they left everything and followed him." After all of the excitement at catching the biggest load of fish ever caught from Lake Gennesaret, they left them sitting in the boats and followed Jesus. They left their jobs, families, friends, homes and security, and followed Jesus.

Today, do you think that we really follow Jesus? We say that we do. The Bible says that to follow Jesus is to leave behind the "things" of this world if we are truly to follow. How can today's church recapture the passion for following Jesus that was present in these men? How can we each be as passionate about Christ as each of them was?

Recapture the passion of the disciples! If you have a church, worship passionately. If you do not have a church, find one. East Texas is full of churches. Email me at newtonumc@ valornet.com with your thoughts.

Joe Miller Jr. is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Newton.