When Jesus embarks on his public mission he invites companions to walk with him and learn from him. Jesus’ calling of the first disciples contains key elements of the nature of mission. Luke helps his readers understand that the basic issues that confronted the Galilean fisherman as the moved from a position of loose association to becoming committed followers apply equally to themselves and to all who take the same step of commitment.

There is nothing special about those whom Jesus initially calls. They are not theologians or synagogue leaders or religious professionals. They are ordinary individuals, and the subsequent account of their association with Jesus demonstrates repeatedly their frequent misunderstandings. But they were teachable.

The four key elements in this passage are:
• Mission arises from the teaching and person of Jesus
• Mission entails the miraculous
• Mission leads us to recognize our own unworthiness
• Mission requires obedience

JESUS’ TEACHING
Jesus was both accessible and popular. Here we find him teaching by the Lake of Genesaret, otherwise known as the Sea of Galilee. The setting is informal. Anyone can come and go. There is an important principle of mission here that we can easily overlook. Yes, Jesus taught in the synagogue when invited to do so, but he does not confine himself to that setting. He is out and about among the people as a Rabbi. He is like a sower constantly sowing the seed of the word of God on all kinds of soil (8:11). Mission means movement. Jesus was not a remote celebrity, but one who was constantly in conversation with the people he encountered as he walked among them.

Similarly, the early church made itself accessible. It owned no real estate. Church was not a place but a happening. If Jesus took opportunity to communicate his message wherever he happened to be, then so should his people in every age. It does not require a scheduled meeting and a formal setting into which people have to be invited in order to hear the message.

The crowd gathered around Jesus in order to listen to the word of God. The content of the message of mission is a word that comes from God. And Jesus was uniquely qualified to deliver that message with clarity and authority because he was the Son of God. He spoke directly from his Father in terms that were clear and simple. The ability to grasp the significance of his teaching did not depend on a person’s intellect but on their spiritual receptivity.

Application:
Our message among twenty-first century listeners must be faithful to the word of God as contained in the Scriptures. It is a message we must ponder deeply and pray over. We pray that the Holy Spirit will grant us understanding in order to communicate God’s word with clarity and with searing relevance to the present situation and the issues in people’s lives. It is also a message to ourselves as much as to anyone else. Most of our communication will be spoken in terms of “we” rather than “you.”

The crowd around Jesus was eager and he needed to create space in order to be heard. So he calls upon Simon a local fisherman whom Jesus already knew, to make his boat available. Luke does not mention Peter’s brother Andrew by name who was also present.

Application:
The task of Jesus’ followers today is to take practical steps in order for Jesus’ message to be heard by as many people as possible. Like these fishermen we must be prepared to make the resources at our disposal available to Jesus.

THE CHALLENGE TO OBEY
Along with the crowd, Peter and his brother had the opportunity to listen to Jesus’ teaching. But it doesn’t end there. What they have just experienced is about to make a profound difference in their lives. Jesus knows how to get their attention!

When Jesus first approaches the fishermen to ask for the use of their boat in order to address the crowd, he found them washing their nets. These were special deep sea nets used for nighttime fishing as distinct from the daytime shallow nets. In addition to being tired by a night of toil, the fishermen were also dispirited because they had returned to shore with empty nets. They had spent an entire night in futile activity. They weren’t in any mood to respond to new orders, especially when it was against their professional judgment.

When Jesus had finished speaking and said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch,” Simon could have responded, ”What do you a carpenter know about fishing? We have spent the entire night out there, and are you expecting us get our nets wet again for nothing just as we have finished drying them? We are ready for bed not prepared for another fishing trip!”

Application:
There is no end to the excuses we might be tempted to offer when challenged by Jesus to respond to his call to mission. “We tried that before to no avail.” “We just don’t have either the energy or the will.” “We have many other things to do.” Boats and nets require a lot of attention. Jesus’ call to obedience may not come at a convenient time!

But Simon, to his credit, makes no excuses. He is honest in stating his tiredness and frustration, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” That term “Master” is distinctive of Luke, and is only used by Jesus’ followers, not strangers. It emphasizes the authority that they recognized in Jesus and their preparedness to set aside their misgivings by trusting his judgment and power. “Because you say so, we will…” that was decisive for Peter.

Application:
Herein lies a distinctive feature of discipleship. Obedience leads to understanding rather than the reverse order. This challenges our insistence of our needing to know before we are prepared to obey. The challenge is to the bending of our will. Submission leads to discovery.

Throughout Luke’s account of this incident he focuses attention on Peter. It is to him alone that the order to let down the nets is given. It is Peter who is invited to leave all and follow Jesus. This emphasis on Peter recognizes his leadership position among the Twelve and the key role that he plays when the church begins its public witness in the power of the Holy Spirit at the Feast of Pentecost.

THE MIRACULOUS NATURE OF MISSION
Obedience resulted in blessing. The fishermen’s own efforts, utilizing their knowledge of the waters they had fished so often and the skills they had acquired through long experience, produced nothing. Their humble obedience to the Master’s command resulted in a haul of fish so large that their nets begin to break. It was too much for them to handle alone, so they call for help from their partners in another boat. Even so both boats are so overloaded that they are in danger of floundering.

This miracle of nature is an object lesson for these fishermen who are about to commit themselves to a life of discipleship; that is of becoming fully committed followers of Jesus.

This incident does not represent the first encounter with Jesus by Peter, Andrew, James and John. They had previously been associated with the prophet John the Baptist, who had identified Jesus as the One sent from God who they were to follow. In response they had followed Jesus and been invited by him into the home where he was staying. Subsequently they had been called by Jesus to follow him, and now the time had come to make the break.

The incredible haul of fish that took place at Jesus’ command at the wrong time of day for fishing was an object lesson concerning the mission in which they were about to become engaged. Its purpose was to catch people into the net of God’s kingdom. The image must not be pressed too far. Fish are caught to be killed and consumed. Those who fish for people in the kingdom do so in order that they might find life and true freedom with Jesus as their Master.

The readers of Luke’s Gospel can see from their perspective some forty years after this incident that increasing numbers of people are in fact being “caught” by the message they proclaim and attracted by the quality of their personal and community life.

Application:
This incident serves as a reminder, both to them and us today, that mission is always dependent on a miracle. We cannot build the kingdom by our own efforts. It always comes from God as gift and surprise. Ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit who draws people to Jesus, not our persuasiveness.

Every “catch” is miraculous, whether it is a great crowd, as on the day of Pentecost, or a single person, it is a miracle of God’s grace. The effectiveness witness is first and foremost a humble worshipper. When Simon Peter saw the multitude of fish he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man!” Calling Jesus “Master” indicates whom we regard as the one in charge, who has both the authority and the power. Peter is not really appealing to Jesus to go away. It is a way of saying, “Lord have mercy on me and forgive me.”

At first sight this is an unexpected response. We might have expected him to be dancing with delight. In the presence of Jesus he is immediately aware of his own unworthiness. What he has just witnessed is God’s doing. When the Lord reveals himself in such an unmistakable way then we too feel exposed in the light of his presence. We are unworthy servants. The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah responded in the same way in the presence of God (Is 6; Jer 1:1-10). God’s grace transforms sinners into servants.

Application:
The church today needs the same reminder; that mission is not our mission but God’s. As Archbishop Rowan Williams commented, “It is not the church of God that has a mission, but the mission of God that has a church.” Jesus, after his ascension into heaven, gave his Spirit to his followers so that they could then engage in his mission.

Simon’s response also underlines the fact that sinners are not disqualified from service. To the contrary the mission of God is to call sinners, that they might be transformed by the good news and thereby become agents of mission. When Jesus called these four fishermen to follow him in order to be equipped to catch men and women from the sea of lost humanity, they were the first responders. Jesus is forever the principal fisherman! But their response had to be unequivocal. Peter left everything and followed him. It took the leader to make the first move before the others were ready to follow.

These disciples follow Jesus for about three years before they are launched on the world in order to make other Christ-followers. Luke frequently describes the life of discipleship as “following Jesus.” And the term “followers of the way” was used before the label “Christian” was applied. A disciple is an apprentice and being a disciple of Jesus entails a lifetime of learning. But this band of four that would soon be expanded to twelve, were called out of their former lives in order to become Apostles. Apostles are emissaries of the kingdom sent into the world.

Application:
Most of us, unlike the Apostles, are not called out of our community and occupations, but called to serve Christ and bear witness to the kingdom within the strategic location of our daily lives. Like the first disciples, we to are apprenticed into a life-long learning relationship with Jesus.