Lordship, Leadership and Lessons about Fishing Luke 5.4-5

For this week's blog let's examine a bit of scripture shall we? Our ability as a leader will be largely determined by how well we listen, how, well we learn and how well we follow. To be a Christian leader means that we have invested in the Lordship of Christ. 

This investment is particularly crucial at this time. Many alternative voices are contending for our ear. Many contradictory challenges are gaining traction which are in competition with and opposed to the mission of the church. Some institutional figures have may even have forgotten the purpose of Christian leadership altogether. It is essential for us to do several things at once. First of all we must de-escalate and de-sanctify some of the issues confronting us. We have to stop carping and bickering over issues which are not the legitimate concern of the Church. Additionally we need to recover the the purpose of Christian leadership. Closely aligned with that purpose will be a process for constantly creating and challenging the next genration of Christian leaders. 

Read this text with me...

“Luke 5:1   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, Luke 5:2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Luke 5:3 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. Luke 5:4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Luke 5:5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”” _{(Luke 5:1–5 ESV)}

I want you to notice what it was the kept these men from initially doing what Jesus asked of them in this passage.

They had previous experience. They had fished before. Their experience (which was real) was irrelevant because Jesus was teaching them about a new kingdom with new purposes which-though fishing was analogous-was not the same. 

Another issue was that they were experts. There is nothing harder than trying to teach someone with real expertise something new and different.  Real expertise in fishing for fish did not prepare them for the kind of fishing Jesus had in mind. To understand what He was teaching first required trust beyond the realm of their expertise.

Finally, they had very conventional expectations. Because they had fished all their lives and were quite good at it they knew exactly what to expect at that time of day in those conditions.

The instructions Jesus had given were given with an object lesson by way of miracle

“Luke 5:6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. Luke 5:7 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. Luke 5:8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Luke 5:9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, Luke 5:10 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.”” _{(Luke 5:6–10 ESV)}

In this text Jesus comes at Peter Lordship first. He challenges what Peter knows, not to make him feel inferior but to give him the information he needed to draw the right conclusion about Jesus and to obediently follow.  It was not really a lesson about fishing. It's not merely even a miracle story. It's a loyalty and lordship story. And what we need in difficult times. It’s what we need  when the Church seems to be a little confused about it’s purpose, the “pond” in which we are to be fishing. It’s what we need to remind us that we should pay closer attention to the Loyalty and Lordship stories in the Gospels.