Prayer of the Day: Almighty God, You have called Your Church to witness that in Christ You have reconciled us to Yourself. Grant that by Your Holy Spirit we may proclaim the good news of Your salvation so that all who hear it may receive the gift of salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

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.”

Called by the Lord, Cast the Net of the Gospel Even When…

1. It seems like you’ve tried everything your way and failed
2. It seems like it is the wrong time and place
3. It seems like you are the wrong person

In the name of Jesus Christ, who redeemed us from our sin and commissioned each of us to follow Him and be fishers of men,

“Gone fishin’!” That phrase conjures up the thought of warm summer days, lakeside cabins, and fishing for sunnies with kids. “Gone fishin’” reminds me of simpler times when Sheriff Andy Griffith and son Opie would whistle their way to the local fishing hole.

For Peter, fishing wasn’t a hobby. It was a profession. He needed to catch fish to earn money and feed his family. He and his brother Andrew, along with his fishing partners, Zebedee and his sons, James and John, were pros and knew the Sea of Galilee well. They knew where and when to cast their nets.

In our text, Peter and his fishing partners had been fishing all night. Imagine casting the net and drawing it in again and again, all night. However, unlike those fond summertime memories at the lake, they caught nothing. Not even one fish.

After a frustrating night of no success, Peter and his partners headed for shore to clean the seaweed and lily pads out of their nets. That is when Jesus changes everything. Here this Rabbi, this Teacher, tells Peter something would sound wrong to the ears of an experienced fisherman. “Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.”

What was wrong with this? First, it was the wrong time to be fishing. Fishing in the daytime meant the fish would see the net being cast and would swim away from it. Secondly, no one goes fishing in the deep part of the lake, because the fish could swim downward to escape the net. This was the wrong time and wrong place to go fishing. Furthermore, these fishermen, who knew a thing or two more about fishing than this Rabbi, had fished at the right time and right place and had caught nothing.

Peter replies, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Though it seems all wrong, the word of the Master Jesus causes Peter to do what he says. What was the result? There were so many fish in that net that the nets began to break. They called for their fishing partners to come with a second boat to help them. There were so many fish that it filled both boats and they began to sink.

Peter has his own sinking feeling as his mind fills with all the sins he has committed. Falling on his knees, Peter says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Though his boat was sinking under the weight of the fish, all Peter could think about was the weight of his sin.

Jesus then says something else that seems wrong. To this confessed sinner, the all-powerful and all-knowing Jesus says, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” “Do not be afraid.” These words from the lips of Lord are pure, sweet Gospel. This is the Good Shepherd, comforting one of His trembling sheep that he will not die for his sins. Much the opposite! This sinner will live! Peter will live forever in the Paradise of God because Jesus was going to bear all His sin and suffer the punishment that Peter deserved for his sinful words and sinful thoughts. A sorrowing sinner need not be afraid of Jesus.

Not only was Jesus going to free Peter from his sin, but Jesus calls Peter to tell other sinners that He did the same for them. No longer would Peter be casting a net into the sea to catch fish. He would be casting the net of the Gospel to catch souls for Jesus.

We are no different from Peter. We are sinners who have spoken sinful words and had sinful thoughts. Maybe like Peter, we think the things Jesus says are sometimes—well—just wrong. How many times have we thought Jesus’ word was wrong about creation, about sex, about raising our children, or about forgiving one another, even our enemies, as He forgave us? Or what about how Peter thought Jesus was wrong when Jesus warned him that he would deny Him three times. How many times have we ignored Jesus’ warning about being on guard against temptation, watching and praying, and to beware of the company we keep and the things we watch?

As our own boat fills up with sin and we begin to sink, we cry out with Peter, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” And yet, what does Jesus do? He comes in His eternal love and grace and says, “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid because the all-powerful Son of God used His power to save you. Sinking in your sins, Jesus reaches down with His nail-pierced hands and says, “You are forgiven. My blood cleanses you from ALL your sins. By My death and resurrection you are justified and at peace with God. You shall not die in your sins.” Do not be afraid!

And now Jesus has called us to “let down your nets” to catch men. The net we let down is the very message that saved us. With Peter, Jesus has called us to “proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)

But maybe like Peter, you hear Jesus calling you and calling our congregation to let down the net of the Gospel and you feel like you’ve tried that already and nothing seems to work.

That reminds me of the story of a small, rural congregation. The members had become convinced that those who were church-going people already had their church. And those who did not have a church, didn’t want a church. So they saw no need to do any outreach work. Along came a new pastor who started casting the net of the Gospel by putting his services on Facebook, going door-to-door in the small town to meet his neighbors, and preaching at nursing homes in the surrounding communities. He continued to cast the net of the Gospel. The result is a miracle of Jesus’ work. This pastor has performed many baptisms and confirmed new members, young and old from the area.

So even when it feels like you’ve tried and tried, and haven’t caught anything, listen to Jesus and let your net down. Cast the net of the Gospel with your family members. Cast it to your neighbor. Cast it to your fellow church members and friends you haven’t seen in the Lord’s house in a long time. Keep casting the net of the Gospel and let Jesus fill those nets in His own time and way.

What was Peter’s other objection to Jesus? Wrong time and wrong place, right? How many times have you objected to casting the net of the Gospel because you felt like it was wrong time and wrong place? Maybe a coworker was telling you about a loved one who died or was diagnosed with cancer. Maybe someone you go to school with who is depressed and is thinking about hurting themselves. Did that seem like the wrong time or wrong place?

Yet, when someone is confronted with death and hopelessness, isn’t that the perfect time to talk about the hope you have? You know that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. You know that He also tasted death, and rose from it. And by His resurrection He gives victory over death to all who believe in Him. To those without hope and who feel unloved, you know the everlasting love of the Lord who demonstrated His love by dying on the cross. This is the net Christ has placed in your hands. Listen for opportunities to cast that net and you will find there really are very few “wrong times and wrong places” to cast that net of Christ’s love.

Finally, Peter seems like the wrong kind of guy to be a missionary. He’s a fisherman. He’s not well educated (Acts 4:13). Peter is an admitted failure—someone who has failed to lead a life free of sin. Certainly, God has better people He can choose from to cast the net of the Gospel!

Peter isn’t the only one. Moses thought he didn’t know how to speak. Isaiah thought he was too sinful. Jeremiah thought he was too young. Maybe you feel like you are the wrong person to cast the net of the Gospel. You’re just a mechanic or an engineer, a student, a mom or grandfather. You feel uneducated—not knowing enough to tell others about Jesus. Like Peter, you know how much of a sinner you are. You feel like the wrong person.

Jesus knows Peter and knows you better than you know yourself. And though you are all like clay pots, fragile and full of cracks, you have something very special. You have God the Holy Spirit at work in you. You have been given faith in Jesus as your Savior. Though you are the chief of sinners, you know Jesus died to save you from your sins and give you that sure and certain hope of heaven. Jesus has placed the net of His Gospel in your heart and in your hands. You are precisely the person Jesus has called to cast the net of His Gospel. As the hymnwriter says, “You can tell the love of Jesus, you can say He died for all.”

“Gone fishin’!” While those may put a smile on our faces with fond memories, may they also remind you of the important calling the Lord gave to Peter and each of us. He has called us to cast the net of the Gospel. And as you cast the net of the Gospel, rejoice at Jesus’ promise that His Word will not return to Him void and He will grant the increase in His own time and His own way. Our calling is simply to “Let down your nets.” Thanks be to Jesus who has called us to be fishers of men! Amen.

—Pastor Nathan Pfeiffer

Berea Ev. Lutheran Church
Inver Grove Heights, MN

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