Have you ever gone fishing and caught more fish than you could carry home?
Well, to hear some fishermen tell their story, they did. Or, maybe they spread the news about the biggest fish they ever saw — which of course got away. 🙂
Now, to tell the truth, I’ve never been a fisherman.
Yes, I went fishing many Saturday mornings when I was young.
But, I don’t remember ever catching anything. We still had a great time “fishing” but our livelihood didn’t depend upon catching fish.
So, you can imagine how the disciples felt when they worked all day and came up empty.
Then, Jesus got involved!
The Bible lesson today is from the Book of Luke and shows how Jesus cares for common people’s lives and issues.
Jesus Helps the Disciples Catch Fish in Luke
“Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.
And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little distance from the land.
And He sat down and continued teaching the crowds from the boat.
Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
Simon responded and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”
And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.
And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking.
But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and likewise also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people.”
When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” ~ Luke 5:1-11 (NASB)
Peter’s Reaction to the Big Catch
“If you can …walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch;” ~ Rudyard Kipling
When Jesus performed the miracle of the catch, Peter could only think of how inadequate he was to Jesus.
He simply could not believe that the great healer and worker of miracles would stoop to such a meager task as helping to catch fish.
What about us?
We sometimes come to the same conclusion about God.
After all, how could the Lord of Lords, the Host of Hosts, the Creator of the Universe, the omnipotent, all-powerful God be interested in our little daily problems?
Well, the good new is – He Does!
God Cares – Just as We Care about Our Children
God cares about every single part of our lives.
So, if we only ask Him and trust in Him, God will work in all situations we face.
Does this mean we will get everything we want; our way?
No, because we do not always know God’s will.
Woody Allen, of all people, once said:
“If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”
Well, I don’t believe the Lord laughs at us but, there is one thing I do know…
When troubles or challenges occur, we can ask God for guidance – He cares!
Love in Christ
– Bob
If you have never made the commitment to receive the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to Read John 3:16 to learn how.