Jesus had been preaching in the synagogues around Galilee and stood on the shore at Genessaret where He saw boats moored beside the lake. I once thought that those ships were not much larger than small rowing boats with a sail in the middle, but this might not be true. The Greek describes small boats as Ploiarion, but the word used in the gospel account is Ploion that is the same word used in Acts 27 to define the ship that conveyed Paul to Rome. They may not be small boats at all, but relatively larger vessels that may be capable of ocean travel. Both kinds of craft are mentioned in John 21, when the disciples had been fishing unsuccessfully all night and had an encounter with Jesus.  We shall see more of this later.

It seems that Peter was no small time fisherman after all, but had a shipping business with partners and had more than one boat. Perhaps the larger kind was the actual fishing vessel and the smaller was a utility dinghy or tender.

Peter and his partners had been fishing all night without success and, tired, wet and cold, were about to go home for a meal, a bath and rest, when Jesus got into Peter’s empty boat and sat down. It almost seems as if He did that without asking, but I now doubt that.  Peter was washing nets and a crowd of people may have gathered around for curiosity and the chance of buying fresh fish at a cheap market price.

Many people think that this was the first time Peter met Jesus but that is not so when we investigate more. Luke’s account in chapter four states that Jesus commenced His ministry after being baptized by John and receiving the Holy Spirit.
He spent forty days in the wilderness, defeated the devil’s temptations and returned in the power of the Spirit to Nazareth and preached His inaugural sermon based on the anointing of the Holy Spirit! That too should be how we preach.

He then went to Capernaum, teaching on the Sabbath Days (plural) implying that He was there for at least one week or more especially on certain occasions during one of the Hebrew Feasts, there was more than one Sabbath. His teaching astonished everyone. People would have talked, especially when He cast an evil spirit out of a man when they were in the synagogue, amazing those who witnessed it. They acknowledged the authority and power He exercised. Luke said that the report about Him went into every place in the surrounding region.

If every place means just that—every place, surely Peter would have heard of Him in some way.

He was a Jew, so may have gone to the Synagogue at least once whilst Jesus was there, even if only out of curiosity alone, but I am sure he went to worship. I say that, because he was so steeped in the Jewish religion that Jesus had to deal with his attitude later.

The conversion of Cornelius and those in his home in Acts chapter ten is an example.
It therefore stands to reason that Peter would have already known of Jesus beforehend.
He may have listened at least once to His preaching.

Luke said that Jesus left the Synagogue and went to Peter’s home and it makes me wonder if Peter invited Him to stay?
Peter’s mother-in-law was sick and Jesus rebuked the fever that immediately left her and she arose to minister to them.

This is a more important function than we often think. She was functioning in the areas of ministries of helps, which are important.

The Greek words used are Diakoneō, Diakonos and Diakonia, from which we derive the word Deacon.

Deacons in the church are those who help and serve—not rule.  Paul explained in1 Timothy 3 that the office of a deacon was like that of an attendant, a host, a friend or a waiter. A good example is found in Acts 6, where a practical need arose leading to the choice of suitably qualified men to look after the daily needs and requirements of the people in the church. This freed the pastors to focus on their ministry. They appointed seven men, one of whom was Stephen and another was Philip who became an evangelist.

Deacons’ tasks are practical. Their hands-on work may include teaching and pastoral ministry, but ruling and governing in the literal sense as often happens today does not really seem to apply, when in many modern churches, boards of deacons dictate terms. They choose the pastor and tell him what to do, but I thought that God chose, anointed and appointed leaders!

Under certain situations, that may be acceptable but I seriously doubt if this really is the New Testament Church pattern.

The ideal is when God gives a legitimate vision to a man, others catch the vision, want to be part of it and help.

Habakkuk 2:1-2 is an example. Boards of advisors can give balance and stability and assistance, advise and counsel, but controlling a pastor by a deacon or board of deacons in my opinion is not scriptural. Having said that, the pastor should however never become a dictator, or what is often dubbed a one man band!

Luke said that as the sun was setting, sick people were brought to Jesus whilst He was in Peter’s house and He healed everyone. No one missed out. Do not allow religious teaching say that not everyone receives healing. If you look at His ministry, no one left disappointed. Jesus has not changed and His word has not changed, therefore if we really believe Him, everyone is capable of  being touched by the Master. Perhaps Peter was one of those who was healed. Jesus probably stayed at least that night in Peter’s home before going into the desert where people found Him and asked Him to minister to them. They did not want Him to leave, but He told them that He had to go to other cities because He had to complete His assignment.

Peter must have left his home to go fishing in the night time whilst Jesus was probably sleeping. He said that they had fished all night without success and the following morning, Jesus went to the lake where Peter and his partners were washing nets, which was their last task before going to their homes.

If they had never met before, Peter may have sworn or rudely told Jesus to get out of his boat, but he did not. After all, he was a rather volatile man who was not yet born again. Something about this man in Peter’s boat was different.

His stride was confident; his carriage erect. His voice sounded soft and gentle, but had a ring of authority about it that seemed to grab your attention. As he looked into Jesus’ eyes, there was something about them that seemed to bore right through him.

The whole feeling was pleasantly strange. On one hand it was relaxing and soothing, yet on the other, he was feeling disturbed and uncomfortable. Almost without realizing it, they pushed out from shore and threw out the anchor. “This is crazy”, he thought and then Jesus started speaking. The people came close to the waters edge and hung on every word He said and what words they were! He spoke gently and authoritatively at the same time. There was a ring of confidence in His words that had a depth of knowledge—profound truth that was calming, yet challenging, intense, but simple to understand. He taught things about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven as if He knew all about it all. The priests did not talk like that.  The Scribes and Pharisees did not speak like that. Do we speak like that? We can and we should.

Jesus sat in the boat and taught the people. Teaching is an important part of His ministry and should be part of our ministries. I like teaching. I like poring over scriptures, turning to the original languages and researching the meanings of words and the manners and customs of the times. I really enjoy using my imagination and picture the scene the scene whilst asking the Lord many questions as to how He did things, why, to whom, or under what circumstances.
He has given some wonderful truths like this and as a minister of the Gospel, I am accountable for what I share with others. I often tell people to check things out and not take a thing for granted. Be like the people in Acts 17:11 and check the veracity of things.

He was sitting down to teach and this gives me the impression that He was totally relaxed and composed, ministering without pressure and with no need to perform. We often think otherwise. He does not labour and toil. His yoke is easy and His burden is light and even in the pressures of ministry, we can have His peace and relax or rest in God even whilst we are working.

We often think that we must labour for the Lord, almost as if the more we do the better we are, but that is not so.

A degree of work is involved of course, but His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Our hard labour is to enter into His Rest (see Hebrews 4:11). Although the word used relates more to diligent study, there is an effort required on our part and this is where our labouring comes in. Paul told Timothy to study which requires effort for a purpose-
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15.

If we can rightly dissect the word, we can unrightly or err in it. This is like making one quick, sharp, precise, accurate incision, rather than hacking at it. The Greek word is Orthomeo from which the word orthopaedic (a doctor) is derived. It means to analyze and interpret correctly and to do this, we need to tap into the resources of the best teacher anyone could have, namely the Holy Spirit as Jesus said in John chapters 14 to 17.

We make things difficult for ourselves when we deny His work in our lives and when we do that, it becomes purely intellectual and mere religion. I prefer to function as a joint labourer with God as we see in 1 Corinthians 3:9. The word of God does what God designed it to do and although the vehicle by which we carry it might change, the message does not. We should be able to thoroughly enjoy it when we preach and allow the Holy Spirit to do what is necessary to achieve God’s desires. “Getting a sermon” should be easy, if we receive inspiration from Him and what we then share is truth and is anointed, thus achieving the results He desires.

Jesus taught. He often spoke about the Kingdom of God which is the way God does things and other things, some of which were about genuine faith and the laws of sowing and reaping and the like. He knew that they would catch so many fish, it would be overwhelming, because in a sense, Peter had “sowed” into His ministry—by doing as He requested.

After Jesus had finished speaking to the crowds, He turned to Peter and told him to launch out into the deep.
That was no request, but a command! He did not tell Peter to try it, but to do it. He had a specific objective in mind—it was to catch a draught of fish.

The Lord never minces words. He means what He says and says what He means. As far as He was concerned, those fish had already been caught.

He also told Peter to go to a specific place. This is important, because we can be attempting things for God that He never asked us to do and fail, or we can be doing the right thing, but at the wrong time or in the wrong place. The results can then be uncertain and we can become discouraged. My counsel is to do nothing until God speaks clearly, but when He does, act on it—just do it. He will not ask you to do something that you cannot do, even if the task seems impossible, because God gives us the ability. He told Moses to build the Tabernacle in the wilderness and that required abilities and talents long forgotten over 430 years of slavery. All they knew to do was make mud bricks, but God wanted craftsmanship that required artistic talents beyond their natural abilities. He anointed Bezaleel  and Aholiab by the Holy Spirit to do the job!
If He tells us to do it, then do it!

Well, they were expert fishermen who knew how to read the tides and the phases of the moon and when the fish were normally there to be caught and told him so. “Look”, Peter said, “We have been at it all night and there’s just nothing there. I’m the fisherman. That’s what I know. You’re a preacher so you stick to your preaching and let me stick to my fishing.” This is the kind of attitude many people have today, even professing Christians. Jesus just smiled at him, saying, “Just do it” and they let down the net but Jesus told them nets! When Jesus met them they had been washing nets (the word their does not appear in the original).

Washing nets was the last thing to do before going home. Washing nets prepares them for the next day of fishing. The nets are inspected and repaired if necessary and then folded and stored ready for another fishing trip. They were prepared and this should be a lesson to us. We should be prepared for anything and this should be regarded as if it were a command:
I give you a command in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, the One who will judge the living and the dead, and by his coming and his kingdom: Preach the Good News. Be ready at all times, and tell people what they need to do. Tell them when they are wrong. Encourage them with great patience and careful teaching, because the time will come when people will not listen to the true teaching but will find many more teachers who please them by saying the things they want to hear.
They will stop listening to the truth and will begin to follow false stories. But you should control yourself at all times, accept troubles, do the work of telling the Good News, and complete all the duties of a servant of God. 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Sometimes in life, we may have finished a task and engaged in other things (often legitimate) when God intervenes and upsets our equilibrium by asking us to break the mould, or to do something totally different or something that defies human logic.  We need to be prepared for the next thing God asks us.  It is not wise to rest on our laurels. Many preachers fall into that trap. They might have started well, but developed well-worn techniques and became creatures of habit, doing the same things they once did and are in essence living in the past.

It is not good to remain in the past, because our past never has a future.

Denominations and many large ministries are built on what God did once, but God moves and as He moves, we need to move with Him in the same manner that the Israelites had to move when the cloud of glory moved on.  If we do not, we risk falling into a (religious) rut and a rut is merely a grave without ends. A classic example is the time when Israel was wandering in the wilderness. The day arrived when they walked around the corner and ran into a den of poisonous snakes. People started to die of snakebite and Moses called on God for help.  God told him to make a brass serpent and erect it on a pole, instructing the people if they were bitten to stand beneath that pole and gaze upon it.
It worked! That was the tool God used then for that job—then! God moved on and the people moved with Him—and left those snakes behind! The only problem was that they took that brass snake with them and 400 years later were worshiping it!
Hezekiah ground that thing to dust calling it a Nehushtan. God’s people started to worship something that God once used as a tool but was no longer using. Many denominations are now worshiping or continuing to do what God did once but is no longer doing, or used something once as a mere tool, but is no longer using it.

Do what the prophet did and burn the thing! See 2 Kings 18:1-8 and Numbers 21:4-9.

They are afraid to try something different or break the mould. They are afraid of excess, or losing control.

Sometimes we have to stand aside and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way. Trust Him! Please cast aside any prejudices you might have and see if what I say is correct.

Folding nets is important as it permits them to be cast out easily without tangling and Jesus was asking them to undo their efforts. Please notice also that Jesus said nets. This meant that He intended them to use more than one. Simple maths tells me that one net cannot catch as many as several, so Jesus intended beforehand to reward them with a net-breaking, boat swamping haul. This reminds me of another time Peter went fishing. In Matthew 17, certain people asked Peter why Jesus did not pay tribute money. When he spoke with Jesus about it, the Lord told him to go fishing, saying that the First fish he caught would have the coin in its mouth, implying that there was more than one fish. It makes me wonder if every fish had a coin in its mouth.

God is not a God of merely making do, or a God of just enough, but a God of the overflow who provides exceeding abundantly more than we can imagine (see Ephesians 3:20).

When Jesus had been speaking, He had been talking to the crowds and Peter obviously would have heard him.  Apparently, the geographical location has excellent natural acoustics and His words would have easily carried to everyone who was present, but Jesus then turned to Peter and told him to let down his nets.  Jesus made it personal. He spoke directly to one individual.

He often singles one person out of a crowd, although He loves everyone, talks to everyone and wants everyone to come into blessing, relationship and more, there are often times when one single individual seems to stand out in the crowd—and you could be that one.

Jesus told Peter to let down his nets, not any old net—but the nets that were prepared for the next fishing trip! If we do not prepare to receive we my never receive. Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed.

You have something that is uniquely yours and it could be precisely what He wants! You may not think that you as an individual are important or have anything special to offer, but God knows it and wants That—not any old thing!

His intention was very clear and it was not a simple matter of trying one more time, but doing it and to put some more effort into it without quitting because there was a haul of fish waiting out there.  All you need to do is follow instructions.

Peter’s reply is true to life. Some people can labor in life to the point of becoming so tired and weary that they become faint from exhaustion and to want to give up.  Peter was like that. He had heard Jesus preach before. He had been there when Jesus healed his mother in law and he had just heard Jesus teach the people, but he was tired and frustrated.

Jesus fully intended to bless Peter, but in order to do that, He had to break through an attitude of his heart.

Perhaps out of his frustration and disappointment, or perhaps Peter had become so tired, he was merely living in survival mode, he immediately replied, “We have toiled all night and caught nothing, but it seems that Jesus had spoken only to Peter, for no other mention was made about other people. Peter revealed what was in his heart by giving that answer and he didn’t even give the others time to speak.  It seems that his nature was to blurt something out before thinking things through, which was revealed later in the Gospels until Jesus changed him.

The word toiled comes from the Greek word Kopiao that means, to labor, to feel fatigue, or be wearied.
If you have ever labored so hard for something to the point of exhaustion, Peter’s comment makes sense. It is easy to become weary from putting much effort into things and not immediately see the benefit of your labor.

Imagine how Noah would have felt. After all those years, building that boat whilst preaching righteousness about something unheard of before and not having one conversion would discourage anyone. Modern day preachers would dub him a failure, but He remained faithful to the task God gave him and never deviated from that one single task.

We can become tired and weary from what we consider to be a lack of results and become so discouraged that we would like to abandon our boats. They represent our perceived source of income, or the thing that carries us across the seas of life. They could represent anything that wearies us, which is why we need to allow the burden bearer to do what He promised. If we embark on a project that He did not ask us to do, He is not obliged to assist, but when we obey His specific instructions, all the resources and assistance we need are there. It would be wise to stop and check if God really asked that task to be done and avoid much trauma.

When Jesus arrived, Peter and his partners had already left their boats and were at a point of exhaustion.  They worked, worked, worked, until they became weary and discouraged because of the lack of expected results.

Many people are like that.  They may have started on some project with much zeal and enthusiasm, but became discouraged from the perceived lack of fruit or results in our time-frame. God’s timetable is vastly different to ours and usually takes a much longer time. Remember, that the best is often left until last!

The secret to success is to recognize who and where we are and allow Jesus to get into our boat.  When Jesus steps into our boat and we permit Him to apply the Word of God to our lives, things can take a dramatic change from lack to abundance—from despair to hope and from sickness to health. When the storms of life assail us and we stay in the boat, all we see are other disciples, but when we get out of the boat as Peter once did we too can walk on water—but keep your eyes on the Lord.

Jesus told him to launch out into the deep.

We correctly think of going away from the shore and out into deeper water but this means much more than that. One of the meanings of that word is return.

Peter had failed. When we fail in something it is easy to give up. Sometimes this is necessary as we could be trying the wrong thing. If we have attempted something and it did not work, we should ask God if we should be doing it. If it is OK, then we may be doing it the wrong way, or trying it at the wrong time.

When we make the effort that He authorizes, don’t quit!

If we do, then get back onto course again. Return to what He asked you to do. Launch out into the deep!

Jesus’ command was like saying, “Get back on course. Return to your task”, coming from the Greek word Epanagō It means to launch out to lead, to thrust out and to return.

This is of particular interest to those who have tried and tried to do something unsuccessfully and have grown weary. Do not quit! Get back to the task at hand. Cast out again! The master fisherman knows where the fish are and He will tell you where and when to catch your haul.

Working in partnerships and unity can produce much greater results than trying to do things alone, but remember that unity is not the same as unison. We can and do differ in many ways at times which is OK and is wonderful, but when we get alongside each other for the common good, we get better results.

I believe that the only way to obtain the same results as Simon Peter and His partners obtained that day is to call upon partners to help pull in the net that has been cast.

Jesus had told him to let down his nets, but Peter said that he would let down the net  (singular)! Peter Said, “I will let down the net”, but we see that They let down the net. Who are They? Jesus had been speaking to Peter, but when Peter answered, They let down the net. They enclosed a great multitude of fishes and Their net started to break.  They called for the assistance of their partners who were in the other ship. They came to help them and Both ships were filled so much that they started to sink. Why can’t churches work like that?

Jesus had called one man and they were in only one boat that belonged to that man, but suddenly others were involved, making me wonder if Peter told his partners what Jesus said, or if they had overheard Jesus and decided to join in. It opens up a whole range of possibilities, but one thing that is glaringly obvious to me is that the work of the Lord requires people working together as a team to get the job done.

The benefits are enormous. Firstly, a joint effort can bring bigger or better results. Teamwork lightens the load on the individual. There is protection with numbers. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 states-
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their work. And if one has a fall, the other will give him a hand; but unhappy is the man who is by himself, because he has no helper.

So again, if two are sleeping together they are warm, but how may one be warm by himself? And two attacked by one would be safe, and three cords twisted together are not quickly broken.
See also Proverbs 11:14, 15:22 and 24:6.

I used my speedboat for water sports and fishing. It was mine! I owned it! I drove it and enjoyed it, catching many a fish from it, but I never used it alone for several reasons, one being the safety factor and the other was practical—I could not drive my car, launch and retrieve the boat by myself.  I needed someone else to help me.

 
The pictures here shw me in my PFD (Sea Rescue jacket ) and on board one of teh rescue boats. When we are called out in all kinds of weather to conduct search and rescue events as directed by the water police, we follow strict protocols. Training is extremely important and demands discipline. One qualified skipper is assigned on each boat and he is in charge, even though we are all licensed and experienced operators. One man mans the radio and assists the skipper in watching the instruments like radar, depth sounders, infrared cameras and more. Other crew members perform tasks—as allocated by the skipper. They do nothing else, but can fit into any role if necessary.

We do not make up our own rules as we go along but follow procedures. When for example I am a crew member looking for someone in the water and see that person, I must issue a special message three times and, keeping my eye on that person at all times and point towards that person so the skipper knows and I never take my eyes off that person.

The lesson to us is to stay focused on our objective—as directed by the Lord.

Sometimes we are searching for a corpse! Sometimes we have assisted air force, navy and the coast watch in catching smugglers.

We follow precise protocols in communication at all times, especially on the radio, using international standards so that there can be no confusion. A “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” message is universal, but the church does not function like this, often using “Christianese” languages that unchurched people do not understand and often dislike.

If we do this in the natural realm, how much more should we become trained as disciples, in the business of helping save peoples’ lives for eternity?

Discipleship is vital yet largely overlooked in most churches, but Jesus told us to make disciples.

Everyone in sea rescue is involved and in Peter’s story, other people got involved somehow and that is a wonderful thing because although Jesus had only called one man, many other people were blessed.

Oh, how I wish more pastors would see this and train their people to do the work of the ministry and allow the Lord to do His thing.

They suddenly discovered that their net was full and started to pull it in, but the net started to break with the weight. “Hey, come over here and help us” they called out to their partners in the other boat.  They came over and by combining their efforts, they managed to bring in the haul.

It was as if all the fish came from miles around and just begged to get caught, saying, “Take me, take me”. They were in danger of now getting swamped and as Simon looked up, his eyes caught the intent gaze of the Lord.

It was as if He was looking right through him, as if he knew his innermost thoughts. He did!

Peter suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Somehow, he felt unclean and dirty in a way he’d not felt before. That was just too much.  He couldn’t handle that any more and almost begged, “Please leave me alone”.

I’ve had such an experience and it is awesome! We can have a divine encounter and suddenly realize our frail humanity, but I am so glad that He is gracious and kind and very patient with us.

When they reached the shore, Jesus started to walk away and, momentarily pausing, turned back towards them and said, “Follow me”.

That is all He said. That is all we need.

What was it about this fellow? They had the best catch of all in their lives and He was asking them to follow him? It did not seem logical. They had their boats to pull up onto the beach. Their nets needed washing and folding again. They had all those fish to clean and take to the market and the crowd of people were watching all this, some even waiting to buy a fish and pay cash on the spot.  You can’t turn down an opportunity like that. That’s crazy! It was a cash-in-hand deal and you just don’t walk away from an opportunity like that. Their families were waiting at home for their return, so the legitimate pressures and demands of life we all face from time to time were very real.

You and I are not immune from the affairs of life. If a problem arises, that is not the most important issue. What matters is not what happens, but how we respond. What would you or I do in a situation? How do you cope?  What do you do when you seem to have done everything right, and that problem seems to rear up and hit you? It is how you respond that really counts.

It is what you do when things seem to go wrong that makes the mettle of a man.

What to do is to find out what God says about the thing and start saying it too.  Start speaking God’s unfailing word into that thing and then do what it says to do.

Strangely, it seemed as if it was the right thing to do, as if it was—natural. They looked at each other wordlessly and then turned back towards him. In a few paces, they were standing there before him as he said, “I’m going to make you fishers of men”.

God had crossed their paths. He had intervened in their daily routine and changed their whole future and destiny.

This same prophet—this same man, this very same Jesus could cross your path today. His call has not changed. His eyes still see the same things. His ears are still listening for the same sounds. His voice is still the same.

What He said then, He is still saying today. “Follow me. You and I are going fishing”.

Getting His word out requires dedication and commitment. He needs our help to do this just as much as we need His help.

The message never changes but the way we present it can. God’s word works—and it does not need props. The anointing is real and that anointing is the only way to do the work of the Lord correctly and obtain the right results. It too does not need props.

We must never lose sight of the work of the Holy Ghost in the equation and He, who is the Spirit of truth who always points to Jesus, leads us and guides us and reproves the world of sin and righteousness and judgment  will do what Jesus said He would do. Read Jesus’ account in John Chapters fourteen to seventeen.

Oh, yes, the message never changes and it will work for you and me just as it did for the Lord, if we do not filter it in any way.