5th Sunday after Trinity + Luke 5:1-11 + July 1, 2018

Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

In today’s Gospel lesson Christ preaches to a large crowd that pressed in on Jesus because they want to hear the Word of God. Like a fisherman, Jesus casts the net of the Gospel and catches a great haul of souls. He teaches them to repent of their sins, be sorry for them, and strive to leave them behind. He preaches to them the good news that God loves mankind and has sent His Son to come to the aid of sinners. He teaches them that they have no righteousness of their own and that God the Fathers offers them a righteousness apart from works of the law that is offered to all. He has come to forgive the sins of those who are penitent and bring them new life in God’s kingdom. This is how Christ calls men to salvation. He has cast the net of His Word and drew them to Himself. The multitude crowded Him up against the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret. There He climbs into Peter’s boat and tells the tired fisherman to put out a little from the land. Out of room on land, He makes Peter’s boat into a pulpit.

After He finishes preaching the Gospel Jesus then wants to confirm His teaching with a miracle. He wanted to show a glimpse of His divine power to prove that His teaching was divine and should be fervently believed. He tells Peter to launch out into the deep part of the sea and let his nets down for a catch. Peter and his fellow fishermen had been fishing all night and come up empty-handed. Night was the time for fishing. The heat of the day was for cleaning and mending the nets. But Peter believes Jesus. “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.” He had striven with his vocation all night and had nothing to show for it. Jesus had already healed his mother-in-law’s fever and taught him about the kingdom God, so He casts aside all his misgivings about fishing at the wrong time of day. He lets the nets down. At that moment there were so many fish in his net that Peter had to call his associates, James and John the sons of Zebedee. There were so many fish that the next was breaking. What had been famine the night before was suddenly turned to feast. And what had done it was the command of Jesus. On the fifth day of the world God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures” (Genesis 1:20). On that day the Word of God brought those living creatures into Peter’s net to show the multitude, and Peter, that He was the Son of God and should be heard.

As the boat begins to sink with the weight of the fish struggling in the net, Peter realizes who is with him in the boat. This is the One of whom David wrote in Psalm 8, “You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen -- Even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas” (Psalm 8:6-8). Terror strikes Peter’s heart. The Son of God, by whom all things were made, is in his boat. When the prophet Isaiah was confronted with the Lord in a vision, He cried out, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). Isaiah had a vision of the Lord. Peter sees the Lord face to face and there is nowhere to run. He fell down at Jesus’ feet and cried out, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” But Jesus did not come to destroy sinners and judge them. He came to give them life and forgiveness. So Jesus comforts Peter and says, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” As he had caught fish with his fishing net, from now on Peter will catch men with the net of the Gospel, even as Christ had caught the multitudes through His preaching. It is true that he is a sinful man. But Christ is merciful to sinners. He forgives Peter and makes him His disciple and apostle, a fisher of men.

Christ continues to call sinners into His kingdom in a similar way. He sends out men like Peter, James, and John. He makes them His fishermen of men. He gives them the net which is the Word of God. Too many people today want to believe they can improve on the net, or use a different net to get more people into the boat of the Christian church. But any net other than the pure Word of God won’t do it. It may get them in the front doors, but it will not keep them there. What truly catches men for the kingdom of God is the preaching of Jesus, the Law which convicts men of their sins and the Gospel which promises the forgiveness of every sin through faith. The Law brings men to acknowledge of their sinful heart and nature, so that like Peter they are struck to their core and confess themselves not just people who do bad things, but sinful men. The Gospel teaches sinners who are struck by the terror of the Law, to flee away from their own works and civic righteousness, and instead flee to Christ for mercy. His blood, poured out upon the cross, justifies all who believe in Him and believe His promise. Those who flee to Christ in faith have no reason to fear God’s wrath against sin. St. Paul says that being justified by His blood “we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:9).

He catches men in the net of His Word and brings them into the boat, His holy Christian church, where He daily and richly forgives all our sins. In this holy Christian church He calls us to new life as well just as He called Peter to a new life. He does not, however, call everyone, like He did with Peter, to be fishermen of men. Paul says that Christ gave, “some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11). James says, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers” (James 3:1). Not everyone is a minister. But you are Christians with God-given vocations. You are parents and grandparents, husbands and wives, citizens and church members, employees and volunteers. The new life to which He calls you is one in which you serve Him in your day to day life. This doesn’t mean that you make every conversation theological one. Solomon tells you in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” Christ encourages you to do you duty, just as He encourages Peter when He says tells him to let His nets down on the other side. And St. Paul tells the Colossians, “whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:23-24).

It is in each of your vocations, your holy callings form the Lord, that you then can confess Christ as He gives opportunity. Peter writes, “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). Whether it is a parent teaching their children the faith, a coworker or friend inviting another to Divine Service, or a wife praying for her spouse, the Lord gives us many opportunities to confess Him while we joyfully do the work He gives us to do. This new life He calls you to, it is one of joy because your sins are forgiven. When your vocations beome burdensome, recall Peter’s reply of faith to Jesus, “Nevertheless at your word I will let down the net,” for He has promised to bless the life to which He calls you even as He promises to forgive your sins through faith in His promise. Amen.

May the peace of God which far surpasses all human understanding guard your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.