With the Word Against Yourself
Luke 5:1-11 & 1 Cor 1:18-25
July 12, 2020 anno Domini – Redeemer
The Word of Jesus was folly to Simon Peter. “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” This Jesus guy knew nothing about fishing. You fished at night. It was now the middle the day. You fished in the shallows with nets. He wanted them to go deep. They had caught nothing and they wanted to go home, shower, and get some sleep before their next shift.
Know this and know this well. The Word of Jesus is folly to you. You’re more like Simon than you realize. You have your life figured out and you know what works and what doesn’t work. So when Jesus says, “Give to the poor,” you regard that as silliness. They’ll just take advantage of it. “Love your enemies.” Sure, and be a doormat for them. Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesars.” Caesar was a tyrant who murdered Jews and Christians. God would not have you put any of your hope or faith in a man, a party, or nation. Pray for them, be a faithful citizen, serve as you are able and as you are required to do, but in the end the only Kingdom that matters is the reign and rule of Christ. If we believed that, Fox News and CNN would be out of business because they both preaching that our hope and life depends on the next president. It doesn’t. That’s the wisdom of God and it’s folly to sinners.
Learn from Simon to take Jesus at His Word. Even if you don’t feel it, even when you think it is stupid, even when you’re certain it won’t work, take Jesus at His Word and go against yourself. Simon knew they wouldn’t catch any fish. This was a waste of time. The nets were already untangled and clean. The weeds and zebra mussels were pulled out so that DNR and the lake association would be happy.
“Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Good for Simon Peter. He went against all the wisdom in the world. He fished in the middle of the day. There was probably even a wind from the east when the fish bite the least. They enclosed such a large number of fish that their nets were breaking. Both boats were so full of fish they began to sink.
This is all Simon ever wanted – an overflowing net-busting boatload of fish. He could pay off the debt on his new Ranger boat, think about renting a cabin up north, and a little with the family. Simon should have said, “Thanks be to God, my ship (or net) has finally come in.” No. Simon realizes this has nothing to do with Simon’s wisdom. He has taken Jesus at His Word and it almost kills him. His wisdom comes to nothing as he realizes the only true God is standing before him in the flesh of Jesus. “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
The wisdom of God is to death to you, a hammer blow to your self-esteem and abilities. The wisdom of God is the foolishness that He must kill you to make you alive. To live in Christ is to die to self. The wisdom of God is to confess that your life is not about you, your hope is not in you, and God owes you nothing. You don’t deserve equality, riches, justice, fairness, health, a quiet and peaceable life, or your party or president in power. When Simon realizes this he comes to the correct conclusion that no sinner should want to stand in God’s presence. “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Simon wants Jesus to go away. “Depart from me.” but Jesus wants Simon to draw near. “Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching men.” This is God’s foolishness. Jesus kills Peter to make him alive. God the Father does what no god of this wise world ever does. He sent His Son. He forgives you. He sends His Son not to condemn you, but to save you. He loved you by offering His Son’s body and His blood as the payment for you sin.
Peter would stand in the presence of God for the next three years. He would see Jesus arrested. He may have seen Him crucified. He saw the empty tomb and then the risen Lord. Simon Peter was forgiven for denying his Lord. Jesus called this fisherman to witness His death and resurrection and to be one of His apostles – one of His sent ones, sent with water, the Word, bread and wine and to preach the folly of Christ and Him crucified for the forgiveness of your sins.
What does the world need right now? What do you want right now? We want an end to the pandemic. We need for our politicians and news agencies to tell the truth. We want the right president in the next election. We need lower taxes and greater freedom. We need less poverty and more justice and greater equality. No, one thing’s needful – faith in Jesus.
Your sins are forgiven. That’s what you need. I know it sounds silly, foolish, and even crazy. You need a vaccine. You need to feel safe. You need people to listen to reason. Hear Jesus, “Do not be afraid.” You’re forgiven. No amount of freedom will equal the freedom from sin that you have now by faith and will have with your whole body in the resurrection. You’re forgiven. No length of life will compare to the eternal life that comes with forgiveness. You’re forgiven. There’s nothing greater you can do for another person than to forgive as you have been forgiven and to love as you have been loved.
I heard a pastor say this past week, “Simon’s faith is the best faith we can hope for on earth.” Simon did not like Jesus’ word. He did not believe it would work. Every piece of fishing wisdom he had said, “Don’t go fishing.” Against himself he cast out his nets. What we believe, teach, and confess is considered nonsense by the world. Marriage is one man and one woman. There are only two genders – male and female. Abortion is murder. There is only one true God. Hell is real. Sin is your fault. Governments can’t make people free. Hospitals have a 100% failure rate (everyone eventually dies). Behind every foolish belief is the wisdom of what God has given us to preach, teach, and confess – Christ and Him crucified for sinners like you and me. The world is surely laughing at us Lutherans and saying, “That won’t work. You guys are nuts.” So today we learn from Simon. Let’s go with God’s Word against our hearts, our wisdom, and our common sense. Let’s just keep throwing Jesus out there with His Word especially to our children, and grandchildren, our neighbors and friends. You never know who might be caught taking God at His Word in the name of Jesus. Amen.