Readings
Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13]
Psalm 138
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
I grew up with a dad who liked to fish. For many years he and I would share this pastime and I have many fond memories of sitting in a boat or on a dock whiling away the hours with him. Fishing with my dad was less about catching fish and more about savoring the pleasures of being outdoors and enjoying time with one another. My mom would always pack us a lunch that we could share and we would talk about anything and everything. In many respects, it was one my best memories with my dad. On occasion, however, we would catch something. And when we did, we would always take the fish home with us, clean them, cook them, and eat them. From my dad’s perspective this was the way we honored the life of the fish and gave thanks for the joy it brought us in the process of capturing it.
Today’s Gospel is overwhelmingly a fishing story. But unlike my dad and I, Peter, James, and John are commercial fisherman. They catch fish by net and look to catch many at one time. By doing so they not only provide themselves with food, but they also provide themselves with a source of income by selling off the fish they do not eat.
Our story starts with Jesus borrowing a boat from these fishermen in order to get away from the pressing in of the crowd who have come to hear him teach. Once Jesus is done teaching he tells Simon, who we know as Peter, to put out into deep water and to let down his nets. You can almost hear the disappointment and frustration in Peter’s voice when he protests that they’ve been trying all night and have caught nothing. Nonetheless they do as he says. And much to their surprise, when they start raise the net it is so full of fish that they can’t haul it in without potentially breaking it. In fact, they end up asking James and John to come and help and we’re told that there were so many fish that both boats were full to the point of possibly sinking from the weight.
Peter, being a commercial fisherman, knows that this just doesn’t happen. He recognizes that what has just occurred is a miracle and he is overwhelmed. First he is overwhelmed by the immensity of the catch, but more over he’s overwhelmed by the wealth that it has produced for him and his partners. To catch so many fish would be to rise above the subsistence level that they likely functioned at. With so many fish to sell they would be looking at the chance to generate income they could not have imagined before.
Peter’s response to all of this is to fall to his knees and say to Jesus, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” We can imagine his overwhelm at what has just happened and almost feel his sense of unworthiness for the unexpected boon. Does Jesus commend him for his faith? Does he say “you’re welcome” and move on? No Jesus replies to Peter in the most interesting of ways. He says, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” And at that Peter, James, and John leave everything behind and follow Jesus.
Now I have to admit that this story leaves me scratching my head. Jesus telling them that from now on they will be catching people, or to use the more traditional phrase that they will be “fishers of men,” does not make a lot of sense to me. I know that this passage is traditionally thought of being about evangelism, but bear with me for a moment.
In my own experience of fishing, fishing is a sport and struggle between the fisherman and the fish. And in the end, if I am successful in my angling ability it is a source of sustenance. Even if I do catch and release, it is nonetheless a competition between my ability and the fish’s natural cunning. And if we go to the kind of commercial fishing that Peter, James, and John did, fishing is all about survival and commercial enterprise. It is about netting as many fish as you can for the purpose of eating and/or selling them.
Now when Jesus says that these men who will soon after become his followers will be catching people the image that comes to mind is not necessarily the most pleasant. Are we to believe that from that point forward the disciples will pit their ability against the cunning of others in order to ensnare them? Or, even more disturbing, will they be gathering up large numbers of people in order to use them in some way?
If we stop and think about it, as a metaphor it does not read well to modern ears. But this should not be so surprising. The meaning of words and images change over time. To use an example I have used in the past, think only of the word “awful” and we will see what I mean. Today if we say something is “awful” what we are communicating is that it is terrible. But, believe it or not we need only go back a dozen generations and we would be surprised to find that the word had a very different meaning. Back then if something was “awful,” it was an experience or object that filled someone with awe. It literally meant “full of awe.” Today, if we wanted to communicate something like that we might use the word “awesome” instead.
The whole point I am trying to make is that we would do well to be careful to recognize that sometimes the meaning of a metaphor such as the one we have today may be lost to us. While it was obvious to those who first heard it, it may not be so clear to us today. We can’t be sure that Jesus is calling his disciples to evangelism. It seems however that whatever he meant, the miracle that happened and his words to them afterwards were enough for these three men to leave everything behind and follow him.
So then what do we do with this text? How do we find some sense of meaning from it?
Well let’s, for the sake of argument, suspend our disbelief and embrace the traditional interpretation that this is about evangelism. Let’s think about “catching people” as being about bringing others into the community of faith. If we do, then there are some things we can say about our task.
This text makes it clear that Peter, James, and John’s ability to catch the fish they did was not based upon their expert knowledge or their presumable years of experience. Second, when they did catch the fish they were unprepared for the event. And, finally, in the wake of the event they were overwhelmed to the point of being afraid. In short, this is a story more about Jesus than it is about the fishermen. It is Jesus who calls them to go, it is Jesus who affects the miracle, and it is Jesus who ultimately gives them a way of interpreting what happened and moving on. The only real part of the story that is about the fisherman is the fact that, in the wake of all of that, they choose to follow Jesus.
Evangelism, from a Christian perspective, is no different. Unlike many of the poor examples we have from the larger culture, the point of evangelism is to share the good news of God in Jesus Christ. Evangelism isn’t so much about the proclaimer as it is about the proclamation and the one to which it points. How often have we seen, whether in the proverbial street corner preacher or the televangelist, that the message becomes muddied and shifts from the proclamation to the one proclaiming it.
Most of us are rightly offended by such examples of evangelism. In many cases when such an approach occurs the message of Jesus is lost and much of what the evangelist proclaims is the theology of later generations rather than the good news of Jesus and what he did. It is often a message of fear and intimidation. It is often a message that indirectly invalidates the way the hearer is thinking and insists on the sole rightness of the one making the proclamation. In many cases it is truly a way of behaving that stands in stark contrast to the steadfast love and faithfulness of Jesus and his acceptance of those he encountered.
Even so, the idea of sharing our faith with someone else is a terrifying prospect for most of us. We see faith as a deeply personal matter and many of us are loathe to impose our faith on another person. And even if we are willing to consider that there is a message to be shared, many of us feel woefully inadequate to the task.
But this shouldn’t be a reason to shrink back from being an evangelist. We need to remember what the word “Evangelism” means “good news.” When we are asked to be an evangelist we are being called to share good news. Now that’s not so hard, is it? We have no difficulty sharing good news about our lives. How easy do we find it to share photos of our latest vacation or stories about members of our families? How easy is it to share a heartwarming story related to something we have seen or heard about?
No friends, when we’re called to be evangelists we’re not being called to impose our personal theology on someone else. Nor are we being called to insist that our image of God is the only or right one. Moreover, we’re not being called to convert anyone to any particular way of thinking. What we are being called to do is share our good news.
What good news do you have in regard to your relationship with God? And if that is too daunting a question, then what good news do you have in relation to this community of faith here at Christ Church?
We, as Episcopalians, often do our evangelizing about Jesus in the context of our worship. We read scripture, we hear sermons, and we celebrate the sacraments. All of these exist in order to draw us more fully into the love of God and to experience the good news of God in Christ. But in order for that evangelism to impact others we need to get them through the door.
How might we share the good news of Christ Church? How might we share how our lives have been improved by the relationships we have found in this community of faith? How might we share the good news of how the lives of the poor and the dispossessed are being improved through our outreach ministries? How might we communicate the good news of our commitments to social justice and inclusion? In short, how might we stop being the best kept secret in town?
Our call to evangelism is to bring into our community those who are hungry for good news – to invite into our midst those who are in need of fellowship – to embrace those who experience themselves as untouchable – and to make safe a place for those who are asking hard questions.
We will not do this on our abilities alone, nor will we always recognize when the time is ripe. But may we, through the mind of Christ, share our good news and welcome all who come. May we be surprised by the effectiveness of such a strategy. Even as we may be overwhelmed by the task at hand, may we find the blessing of others. And may we bring into our fellowship many people just as the nets of Peter, James, and John hauled in many fish.