Luke 5:1-11
The Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke Sunday, February 9, 2025
“Let Down Your Nets for a Catch”
There are any number of websites that provide services today where companies hiring can post their job listings and people looking for work can share their resumes. There are other ways that this same process is handled by particular companies, but most jobs are determined in some regard along these lines. The person looking for a job has certain skills, education, abilities, and interests. The person in charge of hiring tries to look for a good fit with what the job has to offer and what it demands. And the best candidate for the job is probably the one whose resume most closely lines up with the job description.
Not today in our Scripture readings, in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, and in our latest Epiphany Moment. Today, we see one of the most important jobs there is, sharing God’s Word, and it is given to people whose resumes look terrible. We’re going to primarily focus on Peter (also called Simon or Simon Peter), whom we heard about in the Gospel from John 5. His example helps us to think about what God calls all of us to do as well.
As we consider the example of Peter, we also find echoes of what happened when Isaiah was called to be a prophet. Same job, different era. The job was to speak God’s Word, to tell people the message that God has given. Isaiah got the assignment as he saw the Lord’s throne room. The Lord was seated on his throne with his robe filling up the temple. And there were seraphim. These angels flew all around with wings also covering their faces and their feet in honor of God and his glory. They sang praises and the whole place shook. And Isaiah was overwhelmed by everything that he saw. He was so taken by the impressive and amazing display of glory that he couldn’t help but feel amazed, unworthy, even worried about what such glory meant for such a lowly sinner.
Thankfully for Isaiah, God had an answer. God had a plan. God forgave. God gave his servant his words and empowered Isaiah to be his prophet. He is the prophet well-known for speaking about the virgin birth of Christ and the gift of a Son, a suffering servant, stricken, smitten, and afflicted.
Centuries later, the promised servant was by the Sea of Galilee, as Luke calls it, the Lake of Gennesaret. He was going to speak his own words and do his own teaching, but the crowds pressed in on him. Simon’s boat was nearby, so Jesus borrowed it as his pulpit. Putting out a little way off the shore allowed Jesus to speak without the people rubbing shoulders with him or blocking each other’s ways. And along with the crowds, Simon once again heard the preaching of Jesus.
Simon’s boat, along with his partners’ boat, were there because the fishermen were done. They had been working hard all night with less than impressive results. It was time to wash their nets and prepare for the next night. It was time to regroup and ready themselves.
But Jesus had another plan. He finished his sermon and was ready to share a powerful object lesson. He told Simon that it was time to launch the boat into deep water and let down the nets once again.
Simon’s response tells us everything we need to know about this order. These fishermen knew the process. They knew that the night was the best time to catch fish on the Sea of Galilee. They knew the places that were best for letting down nets, and those weren’t the deepest parts of the Lake. They knew that they had done their best for a full night of work without any success and that sometimes that happens, and the only thing you can do is wait for the next opportunity. Jesus said, “Don’t worry that it is daylight. Don’t worry about finding shallower waters. Don’t worry about working hard and giving extra effort. Here’s my plan: go out where it is deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Just think about how you would feel receiving such a command. This is not what the science says. This is not the way that experienced experts do it. This is not something that would have the support of politicians or coworkers or neighbors. This is something weird and different. But Jesus says.
That’s what is so remarkable about Simon’s response. He alluded to all the reasons this wouldn’t work, but his conclusion was, “But at your word I will let down the nets.” And then it happened. So many
fish swam into those nets that they were starting to tear. The second boat had to come out to help and support, and only with both boats working together were they even able to drag that spectacular catch of fish to shore. And think about it. This was a miracle tailor-made for Simon the fisherman. With this outcome, Simon found himself in the place of Isaiah. He was staring at the glory of God. No one else could accomplish what had just happened. No other conclusion was possible. This was God himself at the edge of the lake directing Simon and giving him a catch of fish far greater than any he had ever seen before. And it was terrifying. This glimpse of glory did to Simon what the other glimpse of glory had done to Isaiah. It made him keenly aware of his sinfulness. He was undeserving. He was the problem, not the solution. He should have Jesus leave him completely.
Have you ever felt that way? You and I only get these glimpses of glory through eyes of faith. We haven’t walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee listening to Jesus and having him deliver miracles into our experience. Not in person, but by faith. We have seen the power of God. We have witnessed the glory of the Lord. We have seen and heard truths that defy our human understanding. But if we haven’t reached the conclusion of Simon or of Isaiah, that we are sinners so underserving that it is terrifying to even consider, then we haven’t fully grasped something. Either we haven’t really understood the glory of God or we haven’t really understood the depth of our sinfulness.
God had an answer for Simon. He was going to make Simon into a different sort of fisherman. No longer would his labors be focused on tilapia from the Sea of Galilee. He would fish for people. He would capture them not with nets but with the net of the Word of God that calls and gathers and enlightens and sanctifies. He would spread the message of a Savior, Jesus, who forgives sins and heals and empowers. And for the rest of his life, Simon would have this miracle to appreciate whenever the labors felt in vain or the success was not obvious or the fishing seemed poor. He had heard Christ’s preaching and witnessed Christ’s power, and now he was receiving Christ’s promise to make him into a catcher of people.
And consider just how much you have in common with Simon Peter. You have heard Christ’s preaching. You have witnessed Christ’s power. You have received Christ’s promise. He has told all his people that he wants his Word shared, his Gospel message spread. That doesn’t mean that everyone is called to be an apostle or a prophet or a pastor or a teacher. But it does mean that you have a role to play in sharing Jesus with others.
Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross. That’s what his preaching means to you. His power has been on display in every miraculous sign recorded for you in his Word. His power has been demonstrated abundantly in his resurrection from the tomb. So how could we possibly doubt his promises to bless us as we share his message?
And from this very account, we can see some principles that comfort and encourage us. We don’t need to find the right time to reach out to someone. We don’t need to figure out the precise words they need to hear at a given moment. We don’t need to be excellent fishermen, trained missionaries. All we need to do is to listen to the promise of the Savior and take his words to heart. All we need to do is follow his instruction, “Let down your nets for a catch.” Yes, that was a simple, straightforward, literal command from Jesus to Simon Peter. But what the miraculous catch of fish proved is just as true about the figurative fishing, the catching people. We don’t make the difference through our intelligence or expertise or professionalism. God is in control. He blesses the work we do. He causes the results. He gets the credit. We cast out the nets. We preach the Gospel. We share God’s Word.
Our resumes may look nothing like Simon’s or Isaiah’s or anyone else we think about as great missionaries of the church. But in a way, all our resumes are identical. We were born dead in sin. We were born enemies of God. We have sinned to such an extent that it is impossible to imagine our worthiness. But that’s exactly the resume our God is looking for: redeemed sinners to tell others about their Redeemer. Let this be our goal. Let it motivate our words, our actions, our offerings, our prayers. And let’s let down our nets for a catch.
The Text: Luke 5:1–11 (EHV)
5 One time, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 2He saw two boats there along the lakeshore. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3Jesus got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”
5Simon answered him, “Master, we worked hard all through the night and caught nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were about to tear apart. 7They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” 9For Peter and all those with him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Have no fear. From now on you will be catching people.”
11After they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
Luke 5:1-11
The Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke Sunday, February 9, 2025
“Let Down Your Nets for a Catch”
There are any number of websites that provide services today where companies hiring can post their job listings and people looking for work can share their resumes. There are other ways that this same process is handled by particular companies, but most jobs are determined in some regard along these lines. The person looking for a job has certain skills, education, abilities, and interests. The person in charge of hiring tries to look for a good fit with what the job has to offer and what it demands. And the best candidate for the job is probably the one whose resume most closely lines up with the job description.
Not today in our Scripture readings, in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, and in our latest Epiphany Moment. Today, we see one of the most important jobs there is, sharing God’s Word, and it is given to people whose resumes look terrible. We’re going to primarily focus on Peter (also called Simon or Simon Peter), whom we heard about in the Gospel from John 5. His example helps us to think about what God calls all of us to do as well.
As we consider the example of Peter, we also find echoes of what happened when Isaiah was called to be a prophet. Same job, different era. The job was to speak God’s Word, to tell people the message that God has given. Isaiah got the assignment as he saw the Lord’s throne room. The Lord was seated on his throne with his robe filling up the temple. And there were seraphim. These angels flew all around with wings also covering their faces and their feet in honor of God and his glory. They sang praises and the whole place shook. And Isaiah was overwhelmed by everything that he saw. He was so taken by the impressive and amazing display of glory that he couldn’t help but feel amazed, unworthy, even worried about what such glory meant for such a lowly sinner.
Thankfully for Isaiah, God had an answer. God had a plan. God forgave. God gave his servant his words and empowered Isaiah to be his prophet. He is the prophet well-known for speaking about the virgin birth of Christ and the gift of a Son, a suffering servant, stricken, smitten, and afflicted.
Centuries later, the promised servant was by the Sea of Galilee, as Luke calls it, the Lake of Gennesaret. He was going to speak his own words and do his own teaching, but the crowds pressed in on him. Simon’s boat was nearby, so Jesus borrowed it as his pulpit. Putting out a little way off the shore allowed Jesus to speak without the people rubbing shoulders with him or blocking each other’s ways. And along with the crowds, Simon once again heard the preaching of Jesus.
Simon’s boat, along with his partners’ boat, were there because the fishermen were done. They had been working hard all night with less than impressive results. It was time to wash their nets and prepare for the next night. It was time to regroup and ready themselves.
But Jesus had another plan. He finished his sermon and was ready to share a powerful object lesson. He told Simon that it was time to launch the boat into deep water and let down the nets once again.
Simon’s response tells us everything we need to know about this order. These fishermen knew the process. They knew that the night was the best time to catch fish on the Sea of Galilee. They knew the places that were best for letting down nets, and those weren’t the deepest parts of the Lake. They knew that they had done their best for a full night of work without any success and that sometimes that happens, and the only thing you can do is wait for the next opportunity. Jesus said, “Don’t worry that it is daylight. Don’t worry about finding shallower waters. Don’t worry about working hard and giving extra effort. Here’s my plan: go out where it is deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Just think about how you would feel receiving such a command. This is not what the science says. This is not the way that experienced experts do it. This is not something that would have the support of politicians or coworkers or neighbors. This is something weird and different. But Jesus says.
That’s what is so remarkable about Simon’s response. He alluded to all the reasons this wouldn’t work, but his conclusion was, “But at your word I will let down the nets.” And then it happened. So many
fish swam into those nets that they were starting to tear. The second boat had to come out to help and support, and only with both boats working together were they even able to drag that spectacular catch of fish to shore. And think about it. This was a miracle tailor-made for Simon the fisherman. With this outcome, Simon found himself in the place of Isaiah. He was staring at the glory of God. No one else could accomplish what had just happened. No other conclusion was possible. This was God himself at the edge of the lake directing Simon and giving him a catch of fish far greater than any he had ever seen before. And it was terrifying. This glimpse of glory did to Simon what the other glimpse of glory had done to Isaiah. It made him keenly aware of his sinfulness. He was undeserving. He was the problem, not the solution. He should have Jesus leave him completely.
Have you ever felt that way? You and I only get these glimpses of glory through eyes of faith. We haven’t walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee listening to Jesus and having him deliver miracles into our experience. Not in person, but by faith. We have seen the power of God. We have witnessed the glory of the Lord. We have seen and heard truths that defy our human understanding. But if we haven’t reached the conclusion of Simon or of Isaiah, that we are sinners so underserving that it is terrifying to even consider, then we haven’t fully grasped something. Either we haven’t really understood the glory of God or we haven’t really understood the depth of our sinfulness.
God had an answer for Simon. He was going to make Simon into a different sort of fisherman. No longer would his labors be focused on tilapia from the Sea of Galilee. He would fish for people. He would capture them not with nets but with the net of the Word of God that calls and gathers and enlightens and sanctifies. He would spread the message of a Savior, Jesus, who forgives sins and heals and empowers. And for the rest of his life, Simon would have this miracle to appreciate whenever the labors felt in vain or the success was not obvious or the fishing seemed poor. He had heard Christ’s preaching and witnessed Christ’s power, and now he was receiving Christ’s promise to make him into a catcher of people.
And consider just how much you have in common with Simon Peter. You have heard Christ’s preaching. You have witnessed Christ’s power. You have received Christ’s promise. He has told all his people that he wants his Word shared, his Gospel message spread. That doesn’t mean that everyone is called to be an apostle or a prophet or a pastor or a teacher. But it does mean that you have a role to play in sharing Jesus with others.
Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross. That’s what his preaching means to you. His power has been on display in every miraculous sign recorded for you in his Word. His power has been demonstrated abundantly in his resurrection from the tomb. So how could we possibly doubt his promises to bless us as we share his message?
And from this very account, we can see some principles that comfort and encourage us. We don’t need to find the right time to reach out to someone. We don’t need to figure out the precise words they need to hear at a given moment. We don’t need to be excellent fishermen, trained missionaries. All we need to do is to listen to the promise of the Savior and take his words to heart. All we need to do is follow his instruction, “Let down your nets for a catch.” Yes, that was a simple, straightforward, literal command from Jesus to Simon Peter. But what the miraculous catch of fish proved is just as true about the figurative fishing, the catching people. We don’t make the difference through our intelligence or expertise or professionalism. God is in control. He blesses the work we do. He causes the results. He gets the credit. We cast out the nets. We preach the Gospel. We share God’s Word.
Our resumes may look nothing like Simon’s or Isaiah’s or anyone else we think about as great missionaries of the church. But in a way, all our resumes are identical. We were born dead in sin. We were born enemies of God. We have sinned to such an extent that it is impossible to imagine our worthiness. But that’s exactly the resume our God is looking for: redeemed sinners to tell others about their Redeemer. Let this be our goal. Let it motivate our words, our actions, our offerings, our prayers. And let’s let down our nets for a catch.
The Text: Luke 5:1–11 (EHV)
5 One time, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 2He saw two boats there along the lakeshore. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3Jesus got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”
5Simon answered him, “Master, we worked hard all through the night and caught nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were about to tear apart. 7They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” 9For Peter and all those with him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Have no fear. From now on you will be catching people.”
11After they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
Luke 5:1-11
The Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke Sunday, February 9, 2025
“Let Down Your Nets for a Catch”
There are any number of websites that provide services today where companies hiring can post their job listings and people looking for work can share their resumes. There are other ways that this same process is handled by particular companies, but most jobs are determined in some regard along these lines. The person looking for a job has certain skills, education, abilities, and interests. The person in charge of hiring tries to look for a good fit with what the job has to offer and what it demands. And the best candidate for the job is probably the one whose resume most closely lines up with the job description.
Not today in our Scripture readings, in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, and in our latest Epiphany Moment. Today, we see one of the most important jobs there is, sharing God’s Word, and it is given to people whose resumes look terrible. We’re going to primarily focus on Peter (also called Simon or Simon Peter), whom we heard about in the Gospel from John 5. His example helps us to think about what God calls all of us to do as well.
As we consider the example of Peter, we also find echoes of what happened when Isaiah was called to be a prophet. Same job, different era. The job was to speak God’s Word, to tell people the message that God has given. Isaiah got the assignment as he saw the Lord’s throne room. The Lord was seated on his throne with his robe filling up the temple. And there were seraphim. These angels flew all around with wings also covering their faces and their feet in honor of God and his glory. They sang praises and the whole place shook. And Isaiah was overwhelmed by everything that he saw. He was so taken by the impressive and amazing display of glory that he couldn’t help but feel amazed, unworthy, even worried about what such glory meant for such a lowly sinner.
Thankfully for Isaiah, God had an answer. God had a plan. God forgave. God gave his servant his words and empowered Isaiah to be his prophet. He is the prophet well-known for speaking about the virgin birth of Christ and the gift of a Son, a suffering servant, stricken, smitten, and afflicted.
Centuries later, the promised servant was by the Sea of Galilee, as Luke calls it, the Lake of Gennesaret. He was going to speak his own words and do his own teaching, but the crowds pressed in on him. Simon’s boat was nearby, so Jesus borrowed it as his pulpit. Putting out a little way off the shore allowed Jesus to speak without the people rubbing shoulders with him or blocking each other’s ways. And along with the crowds, Simon once again heard the preaching of Jesus.
Simon’s boat, along with his partners’ boat, were there because the fishermen were done. They had been working hard all night with less than impressive results. It was time to wash their nets and prepare for the next night. It was time to regroup and ready themselves.
But Jesus had another plan. He finished his sermon and was ready to share a powerful object lesson. He told Simon that it was time to launch the boat into deep water and let down the nets once again.
Simon’s response tells us everything we need to know about this order. These fishermen knew the process. They knew that the night was the best time to catch fish on the Sea of Galilee. They knew the places that were best for letting down nets, and those weren’t the deepest parts of the Lake. They knew that they had done their best for a full night of work without any success and that sometimes that happens, and the only thing you can do is wait for the next opportunity. Jesus said, “Don’t worry that it is daylight. Don’t worry about finding shallower waters. Don’t worry about working hard and giving extra effort. Here’s my plan: go out where it is deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Just think about how you would feel receiving such a command. This is not what the science says. This is not the way that experienced experts do it. This is not something that would have the support of politicians or coworkers or neighbors. This is something weird and different. But Jesus says.
That’s what is so remarkable about Simon’s response. He alluded to all the reasons this wouldn’t work, but his conclusion was, “But at your word I will let down the nets.” And then it happened. So many
fish swam into those nets that they were starting to tear. The second boat had to come out to help and support, and only with both boats working together were they even able to drag that spectacular catch of fish to shore. And think about it. This was a miracle tailor-made for Simon the fisherman. With this outcome, Simon found himself in the place of Isaiah. He was staring at the glory of God. No one else could accomplish what had just happened. No other conclusion was possible. This was God himself at the edge of the lake directing Simon and giving him a catch of fish far greater than any he had ever seen before. And it was terrifying. This glimpse of glory did to Simon what the other glimpse of glory had done to Isaiah. It made him keenly aware of his sinfulness. He was undeserving. He was the problem, not the solution. He should have Jesus leave him completely.
Have you ever felt that way? You and I only get these glimpses of glory through eyes of faith. We haven’t walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee listening to Jesus and having him deliver miracles into our experience. Not in person, but by faith. We have seen the power of God. We have witnessed the glory of the Lord. We have seen and heard truths that defy our human understanding. But if we haven’t reached the conclusion of Simon or of Isaiah, that we are sinners so underserving that it is terrifying to even consider, then we haven’t fully grasped something. Either we haven’t really understood the glory of God or we haven’t really understood the depth of our sinfulness.
God had an answer for Simon. He was going to make Simon into a different sort of fisherman. No longer would his labors be focused on tilapia from the Sea of Galilee. He would fish for people. He would capture them not with nets but with the net of the Word of God that calls and gathers and enlightens and sanctifies. He would spread the message of a Savior, Jesus, who forgives sins and heals and empowers. And for the rest of his life, Simon would have this miracle to appreciate whenever the labors felt in vain or the success was not obvious or the fishing seemed poor. He had heard Christ’s preaching and witnessed Christ’s power, and now he was receiving Christ’s promise to make him into a catcher of people.
And consider just how much you have in common with Simon Peter. You have heard Christ’s preaching. You have witnessed Christ’s power. You have received Christ’s promise. He has told all his people that he wants his Word shared, his Gospel message spread. That doesn’t mean that everyone is called to be an apostle or a prophet or a pastor or a teacher. But it does mean that you have a role to play in sharing Jesus with others.
Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross. That’s what his preaching means to you. His power has been on display in every miraculous sign recorded for you in his Word. His power has been demonstrated abundantly in his resurrection from the tomb. So how could we possibly doubt his promises to bless us as we share his message?
And from this very account, we can see some principles that comfort and encourage us. We don’t need to find the right time to reach out to someone. We don’t need to figure out the precise words they need to hear at a given moment. We don’t need to be excellent fishermen, trained missionaries. All we need to do is to listen to the promise of the Savior and take his words to heart. All we need to do is follow his instruction, “Let down your nets for a catch.” Yes, that was a simple, straightforward, literal command from Jesus to Simon Peter. But what the miraculous catch of fish proved is just as true about the figurative fishing, the catching people. We don’t make the difference through our intelligence or expertise or professionalism. God is in control. He blesses the work we do. He causes the results. He gets the credit. We cast out the nets. We preach the Gospel. We share God’s Word.
Our resumes may look nothing like Simon’s or Isaiah’s or anyone else we think about as great missionaries of the church. But in a way, all our resumes are identical. We were born dead in sin. We were born enemies of God. We have sinned to such an extent that it is impossible to imagine our worthiness. But that’s exactly the resume our God is looking for: redeemed sinners to tell others about their Redeemer. Let this be our goal. Let it motivate our words, our actions, our offerings, our prayers. And let’s let down our nets for a catch.
The Text: Luke 5:1–11 (EHV)
5 One time, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 2He saw two boats there along the lakeshore. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3Jesus got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”
5Simon answered him, “Master, we worked hard all through the night and caught nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were about to tear apart. 7They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” 9For Peter and all those with him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Have no fear. From now on you will be catching people.”
11After they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
Luke 5:1-11
The Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke Sunday, February 9, 2025
“Let Down Your Nets for a Catch”
There are any number of websites that provide services today where companies hiring can post their job listings and people looking for work can share their resumes. There are other ways that this same process is handled by particular companies, but most jobs are determined in some regard along these lines. The person looking for a job has certain skills, education, abilities, and interests. The person in charge of hiring tries to look for a good fit with what the job has to offer and what it demands. And the best candidate for the job is probably the one whose resume most closely lines up with the job description.
Not today in our Scripture readings, in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, and in our latest Epiphany Moment. Today, we see one of the most important jobs there is, sharing God’s Word, and it is given to people whose resumes look terrible. We’re going to primarily focus on Peter (also called Simon or Simon Peter), whom we heard about in the Gospel from John 5. His example helps us to think about what God calls all of us to do as well.
As we consider the example of Peter, we also find echoes of what happened when Isaiah was called to be a prophet. Same job, different era. The job was to speak God’s Word, to tell people the message that God has given. Isaiah got the assignment as he saw the Lord’s throne room. The Lord was seated on his throne with his robe filling up the temple. And there were seraphim. These angels flew all around with wings also covering their faces and their feet in honor of God and his glory. They sang praises and the whole place shook. And Isaiah was overwhelmed by everything that he saw. He was so taken by the impressive and amazing display of glory that he couldn’t help but feel amazed, unworthy, even worried about what such glory meant for such a lowly sinner.
Thankfully for Isaiah, God had an answer. God had a plan. God forgave. God gave his servant his words and empowered Isaiah to be his prophet. He is the prophet well-known for speaking about the virgin birth of Christ and the gift of a Son, a suffering servant, stricken, smitten, and afflicted.
Centuries later, the promised servant was by the Sea of Galilee, as Luke calls it, the Lake of Gennesaret. He was going to speak his own words and do his own teaching, but the crowds pressed in on him. Simon’s boat was nearby, so Jesus borrowed it as his pulpit. Putting out a little way off the shore allowed Jesus to speak without the people rubbing shoulders with him or blocking each other’s ways. And along with the crowds, Simon once again heard the preaching of Jesus.
Simon’s boat, along with his partners’ boat, were there because the fishermen were done. They had been working hard all night with less than impressive results. It was time to wash their nets and prepare for the next night. It was time to regroup and ready themselves.
But Jesus had another plan. He finished his sermon and was ready to share a powerful object lesson. He told Simon that it was time to launch the boat into deep water and let down the nets once again.
Simon’s response tells us everything we need to know about this order. These fishermen knew the process. They knew that the night was the best time to catch fish on the Sea of Galilee. They knew the places that were best for letting down nets, and those weren’t the deepest parts of the Lake. They knew that they had done their best for a full night of work without any success and that sometimes that happens, and the only thing you can do is wait for the next opportunity. Jesus said, “Don’t worry that it is daylight. Don’t worry about finding shallower waters. Don’t worry about working hard and giving extra effort. Here’s my plan: go out where it is deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Just think about how you would feel receiving such a command. This is not what the science says. This is not the way that experienced experts do it. This is not something that would have the support of politicians or coworkers or neighbors. This is something weird and different. But Jesus says.
That’s what is so remarkable about Simon’s response. He alluded to all the reasons this wouldn’t work, but his conclusion was, “But at your word I will let down the nets.” And then it happened. So many
fish swam into those nets that they were starting to tear. The second boat had to come out to help and support, and only with both boats working together were they even able to drag that spectacular catch of fish to shore. And think about it. This was a miracle tailor-made for Simon the fisherman. With this outcome, Simon found himself in the place of Isaiah. He was staring at the glory of God. No one else could accomplish what had just happened. No other conclusion was possible. This was God himself at the edge of the lake directing Simon and giving him a catch of fish far greater than any he had ever seen before. And it was terrifying. This glimpse of glory did to Simon what the other glimpse of glory had done to Isaiah. It made him keenly aware of his sinfulness. He was undeserving. He was the problem, not the solution. He should have Jesus leave him completely.
Have you ever felt that way? You and I only get these glimpses of glory through eyes of faith. We haven’t walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee listening to Jesus and having him deliver miracles into our experience. Not in person, but by faith. We have seen the power of God. We have witnessed the glory of the Lord. We have seen and heard truths that defy our human understanding. But if we haven’t reached the conclusion of Simon or of Isaiah, that we are sinners so underserving that it is terrifying to even consider, then we haven’t fully grasped something. Either we haven’t really understood the glory of God or we haven’t really understood the depth of our sinfulness.
God had an answer for Simon. He was going to make Simon into a different sort of fisherman. No longer would his labors be focused on tilapia from the Sea of Galilee. He would fish for people. He would capture them not with nets but with the net of the Word of God that calls and gathers and enlightens and sanctifies. He would spread the message of a Savior, Jesus, who forgives sins and heals and empowers. And for the rest of his life, Simon would have this miracle to appreciate whenever the labors felt in vain or the success was not obvious or the fishing seemed poor. He had heard Christ’s preaching and witnessed Christ’s power, and now he was receiving Christ’s promise to make him into a catcher of people.
And consider just how much you have in common with Simon Peter. You have heard Christ’s preaching. You have witnessed Christ’s power. You have received Christ’s promise. He has told all his people that he wants his Word shared, his Gospel message spread. That doesn’t mean that everyone is called to be an apostle or a prophet or a pastor or a teacher. But it does mean that you have a role to play in sharing Jesus with others.
Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross. That’s what his preaching means to you. His power has been on display in every miraculous sign recorded for you in his Word. His power has been demonstrated abundantly in his resurrection from the tomb. So how could we possibly doubt his promises to bless us as we share his message?
And from this very account, we can see some principles that comfort and encourage us. We don’t need to find the right time to reach out to someone. We don’t need to figure out the precise words they need to hear at a given moment. We don’t need to be excellent fishermen, trained missionaries. All we need to do is to listen to the promise of the Savior and take his words to heart. All we need to do is follow his instruction, “Let down your nets for a catch.” Yes, that was a simple, straightforward, literal command from Jesus to Simon Peter. But what the miraculous catch of fish proved is just as true about the figurative fishing, the catching people. We don’t make the difference through our intelligence or expertise or professionalism. God is in control. He blesses the work we do. He causes the results. He gets the credit. We cast out the nets. We preach the Gospel. We share God’s Word.
Our resumes may look nothing like Simon’s or Isaiah’s or anyone else we think about as great missionaries of the church. But in a way, all our resumes are identical. We were born dead in sin. We were born enemies of God. We have sinned to such an extent that it is impossible to imagine our worthiness. But that’s exactly the resume our God is looking for: redeemed sinners to tell others about their Redeemer. Let this be our goal. Let it motivate our words, our actions, our offerings, our prayers. And let’s let down our nets for a catch.
The Text: Luke 5:1–11 (EHV)
5 One time, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 2He saw two boats there along the lakeshore. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3Jesus got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”
5Simon answered him, “Master, we worked hard all through the night and caught nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were about to tear apart. 7They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” 9For Peter and all those with him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Have no fear. From now on you will be catching people.”
11After they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
Luke 5:1-11
The Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke Sunday, February 9, 2025
“Let Down Your Nets for a Catch”
There are any number of websites that provide services today where companies hiring can post their job listings and people looking for work can share their resumes. There are other ways that this same process is handled by particular companies, but most jobs are determined in some regard along these lines. The person looking for a job has certain skills, education, abilities, and interests. The person in charge of hiring tries to look for a good fit with what the job has to offer and what it demands. And the best candidate for the job is probably the one whose resume most closely lines up with the job description.
Not today in our Scripture readings, in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, and in our latest Epiphany Moment. Today, we see one of the most important jobs there is, sharing God’s Word, and it is given to people whose resumes look terrible. We’re going to primarily focus on Peter (also called Simon or Simon Peter), whom we heard about in the Gospel from John 5. His example helps us to think about what God calls all of us to do as well.
As we consider the example of Peter, we also find echoes of what happened when Isaiah was called to be a prophet. Same job, different era. The job was to speak God’s Word, to tell people the message that God has given. Isaiah got the assignment as he saw the Lord’s throne room. The Lord was seated on his throne with his robe filling up the temple. And there were seraphim. These angels flew all around with wings also covering their faces and their feet in honor of God and his glory. They sang praises and the whole place shook. And Isaiah was overwhelmed by everything that he saw. He was so taken by the impressive and amazing display of glory that he couldn’t help but feel amazed, unworthy, even worried about what such glory meant for such a lowly sinner.
Thankfully for Isaiah, God had an answer. God had a plan. God forgave. God gave his servant his words and empowered Isaiah to be his prophet. He is the prophet well-known for speaking about the virgin birth of Christ and the gift of a Son, a suffering servant, stricken, smitten, and afflicted.
Centuries later, the promised servant was by the Sea of Galilee, as Luke calls it, the Lake of Gennesaret. He was going to speak his own words and do his own teaching, but the crowds pressed in on him. Simon’s boat was nearby, so Jesus borrowed it as his pulpit. Putting out a little way off the shore allowed Jesus to speak without the people rubbing shoulders with him or blocking each other’s ways. And along with the crowds, Simon once again heard the preaching of Jesus.
Simon’s boat, along with his partners’ boat, were there because the fishermen were done. They had been working hard all night with less than impressive results. It was time to wash their nets and prepare for the next night. It was time to regroup and ready themselves.
But Jesus had another plan. He finished his sermon and was ready to share a powerful object lesson. He told Simon that it was time to launch the boat into deep water and let down the nets once again.
Simon’s response tells us everything we need to know about this order. These fishermen knew the process. They knew that the night was the best time to catch fish on the Sea of Galilee. They knew the places that were best for letting down nets, and those weren’t the deepest parts of the Lake. They knew that they had done their best for a full night of work without any success and that sometimes that happens, and the only thing you can do is wait for the next opportunity. Jesus said, “Don’t worry that it is daylight. Don’t worry about finding shallower waters. Don’t worry about working hard and giving extra effort. Here’s my plan: go out where it is deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Just think about how you would feel receiving such a command. This is not what the science says. This is not the way that experienced experts do it. This is not something that would have the support of politicians or coworkers or neighbors. This is something weird and different. But Jesus says.
That’s what is so remarkable about Simon’s response. He alluded to all the reasons this wouldn’t work, but his conclusion was, “But at your word I will let down the nets.” And then it happened. So many
fish swam into those nets that they were starting to tear. The second boat had to come out to help and support, and only with both boats working together were they even able to drag that spectacular catch of fish to shore. And think about it. This was a miracle tailor-made for Simon the fisherman. With this outcome, Simon found himself in the place of Isaiah. He was staring at the glory of God. No one else could accomplish what had just happened. No other conclusion was possible. This was God himself at the edge of the lake directing Simon and giving him a catch of fish far greater than any he had ever seen before. And it was terrifying. This glimpse of glory did to Simon what the other glimpse of glory had done to Isaiah. It made him keenly aware of his sinfulness. He was undeserving. He was the problem, not the solution. He should have Jesus leave him completely.
Have you ever felt that way? You and I only get these glimpses of glory through eyes of faith. We haven’t walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee listening to Jesus and having him deliver miracles into our experience. Not in person, but by faith. We have seen the power of God. We have witnessed the glory of the Lord. We have seen and heard truths that defy our human understanding. But if we haven’t reached the conclusion of Simon or of Isaiah, that we are sinners so underserving that it is terrifying to even consider, then we haven’t fully grasped something. Either we haven’t really understood the glory of God or we haven’t really understood the depth of our sinfulness.
God had an answer for Simon. He was going to make Simon into a different sort of fisherman. No longer would his labors be focused on tilapia from the Sea of Galilee. He would fish for people. He would capture them not with nets but with the net of the Word of God that calls and gathers and enlightens and sanctifies. He would spread the message of a Savior, Jesus, who forgives sins and heals and empowers. And for the rest of his life, Simon would have this miracle to appreciate whenever the labors felt in vain or the success was not obvious or the fishing seemed poor. He had heard Christ’s preaching and witnessed Christ’s power, and now he was receiving Christ’s promise to make him into a catcher of people.
And consider just how much you have in common with Simon Peter. You have heard Christ’s preaching. You have witnessed Christ’s power. You have received Christ’s promise. He has told all his people that he wants his Word shared, his Gospel message spread. That doesn’t mean that everyone is called to be an apostle or a prophet or a pastor or a teacher. But it does mean that you have a role to play in sharing Jesus with others.
Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross. That’s what his preaching means to you. His power has been on display in every miraculous sign recorded for you in his Word. His power has been demonstrated abundantly in his resurrection from the tomb. So how could we possibly doubt his promises to bless us as we share his message?
And from this very account, we can see some principles that comfort and encourage us. We don’t need to find the right time to reach out to someone. We don’t need to figure out the precise words they need to hear at a given moment. We don’t need to be excellent fishermen, trained missionaries. All we need to do is to listen to the promise of the Savior and take his words to heart. All we need to do is follow his instruction, “Let down your nets for a catch.” Yes, that was a simple, straightforward, literal command from Jesus to Simon Peter. But what the miraculous catch of fish proved is just as true about the figurative fishing, the catching people. We don’t make the difference through our intelligence or expertise or professionalism. God is in control. He blesses the work we do. He causes the results. He gets the credit. We cast out the nets. We preach the Gospel. We share God’s Word.
Our resumes may look nothing like Simon’s or Isaiah’s or anyone else we think about as great missionaries of the church. But in a way, all our resumes are identical. We were born dead in sin. We were born enemies of God. We have sinned to such an extent that it is impossible to imagine our worthiness. But that’s exactly the resume our God is looking for: redeemed sinners to tell others about their Redeemer. Let this be our goal. Let it motivate our words, our actions, our offerings, our prayers. And let’s let down our nets for a catch.
The Text: Luke 5:1–11 (EHV)
5 One time, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 2He saw two boats there along the lakeshore. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3Jesus got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”
5Simon answered him, “Master, we worked hard all through the night and caught nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were about to tear apart. 7They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” 9For Peter and all those with him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Have no fear. From now on you will be catching people.”
11After they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.