Put out into the Deep - Say Yes to the Call
What is the Gospel message that Jesus asks His followers to share as WE go out as His followers and fulfill the Great Commission that Jesus gives to all who believe in Him in Matthew 28:19-20
Go, therefore,* and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.* And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
This is a critical question for us to ponder and reflect on every day as we answer the call to be His followers in 2025.
Jeff Cavins, Biblical scholar and Catholic/Christian author recently described what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is in his daily 8-10 minute Gospel reflections (which I highly recommend for everyone to incorporate into their daily spiritual disciplines):
1. God has a plan for your life. He loves you
2. Sin ruins us
3. Christ Jesus died to save us
4. Repent and believe in the Gospel - radically re-orient our lives to Jesus
5. Be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit
6. Abide in Christ and in His Body (the Church)
7. We go out and make disciples
My friends, this is the radical teaching of the Gospel and the greatest love story ever told. It’s why it is absolutely necessary for us to read and reflect on God’s Word every day! Jesus is the Word made flesh who dwelt among us (John 1).
So, I ask the question: do you want to follow Him?
Jesus never promised us that it would be easy. In fact, he reminds us later in Luke’s Gospel that if we want to follow Him, we must:
Deny ourselves
Take up our Cross
And follow Him. Luke 9:23-24
When I think about a Mission to accomplish something, I think of a leader assembling a team or a group of experts best equipped to accomplish the Mission.
Sports teams try to blend star athletes with players who will complement the star players to create chemistry.
Orchestras hire the best people in their respective instruments to blend the sound and create an incredible musical experience.
How about Jesus? Luke spends the first two chapters of his Gospel describing Jesus’ infancy narrative and his first experience in the temple at 12 years old.
Chapters 3-4 speak of:
John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism
Healings and miracles
And his rejection in Nazareth (his hometown)
But as we begin chapter 5, today, Jesus begins to assemble His team. You might ask, why would Jesus need a team. We know that He accomplished His mission on the Cross. But He would need a team to go out and share the message of the Gospel after He departed from them.
And today we hear the call of these four fisherman.
Wait! What? Did you say fisherman? Why not Pharisees, scribes, Levites, those who knew the Law, God’s Word, the “religious types” of His time.
Nope! He chose four ordinary fisherman. And while we don’t know the background of all 12 of them, we can safely say, they were not in the “inner circle”, the popular crowd, or in today’s vernacular, they did not have 3 million followers on X or Instagram.
He chose ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
Three great lines stick out in these first 12 verses of the 5th chapter of Luke’s Gospel:
Verse 1: While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
Sounds like a typical Sunday gathering. You and I in Church. Are we pressing in on Jesus and striving to listen to the Word of God? We hear it proclaimed. But does it truly sink in and resonate? Does it empower us each week (and hopefully each day) to deepen our relationship with Him? Followers of Jesus desire to be with Him 24/7, throughout every part of our day. Is that hard? Yes! Being a follower of Jesus is hard. But it comes with the greatest reward our hearts could ever desire. Salvation and redemption.
Verses 4-5: After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”
Ok, so what does this itinerant preacher know about fishing? 4 experts: Peter and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John did this for a living. Having come in from a failed fishing expedition, they would have been exhausted. It would have been very easy for them to say: well, no thanks. Nothing out there to catch. We are tired and not going to do it. So what moves Peter to say “at your command”? Maybe it was the healing of his mother-in-law in the previous chapter of Luke’s Gospel (4:38-39). Whatever the reason, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were nearly torn. A miracle catch!
Verses 8-11: Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything* and followed him.
Yes, we are all sinners. That’s why we needed a Savior to once and for all conquer sin and death by the blood of His Cross. No more need for sacrificial lambs. He is the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.
It could be easy for us to say, I follow Jesus. I go to Church each week; I say a few prayers; I put some money in the basket. But that’s not what he means when He says to the disciples and He says to us those two famous words: Follow Me!
He wants a commitment. A relationship with Him. An investment. The best investment we could make. The “catch” that is better than all other catches. As He says to Peter and the three others, “from now on, you will be fishers of men”. You are going to help me spread the Gospel; to win souls for Christ. To lead others to follow me just as you yourselves will do.
And He says to them and us. Do not be afraid. The phrase mentioned in the Bible more than any other verse.
So what fears are holding you back from truly being a follower. It’s easy to be a fan. Jesus had many fans during His lifetime. But we see that when it gets really hard, many walked away.
What did Peter and the others do: they left everything and followed Him.
That same radical call to follow Him applies to us as well. No matter what stage of life we are in. No excuses. Can’t say, well that Gospel preaching is reserved for priests, ministers, brothers, sisters, deacons, “religious people”. Jesus is very clear. He chose 12 ordinary people to do the extraordinary.
And he is calling each one of us. Whatever stage we are in to proclaim the Gospel, to preach the Gospel and to live the Gospel. Radically.
My challenge this week is to spend time reading and reflecting on this passage. Jesus wants us to leave everything behind and follow Him? The question is: can we?
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