Saturday, May 12, 2007

"But If You Say So, I'll Let Down The Nets"

It's funny how long it takes some things to sink into my thick skull. This summer I was with a group of people and we toured a place where they translate a film about the life of Jesus into many languages. One guy from our group volunteered to do one small clip from the movie. His goal was to match his voice with the lips of the actor...they were trying to show us how difficult this is to do in English, let alone a completely different language. The clip they chose to use was out of Luke 5 where Jesus tells Simon (Peter) to let down the nets again after they had fished all night and caught nothing. I still remember the guy from our group in a goofy voice saying, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but if you say so, I'll let down the nets."

We have a children's version copy of the movie that Lily watches at least once a day. So I have probably seen this clip of Jesus and Peter about 100 times in the past few months. Every time I see it I think about the guy this summer repeating those lines. Just a few weeks ago it finally hit me! I don't know why I'm so slow to get things sometimes, but the Holy Spirit hit me upside the head and showed me why I should go out and do evangelism. It's because He says so!!

How many times have I come home discouraged and thought to myself, "boy that was a waste of time...I can think of a million better things I could do." Or when I see someone who may have "prayed a prayer" and claimed to desire to follow Jesus but then shortly after changed their mind (see Parable of the Sower in Matt 13). How many times have I, like Peter, "let down my net" and caught nothing? If the only motivation to go out and do evangelism is past "results", which are not up to us anyways, how miserable would our lives be??!!

So when I talk to people about Jesus and they think I'm crazy or they tell me to get lost, I go somewhere else and let down my net. And if I "work hard all night and catch nothing", I will let down my net again "because He says so." What a huge reminder we all need that God is in charge of the fish (men) that come into our nets. Our job is simply to let down our nets!!

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Luke 5:1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.