Today we move from the Season of Epiphany and Jesus’ infancy to his ministry as an adult. Two weeks ago we heard Jesus declare his ministry intentions in the temple as he read from the scroll of Isaiah. He had come to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. Today we find Jesus on the shores of Lake Gennesaret being swamped by a crowd of people. He is beginning his teaching and healing ministry. There are so many people that Jesus is backed up to the water’s edge with nowhere to go. He sees Simon, who is cleaning his boat after a night of fishing. Jesus gets into Simon’s boat to get some space from the crowd so he can teach them.
Years ago my family had a bach at Taupiri Bay on the coast out past Rawhiti. There was good diving for crayfish in the area but you needed to know where to go. My Dad had his secret spot programmed into his GPS and it is a very closely held secret. Occasionally as other boats went past the instructions were given to look natural and pretend nothing was going on.
Fishermen, like my Dad, know their surroundings and their patches. So, I can only imagine that when Simon heard Jesus asking him to push out into deeper water there was an internal rolling of the eyes or a raised eyebrow or maybe even a muttering under his breath!
Simon and James and John were fishing on the lake of Gennesaret, which is sometimes also called the Sea of Galilee. This lake is known for the fish being found around the river mouths that feed the lake and where underground springs push up fresh water into the lake. Additionally, fish in that area tended to feed at night.[1] This is why Simon, James and John would have been at the shore during the day cleaning their nets.
Unsurprisingly, Simon is confused as to why Jesus would think that going into deeper water in the middle of the day would be a remotely successful enterprise. You can sense his objections in the way he responds to Jesus. “Master, we have worked all night long and caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.”
Simon’s referral to Jesus as “master” could also be read as teacher or “boss” or “chief.” You can almost hear him saying –
“Listen Boss, my boys and I are experienced fishermen who have been out all night and come back with nothing. But if you think you know more about fishing than us sure, let’s go. Show us what you know.”
I am sure Simon was thinking “what does this Rabbi know about fishing?” He was about to be very surprised! They caught so many fish the nets could hardly contain the catch. He needs to signal to James and John to come help. Like a good fisherman, he doesn’t yell out but he sends a discrete signal – we have found a new spot! He likely thought he had found a financial jackpot in this hidden spot. As the others came and joined in the catch it was so massive their boats began to sink under the weight of the fish.
Suddenly Simon is seeing Jesus in a whole new light! Who is this man who knows where to find such a harvest of fish? This miraculous catch moves Simon from calling Jesus “master” to calling him “Lord.”
There is also a subtle change in the text, Luke now refers to Simon as Simon Peter, the name he will receive from Jesus (Luke 6:14, Matt 16:18).
Simon Peter seems to have a series of mini epiphanies throughout his journey of being Jesus’ disciple. Unlike Paul who had such a dramatic encounter with God on the road to Damascus or Isaiah who saw the Lord seated in his heavenly temple. Peter’s understanding of God is much more like how we might encounter God:
- Jesus ask us to do something
- We don’t understand but decide to obey anyway
- God’s purpose becomes clear
- We understand more about God and it leads to worship and more obedience
There is a theme across our readings today as Isaiah, Paul and Peter encounter God. As each one encounters God in a different way, they all find themselves acutely aware of their shortcomings.
-Isaiah is a man of unclean lips, living amongst people who have unclean lips.
-Paul persecuted the church and considered himself unfit to be an apostle.
-Peter saw himself as a sinful man.
And yet each one is called by God to step into a new role in their life. It is a good reminder for us that our call to follow God is not so much based on who we are as much as on what God can do through us if we are available.
None of these three received an easy calling – Isaiah was called to bring God’s word to people who refused to listen. Paul faced constant persecution for his calling to bring the Good News to the Gentiles. Peter followed Jesus only to deny him at the 11th hour and see him crucified.
However, the encounter with God was such that they continued to persevere in the face of the challenges and trials they faced. As we see who God is, we grow in trust and willingness to step out in faith. Isaiah saw the holiness of God, Paul had a revelation of God’s love for all people, and Simon Peter saw Jesus who could control the natural world and show the abundance of the Kingdom of God.
As we reflect on those who have followed challenging callings it is worth taking a moment to give thanks for those who have chosen the hard road to see the Gospel spread in New Zealand. We think of Ruatara, the Ngapuhi chief, who is known as Te Ara mō te Rongopai or the Gateway for the Gospel into New Zealand when he welcomed Samuel Marsden to deliver the first sermon on New Zealand soil on Christmas Day, 1814.
We call to mind Hongi Hika and Thomas Kendall who went to Cambridge to work on the te reo Māori translation of the gospel of Luke in the 1820’s. Their efforts saw Luke’s gospel becoming the first written text in the Māori language. Which was shared widely around New Zealand as both CMS and Māori evangelists travelled the country.[2]
We remember Henry Williams, the CMS missionary, who came to New Zealand to share the gospel. His concern for the well-being of Māori led him to advocate for the rights of Māori. Henry and his son Edward Williams undertook the significant work of translating the English version of the Treaty of Waitangi into te Reo Māori version of the Treaty using the biblical concepts of covenant, partnership and participation. If you are interested in a more detailed history of the Treaty please see Rev Tony’s sermon from 2022. If we struggle with the understanding of words such as sovereignty and governorship in the te reo Māori translation we cast our eyes back to Henry Williams who chose to use biblical terms from the gospel of Luke! Archbishop Emeritus David Moxon said in his Waitangi Day Sermon in 2022 that the roots of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1814 are sacred, scriptural, and were there at the beginning of the Pākehā Māori encounter.
We thank God for the obedience of those who have gone before us in this land to see the gospel preached and all people have the opportunity to hear the Good News.
As we reflect on this week’s readings we see we too are called to be people who encounter God and are changed.
We are invited to listen for God’s invitation to take our gifts and talents and use them to honour God and share the Good News. We live in a time when many people are fearful and the gospel offers hope that there is another way to live. We can be bringers of hope and speakers of life into the situations we encounter.
As we take steps of obedience I pray that we see God more clearly and are strengthened in our faith.
Amen.
[1] Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth E. Bailey
[2] https://anglicantaonga.org.nz/features/bible/dm_kauwhau_otaki22 Archbishop Emeritus Sir David Moxon, Waitangi Day Sermon, 2022.