The Fishing Metaphor
Author: Donavan Ng, Permission has been given by Donavan Ng for Hugh Morgan to publish his sermon in Hugh's News. Donavan Ng is the Field Superintendent of the Pentecostal Holiness Church in Hong Kong.
Scripture Text:
Luke 5:1-11
5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around Him and listening to the Word of God, 2 He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then He sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
5 Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets."
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
NIV
And now, the sermon:
The Gospel according to Luke is a remarkable Book of Gospel. First, the author is not a Jew but a Syrian. Second, Luke is a doctor, a professional who pays attention to details. Third, Luke had a long term plan when
he wrote the Gospel. In this passage, the commonly known Sea of Galilee is termed as the Lake of Gennesaret. The place is really a lake rather than sea and the choice of words showed Luke’s serious attitude towards factual details.
Besides, Acts was also written by Luke. Some contemporary scholars have proposed to combine Luke and Acts as “The Acts of Holy Spirit,” as it is about the work of the Holy Spirit first through Jesus Christ, then His apostles, and then all committed Christians, to preach the Gospel to the end of the world. Some called Luke the prologue
of Acts. The structure of Luke gives hints to the work of the Holy Spirit and reveals the theological thinking of Luke.
Luke 4 describes Jesus as “full of the Holy Spirit” as He was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness, where He was tempted by the Devil. After the 40 days of temptation, Luke remarked: “(the devil) left him and Jesus
returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.”
Later Jesus went to Capernaum, passing by Simon Peter’s home and healing his mother-in-law. Luke described the healing as “rebuked the fever,” indicating exorcism rather than an ordinary healing. The action was meant to
show that Jesus was full of the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was positioned in a warfare between the devil’s kingdom and God’s Kingdom, and He has won for God. Jesus thus got famous in Capernaum as people in general believed whoever is able to drive out demons must be a God-sent with the Holy Spirit on Him.
That’s why Luke can be seen as the Acts of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel according to Luke came after Mark and the Q source - a written collection of Jesus’s saying. Scholars noticed that Luke contains a lot of new information other than these two sources. How did Luke get such
information? Luke never met Jesus but he was acquainted with the women who had been financially supporting Jesus and His disciples.
On the other hand, Luke was also familiar with Jesus’s disciples, from whom he got to know more details about Jesus’s earthly life. Luke, a gentile, was raised by God to write about the work of the Holy Spirit.
The fact that a gentile wrote a book on Gospel must have overwhelmed the readers at the time. Who are the targeted readers of Luke?
In the first verse of the Acts, it is clearly stated that the recipient is Theophilus, the man who sponsored Luke to write the two books: Luke and Acts. It has been believed that Luke wrote for the rich and powerful, assuring them that Christianity would not cause any harm. This view is no longer in the academic mainstream in modem times.
Luke’s vision must have been much broader indeed. Luke wrote these two books painstakingly as his heart had been
broken by the ruthless suppression of the weak and poor in his time.
In Luke’s words, Jesus appeared as an all-powerful Savior. In the passage we read today, the whole context was in Jesus’ plan. In the dawn of the day, Jesus asked Simon to catch fish. The fishermen had been working hard
all night in vain and it got more difficult to catch anything in the morning. Yet Simon has witnessed the power of this Man, Who had saved his badly sick mother-in-law, and he followed Jesus’ commands although it defies his professional knowledge. That’s why Simon responded: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” What happened next was amazing: they let down
the nets and caught such a large number of fish that the nets are going to break! This time, Simon’s response is falling down at Jesus’ feet and said: “Go away from me, Lord. I’m a sinful man!” Did Simon mean it? Of course he
did not want Jesus go away but he must have been totally shocked. As described by Luke, Jesus was sent from God full of the power of the Holy Spirit. He came with this shocking power to save people out of the suppression.
Later on Jesus has indeed subverted the world order and the impact lasts to date.
The episode took place in a sea. In Old Testament times, sea allegorically means evil, chaos and uncontrollable. Genesis said that “in the beginning God creates the heavens and the earth ... the Spirit of God was hovering
over the waters.” The Holy Spirit worked over the waters and drove out chaos. In this message, Jesus, under the most impossible circumstances, brought that many fish out of the deep sea. Jesus would be seen as a God-Man, a man with the Spirit of God inside. In theological terms, Jesus is a manifestation of God.
When Simon said: “I am a sinful man,” Jesus replied: “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.” From then on Simon has been following Jesus till the end. Back in those times how did the Scribes and Pharisees define
“sinners”? Those who break the 613 Mosaic laws more than what they comply with were sinners. Sinners would not be blessed by God.
According to Luke, however, sinners are those God wants so much to save. Near the end of Luke 5, Jesus summoned tax collector Levi to follow Him and then Levi held a big banquet to celebrate. The Scribes and Pharisees challenge Jesus for “eating and drinking with sinners.”
Jesus, according to Luke, broke the hard core belief that sinners had no way out and were deemed to be suppressed and doomed. Jesus brought brand new hope to sinners, whose destiny is to be turned around.
Here Luke also introduced Simon Peter to his readers. Who is Simon Peter? He is the first person in the New Testament who confessed “I am a sinner.” The term “Lord” also appeared for the first time here. Some scholars thought the term “Lord” here needs not be emphasized. Indeed this term also carries the meaning of “Sir” and “Your Honour” but the true meaning must be put in context. What Simon said was “I am a sinner” and the “Lord” before this phrase must refer to “Lord Jesus Christ” in order to make sense. Peter came into the scene in a way of a powerful confession! He knelt before Lord Jesus Christ Who is full of Holy Spirit and confessed that he is a sinner. Right after this he became the follower of Jesus Christ, his teacher and master.
Looking back at the Old Testament, when Joshua was about to attack Jericho, the commander sent from God stood in his way. Not knowing who the man is, Joshua asked: “are you for us or for our enemies?” The man replied: “Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have come now!” Joshua at once fell face down to the ground in reverence and asked for the Lord’s commands. Joshua surrendered, confessed and was anointed.
Another episode is from Ezekiel. The prophet was the only one by the river who saw the vision of God’s glory so he fell face down onto the ground, confessed and got anointed. A lot of other prophets were present then but only
Ezekiel saw the vision, which is revealed only to the chosen ones with great faith.
The same episode as recorded in Mark showed that Simon’s brother Andrew, together with James and John, were also present. It is questionable whether Jesus had given the same calling of “catching people” to the others apart from Simon Peter. The answer seemed to be no. Simon Peter was the only one who got this call. Then why would the whole bunch of guys followed Jesus? Well, this is simply how things work in the world. To the others who were did not share the vision, Simon Peter was the leader, the chosen one. Even though he fell later by denying Jesus Christ three times, Jesus gave him the chance to correct by asking him “do you love me” three times, through
which Simon Peter has been reassured and strengthened.
What I felt most thankful when I read this passage was that God indeed summoned sinners, rather than the righteous, to follow Him. God called upon those who have nothing.
Verse 11 mentioned that Simon Peter left everything behind to follow Jesus because he knew that it was the most important thing to do. Jesus was sent by God! We know so well that the spiritual conditions of many Christians
fluctuate as much as the stock market. Would it be in the low or the high at the point when God comes back? That would be a decisive moment! If God called only those who are good, nice, educated, knowledgeable, morally impeccable ... no one can stand. We are all sinners relying on God’s grace alone.
Just like Simon Peter. I believe that when Jesus commanded Peter to drive the boat to the deep for fishing, Peter
must have been complaining in his heart: come on! In terms of fishing, I am the true expert! There’s no place for you! However, Jesus was all powerful and He was able to bring the suppressed out from the darkness just like the
fish. The only thing that man has to do is to follow Jesus Christ. That’s the only way on which we can turn around from the dooming destiny. Following Jesus is the only option.
This is the message of Luke. For this purpose he got hold of the sponsorship of Theophilus to publish his two books.
“I will make you fishers of men.” So “You will be catching people.” Why did Luke describe the episode with so much effort? The Old Testament has a well-known metaphor originated from the shepherd of Psalm 23. This is so common in the Jewish tradition: The Lord is the Shepherd and His people the flock on the pasture. Yet this metaphor tends to be applied inside the church, rather domestic. Luke must have been disappointed by this metaphor as it is
exclusive for the Jews. It echoes with the mindset of the scribes and Pharisees that sinners are not inside and thus would not be blessed by God. Their lives were not worth living.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Luke brought out another metaphor: fishing metaphor. In Mark, the conclusion was “I will
make you fishers of men.” In Luke, it becomes “You will be catching people.” “Catching” here means “capturing alive," a military term.
Luke put forward the “fishing metaphor” as it is necessary to step into the new era. Jesus Christ, coming from Nazareth, was to lead people out from the heavy suppression of evil. Then, could the “shepherd metaphor”
be thrown away? Absolutely not. “Shepherd” metaphor concerns with the pastoring ministry within Church families.
“Fishing metaphor” refers to outreaching ministry of preaching that everyone has a role to play.
From Luke onwards, there are two metaphors in church: the shepherd metaphor and the fishing metaphor. We have to hold one in each hand. After “catching” people for the church, we still have to nurture them and make them
grow. It is by God’s grace that we can help newcomers grow up. We are accountable for their growth. Let’s stay with God and count on God.
Author: Donavan Ng, Permission has been given by Donavan Ng for Hugh Morgan to publish his sermon in Hugh's News. Donavan Ng is the Field Superintendent of the Pentecostal Holiness Church in Hong Kong.
Scripture Text:
Luke 5:1-11
5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around Him and listening to the Word of God, 2 He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then He sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
5 Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets."
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
NIV
And now, the sermon:
The Gospel according to Luke is a remarkable Book of Gospel. First, the author is not a Jew but a Syrian. Second, Luke is a doctor, a professional who pays attention to details. Third, Luke had a long term plan when
he wrote the Gospel. In this passage, the commonly known Sea of Galilee is termed as the Lake of Gennesaret. The place is really a lake rather than sea and the choice of words showed Luke’s serious attitude towards factual details.
Besides, Acts was also written by Luke. Some contemporary scholars have proposed to combine Luke and Acts as “The Acts of Holy Spirit,” as it is about the work of the Holy Spirit first through Jesus Christ, then His apostles, and then all committed Christians, to preach the Gospel to the end of the world. Some called Luke the prologue
of Acts. The structure of Luke gives hints to the work of the Holy Spirit and reveals the theological thinking of Luke.
Luke 4 describes Jesus as “full of the Holy Spirit” as He was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness, where He was tempted by the Devil. After the 40 days of temptation, Luke remarked: “(the devil) left him and Jesus
returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.”
Later Jesus went to Capernaum, passing by Simon Peter’s home and healing his mother-in-law. Luke described the healing as “rebuked the fever,” indicating exorcism rather than an ordinary healing. The action was meant to
show that Jesus was full of the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was positioned in a warfare between the devil’s kingdom and God’s Kingdom, and He has won for God. Jesus thus got famous in Capernaum as people in general believed whoever is able to drive out demons must be a God-sent with the Holy Spirit on Him.
That’s why Luke can be seen as the Acts of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel according to Luke came after Mark and the Q source - a written collection of Jesus’s saying. Scholars noticed that Luke contains a lot of new information other than these two sources. How did Luke get such
information? Luke never met Jesus but he was acquainted with the women who had been financially supporting Jesus and His disciples.
On the other hand, Luke was also familiar with Jesus’s disciples, from whom he got to know more details about Jesus’s earthly life. Luke, a gentile, was raised by God to write about the work of the Holy Spirit.
The fact that a gentile wrote a book on Gospel must have overwhelmed the readers at the time. Who are the targeted readers of Luke?
In the first verse of the Acts, it is clearly stated that the recipient is Theophilus, the man who sponsored Luke to write the two books: Luke and Acts. It has been believed that Luke wrote for the rich and powerful, assuring them that Christianity would not cause any harm. This view is no longer in the academic mainstream in modem times.
Luke’s vision must have been much broader indeed. Luke wrote these two books painstakingly as his heart had been
broken by the ruthless suppression of the weak and poor in his time.
In Luke’s words, Jesus appeared as an all-powerful Savior. In the passage we read today, the whole context was in Jesus’ plan. In the dawn of the day, Jesus asked Simon to catch fish. The fishermen had been working hard
all night in vain and it got more difficult to catch anything in the morning. Yet Simon has witnessed the power of this Man, Who had saved his badly sick mother-in-law, and he followed Jesus’ commands although it defies his professional knowledge. That’s why Simon responded: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” What happened next was amazing: they let down
the nets and caught such a large number of fish that the nets are going to break! This time, Simon’s response is falling down at Jesus’ feet and said: “Go away from me, Lord. I’m a sinful man!” Did Simon mean it? Of course he
did not want Jesus go away but he must have been totally shocked. As described by Luke, Jesus was sent from God full of the power of the Holy Spirit. He came with this shocking power to save people out of the suppression.
Later on Jesus has indeed subverted the world order and the impact lasts to date.
The episode took place in a sea. In Old Testament times, sea allegorically means evil, chaos and uncontrollable. Genesis said that “in the beginning God creates the heavens and the earth ... the Spirit of God was hovering
over the waters.” The Holy Spirit worked over the waters and drove out chaos. In this message, Jesus, under the most impossible circumstances, brought that many fish out of the deep sea. Jesus would be seen as a God-Man, a man with the Spirit of God inside. In theological terms, Jesus is a manifestation of God.
When Simon said: “I am a sinful man,” Jesus replied: “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.” From then on Simon has been following Jesus till the end. Back in those times how did the Scribes and Pharisees define
“sinners”? Those who break the 613 Mosaic laws more than what they comply with were sinners. Sinners would not be blessed by God.
According to Luke, however, sinners are those God wants so much to save. Near the end of Luke 5, Jesus summoned tax collector Levi to follow Him and then Levi held a big banquet to celebrate. The Scribes and Pharisees challenge Jesus for “eating and drinking with sinners.”
Jesus, according to Luke, broke the hard core belief that sinners had no way out and were deemed to be suppressed and doomed. Jesus brought brand new hope to sinners, whose destiny is to be turned around.
Here Luke also introduced Simon Peter to his readers. Who is Simon Peter? He is the first person in the New Testament who confessed “I am a sinner.” The term “Lord” also appeared for the first time here. Some scholars thought the term “Lord” here needs not be emphasized. Indeed this term also carries the meaning of “Sir” and “Your Honour” but the true meaning must be put in context. What Simon said was “I am a sinner” and the “Lord” before this phrase must refer to “Lord Jesus Christ” in order to make sense. Peter came into the scene in a way of a powerful confession! He knelt before Lord Jesus Christ Who is full of Holy Spirit and confessed that he is a sinner. Right after this he became the follower of Jesus Christ, his teacher and master.
Looking back at the Old Testament, when Joshua was about to attack Jericho, the commander sent from God stood in his way. Not knowing who the man is, Joshua asked: “are you for us or for our enemies?” The man replied: “Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have come now!” Joshua at once fell face down to the ground in reverence and asked for the Lord’s commands. Joshua surrendered, confessed and was anointed.
Another episode is from Ezekiel. The prophet was the only one by the river who saw the vision of God’s glory so he fell face down onto the ground, confessed and got anointed. A lot of other prophets were present then but only
Ezekiel saw the vision, which is revealed only to the chosen ones with great faith.
The same episode as recorded in Mark showed that Simon’s brother Andrew, together with James and John, were also present. It is questionable whether Jesus had given the same calling of “catching people” to the others apart from Simon Peter. The answer seemed to be no. Simon Peter was the only one who got this call. Then why would the whole bunch of guys followed Jesus? Well, this is simply how things work in the world. To the others who were did not share the vision, Simon Peter was the leader, the chosen one. Even though he fell later by denying Jesus Christ three times, Jesus gave him the chance to correct by asking him “do you love me” three times, through
which Simon Peter has been reassured and strengthened.
What I felt most thankful when I read this passage was that God indeed summoned sinners, rather than the righteous, to follow Him. God called upon those who have nothing.
Verse 11 mentioned that Simon Peter left everything behind to follow Jesus because he knew that it was the most important thing to do. Jesus was sent by God! We know so well that the spiritual conditions of many Christians
fluctuate as much as the stock market. Would it be in the low or the high at the point when God comes back? That would be a decisive moment! If God called only those who are good, nice, educated, knowledgeable, morally impeccable ... no one can stand. We are all sinners relying on God’s grace alone.
Just like Simon Peter. I believe that when Jesus commanded Peter to drive the boat to the deep for fishing, Peter
must have been complaining in his heart: come on! In terms of fishing, I am the true expert! There’s no place for you! However, Jesus was all powerful and He was able to bring the suppressed out from the darkness just like the
fish. The only thing that man has to do is to follow Jesus Christ. That’s the only way on which we can turn around from the dooming destiny. Following Jesus is the only option.
This is the message of Luke. For this purpose he got hold of the sponsorship of Theophilus to publish his two books.
“I will make you fishers of men.” So “You will be catching people.” Why did Luke describe the episode with so much effort? The Old Testament has a well-known metaphor originated from the shepherd of Psalm 23. This is so common in the Jewish tradition: The Lord is the Shepherd and His people the flock on the pasture. Yet this metaphor tends to be applied inside the church, rather domestic. Luke must have been disappointed by this metaphor as it is
exclusive for the Jews. It echoes with the mindset of the scribes and Pharisees that sinners are not inside and thus would not be blessed by God. Their lives were not worth living.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Luke brought out another metaphor: fishing metaphor. In Mark, the conclusion was “I will
make you fishers of men.” In Luke, it becomes “You will be catching people.” “Catching” here means “capturing alive," a military term.
Luke put forward the “fishing metaphor” as it is necessary to step into the new era. Jesus Christ, coming from Nazareth, was to lead people out from the heavy suppression of evil. Then, could the “shepherd metaphor”
be thrown away? Absolutely not. “Shepherd” metaphor concerns with the pastoring ministry within Church families.
“Fishing metaphor” refers to outreaching ministry of preaching that everyone has a role to play.
From Luke onwards, there are two metaphors in church: the shepherd metaphor and the fishing metaphor. We have to hold one in each hand. After “catching” people for the church, we still have to nurture them and make them
grow. It is by God’s grace that we can help newcomers grow up. We are accountable for their growth. Let’s stay with God and count on God.