Luke Study #39 – Saying “Yes”

Luke 5:1-7 (CEV)

¹Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, teaching the people as they crowded around him to hear God’s message. ² Near the shore he saw two boats left there by some fishermen who had gone to wash their nets. ³ Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon and asked him to row it out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down in the boat to teach the crowd.

⁴ When Jesus had finished speaking, he told Simon, “Row the boat out into the deep water and let your nets down to catch some fish.”

⁵ “Master,” Simon answered, “we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down.” ⁶ They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart. ⁷ Then they signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The men came, and together they filled the two boats so full that they both began to sink.

Saying “Yes”

It was just over four years ago. I had been struggling on the edge of church for close to a decade. I had been at seven different churches in that time, and if it hadn’t been for Jesus, I would have left the church years earlier for the hurt and damage it had caused me. And here I stood again, feeling like I simply couldn’t keep going to the church I was at, but now I worked for a Christian organization that had a policy saying that as part of my contract I had to go to church. And my boss, who had listened to much of my hurts on the subject, asked me if I would be willing to give church one more try. She said she thought I might be okay at her friend Erin’s church. And so, since I didn’t want to leave my job at that point, and since I trusted that my boss genuinely cared about me, I said yes.

I showed up that Sunday morning, and put my kids into the children’s program, and then carefully started a conversation with another mom in the hallway so that I didn’t have to face the sermon.

I got through the first week, and it didn’t kill me, and the kids didn’t hate it, so I decided to try again the second week. That morning, my husband (who was also done with church) offered to come along “at least once” because he knew I had to do this if I wanted to keep my job, and he knew it was hard for me to go alone.

So this time, I decided I had to take the plunge and listen to the sermon. And the pastor was preaching through Leviticus. And that sounded like about the last thing I wanted a sermon on, but I stayed. And it wasn’t horrible. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t so-so. It wasn’t even “ok”. It was – as you who were at Vox at the time can confirm – incredible.

And this is the story I think of when I read our passage this morning. Simon and his crew are exhausted. They’re finished. They’re done. They didn’t catch anything all night long, and maybe this isn’t the first night without fish. How long might they have gone without a catch to bring home? How close to giving up the whole fishing gig have they come? But then Jesus comes along and asks to sit in their boat. They listen to him, and Simon at least must have started to trust Jesus – at least a little. Because when Jesus says, “let down your nets” one more time, Simon only protests a little. He only drags his feet a little. Weary and exhausted though he is, he slowly puts one oar in front of the other, slowly lets down the net … and experiences the surprise of his life when he finds the nets full to overflowing!!Journal Questions:

1. Are you close to giving up?
2. Does it feel as though Jesus is offering you one last thing to try?
3. Are you tired, weary, worn out, exhausted, by the struggle you’ve endured just to get this far, and seriously wonder whether it’s worth one more try?
4. I know you have a dozen scenarios and explanations and excuses for why this won’t work, but what would happen if there really was something different about this time?
5. Take some time, if you can, to sit and listen to Jesus today. Carve out some quiet and ask him to remind you of his love for you. Ask him to give you courage to try one more time. Don’t be afraid to invite community into this process – text a friend and go for coffee and talk it out together.
6. I know how hard it can be, but I hope, whether it’s today or next month or next year, that when Jesus says, “let’s give it one more try” you’re able to say yes.