He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then He sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.
When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
“Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing!†   Luke 5:3-5 (HCSB)
“I’ve worked soooo hard, God, and nothing is happening!†Oh, how I must admit my whining! Look at how Jesus works –
Jesus meets people where they are. Jesus did not expect people to meet Him inside the church. If I look at the times that He was inside the synagogue, it wasn’t always such a positive experience. He usually did something that upset the leadership. Jesus went out into the villages, on hilltops, along the sea to teach and talk to the people. Jesus brought God to them.
His parables, or stories reflected their lives. Jesus did not preach sermons that would have gotten high grades in seminary. His teachings did not have 3-4 supporting references from great theologians of His time. Jesus spoke about planting and fishing, the everyday events in the lives of His audience. He wanted them to understand that God was in their lives in a personal and intimate way.
Jesus taught that God can be most visible in darkness and storms. Jesus came to the disciples in storms on the sea. He came to them in the night. Jesus touched people in their illness, even in death. It seems we must get to the point of seeing Jesus as the only option. How much easier it would be in our lives if we saw Jesus first as the best option! In this story, Jesus tells Peter to put out into the deep. There’s a clue to Peter on where he will be living the rest of his life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. There is no playing like a child in the shallow end of the pool. There are no safety nets. When Jesus takes us out where He wants us to be, we can count on that we won’t be able to “touch the bottomâ€. We may be asked to cast our net out even when we have already been working and working. Jesus is asking us to trust Him; have faith in Him. “But at Your word, I’ll let down the nets.” That’s it. Jesus asked me. I obey. Look what happens.
They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart.    Luke 5:6 (CEV)
God is in the multiplication business…miracles. Jesus shows us how a mustard seed of faith and obedience will cause extraordinary things to happen. Sometimes I miss the miracles because I am looking with limited eyes. I am looking for the seas to part and bushes to blaze but not burn and the dead to rise. Jesus is trying to get me to look for bigger. He wants me to see His Kingdom. He wants His children not to be divided but to be connected and work together for the Kingdom. He wants me to burn with His Spirit, bringing others closer to His presence. He wants me to see my time here as just a brief time to serve until I pass through that door I call “death†into my real life that never, ever ends with Him.
