An old angler finds a new angle

I like today’s gospel reading from Luke 5:1-11 because you can always get another angle on it. This time I am thinking of Simon, a tough weather-worn fisherman, who was probably listening to Jesus with a wry smile on his face. Still, there was something different about this preacher. He would have been sitting in his boat which would have been a little way out from the shore but close enough for him to hear what Jesus was saying. Suddenly, as he ended his teaching, the preacher turned to Simon and said “Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.” Now Simon must have thought, “Who does this carpenter think he is? He knows nothing about fishing.” So, he says to Jesus whom he adresses with the respectful term ‘teacher” or “master”, “we worked hard all night and caught nothing.” Then, probably without thinking, he says, “but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.” Something powerful connects these two, this tough fisherman and this preaching carpenter. Simon does what does not make sense. He puts out his net into waters that are not supposed to have fish. What! There are so many fish he has to call others to help him. It was a moment of utter disbelief – this cannot be happening! – and a moment of frightening self-awareness. “I can’t handle this. Depart from me, Lord (he now sees Jesus as more than “master”). I am a sinful man.” You can imagine Simon thinking, “the hollowness in my soul is so frightening; it reveals that I am even capable of betraying someone very close to me.” Keep away! It was also at that moment Jesus knew that the one standing in front of him could attract people, convince people that God’s love is overwhelming. “Don’t be afraid brother, you’re going to draw so many people to God, a number beyond what you could imagine.” That’s what Jesus is saying to you and me. You may not believe it; you may be frightened of it. But let Jesus take your hand and take you to places you never imagined you would go. By the way, age is no barrier in this call.