Sometimes we can see where we are and life does not go the way we expect. Sometimes, in failure, we are finally willing to listen. Those are sometimes the moments that we can hear what we would not hear before and, find a new way forward.

The first time I visited Albuquerque, I kept getting turned around. After a while I realized that the mountains were on the wrong side, the East side. You see I had learned to drive where the Mountains were to the west. They were always there, looming above. We have something similar here. The bitterroots are always there, just to the west. It’s hard to get lost around here.

But, just because I could get around the physical landscape, didn’t always mean I was hearing enough to know which way to go.

Here, in our passage, Luke talks about Lake Gennesaret. I suspect, on a roman map, it didn’t look very big. But, locals called it the Sea of Gallilee. From their perspective it wasn’t an ink splotch but the dominant feature in their lives. When a body that large is around … and you know what to listen for –from the sound of the water, to the way the way the wind is blowing, to the types of birds– they probably never got lost, either. 

Hearing is believing.

Another way that Sea dominated their lives was fish. 

Those who fished for a living actually made a better living than most people in the area. Part of that was that fish was one of the main staples in the diet in the area. 

But, this day, Peter and his partners haven’t caught a thing. It’s one thing to come to town with a fish-that-got-away story when you fish to relax. It’s a whole nother thing when your living is wrapped up in the sound of fish flapping in the bottom of your boat.

But, the least they can do is clean the nets to keep them servicable… and while they’re doing this, there’s this spiritual Master that has reeled in a whole crowd. It must have been a striking contrast. Then the Master comes over, steps in the boat and says, can you row me a bit off shore? The land around that sea acts like an ampitheater… rowing a ways off would have been a good way to be heard. As Peter rows, Jesus stays standing –being from around there he probably had well-developed sea legs. When they get a ways out, Peter stops rowing and Jesus sits down and begins teaching. 

When Jesus is done, he asks. Can you row out to the deep water, and drop your nets. Peter’s been working all night (the best to catch fish on this sea) and he’s tired. Your experience is that once the sun comes up and the water starts warming up, the fish head to the depths. Casting nets at this time and expecting to catch anything is a bit crazy. But, something about the way this Spiritual Master teaches… or about the man … something… convinces Peter to start rowing again. Because you say so is the phrase Peter uses. And he’s and he casts his nets into the deep water. 

The overflowing Catch

And, this time, the nets overflow. Peter and his partners pull in this huge catch. Peter is amazed. The people who are with Peter are amazed. His partners are amazed. And Jesus says don’t be afraid. 

The catch is so large their nets start to split and break. Broken nets could ruin someone. And repairing them was not cheap. The choice was often between borrowing money to repair them or being ruined. 

You have this situation where Peter, the administrator, the manager, the business man would have been torn between the huge number of fishing —what a day of making money— and repair costs that could have been far larger than what they made. 

Do you freak out at the damage to the nets? Maybe look for someone to blame? Do you celebrate that you made more money? Do you see it as a nudge to keep fishing (we’re making money) or do you see it as a nudge to do something else (look at the nets). What do you do when what your thinking is pulling you in two very different directions?

They may have caught a lot of fish but, from a business perspective, they’ve gone from one failure to another.

Is Peter falling on his knees, I’m a sinner, brought on by a day where even success seems to bring failure? God, what did I do wrong?

And Jesus’ first words are don’t be afraid. You see your world as coming apart. You see your past catching up with. Maybe you see the way you treated people this week catching up with you. Maybe you’re not even sure how you’ve gone wrong, what you’ve done but if you’re in charge, if you’re the leader in this little enterprise, the buck is going to come back to you. And, sometimes, things –even the things you thought you’d mastered– are beyond your control.

What do you do? The rest of it doesn’t make sense… but, for Peter, hearing is believing. Sometimes in our failures we are open to hear the divine, to hear Gd speaking into our lives. Hearing is believing.

And all through this encounter, Peter the master fisher, the one who all these other people following his lead, has watched Jesus fish in ways that Peter is not used to fishing. At times, ways that –for Peter– would never produce results. He drew a crowd by the sea shore. He drew in Peter and his group. He drew them not just out on to the water, but to the deep water. This whole time, Peter has been watching Jesus fish. Throwing nets and words out, inviting, catching and then, putting that catch to work. Helping them find new purpose, something new to do. Hearing is believing. 

Don’t be afriad Peter. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid. Hearing is believing. Don’t be afraid. There is work to do. Come. Join me and I’ll teach you what you need to know. 

Don’t be afraid

Hearing is believing