The crowds are growing so large that Jesus has to get creative to make sure all can hear the word of God. Standing by the lake of Gennesaret, the wave of humanity trying to draw closer to him almost pushes him into the water.
He spots two empty boats, one of which belongs to his newly appointed disciple Simon Peter, and he asks Simon to launch out just a bit from the beach. Then he sits down in the boat and begins to teach the adoring crowd. Note that the sitting position is exactly what a Rabbi does when teaching in a synagogue.
I love thinking of the outdoors as the Son of God’s worship center!
When Jesus finishes his teaching, instead of asking, he commands Simon:
“Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (5:4).
I also love thinking that Simon has no idea that “renting” his boat to Jesus will have such an overwhelming payback!
Simon knows that night time, not morning, is the time to fish; and even during the previous night he and his partners caught absolutely nothing. Peter is exhausted, yet:
“But at your word I will let down the nets” (5:5).
To put it mildly, the nets filled with fish to the breaking point in just moments and filled two boats dangerously close to sinking them.
Simon Peter’s response? Repentance, a very appropriate response to the power of God personified:
“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (5:8).
Along with his partners James and John the sons of Zebedee, they are astonished, in the sense of being terrified.
Thus Jesus gives Simon a second command:
“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (5:10).
The two commands from Jesus in this story fit well within the context of the event itself. First, Jesus wants to thank Peter for his help after a long, unproductive night of fishing, and so he commands him to put out into the deep again; Jesus knows there will be a rewarding catch for Peter and his partners.
Once the catch is revealed, Peter is completely humbled and fearful of the power of God – a very healthy fear and Jesus commands him not to be afraid.
But there is much more here when viewed from a metaphorical perspective.
Ask yourself how the commands of Jesus might be teaching us the way toward his final prayer for perfect unity.
In the first one above, Peter is told to put out into the deep. In addition to just telling him to go fishing, is he possibly also commanding him as a disciple to venture where no men have ever gone before – the “deep” – in the saving ministry of Jesus?
Is this why Peter becomes frightened when he sees the true implications of what Jesus is doing?
In the second command, Jesus is telling Peter to not be afraid of being judged as the sinner he knows he is. But also Jesus is saying that his entire career is about to change in a flash – don’t be afraid of that.
From here to the end of the Four Gospels, we will encounter many more commands of Jesus. Take the time to look deeper, not only at the physical situation in the story, but also at whether Jesus is implying a deeper meaning by metaphor.
Listen carefully to the commands of Jesus. And ask how each relates to the perfect unity Jesus prays for and desires with all his heart.