“Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this they enclosed a great shoal of fish. St. Luke 5:1-11; also Judges 6:11-24a
In the Name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Amen.
I am privileged to know a fair number of fishermen (and fisherwomen, including one from Monhegan Island, Maine who featured on the TV Survivor series). There are my wife Nancy’s father and brothers in Rhode Island; others are friends. I cannot imagine the power it would take to get a veteran fisherman, like my fisherman in-laws and friends and Simon Peter in today’s Gospel, after a long hard night of fruitless fishing, to put out into sea and cast their nets again right away; especially if the word came from a preacher. But Jesus got Peter and his comrades to hop to it, so let’s begin with that.
The chapter in Saint Luke just before this morning’s reading helps us understand. On the Sabbath in the Capernaum synagogue, just a stone’s throw from the Sea of Galilee, Jesus confronted and healed a man with an unclean spirit. After that he stayed at Peter’s house and healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a high fever, which left her so completely that she got up and served Jesus and the company. These and a good number of other healings took place. Now we know why Peter called Jesus “Master” and took his word as a command.
It is a powerful scene. The net-breaking catch of fish is clearly intended by Jesus and interpreted by Saint Luke to be itself a parable for the apostolic ministry. Jesus had been using Simon’s boat to teach the crowd on the beach. The manifest power and holiness of the catch astonishes Simon Peter and the others and drives him to fall down at Jesus’ knees, asking Jesus to depart, for Peter acutely feels his frailty, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” But Jesus replies, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.”
Sometimes allegories can be fanciful, but the traditional allegory of the Church as a ship and of the ministry as fishing is well based here. The only thing I think we need to beware of is identifying “ministry/fishing” too narrowly as evangelism only. For the Church’s genuine ministry includes evangelism, teaching, worship and liturgy, preaching, sacraments, pastoral care, healing, administration, discipline and order, fellowship and community building, social service and witness, fund raising and stewardship. All of it, if it be genuine ministry, is connected to the Lord Jesus Christ, is ventured in his name, comes from him and returns to him.
Furthermore, the life of the individual Christian is patterned after the “ministry/fishing” image. One of the biggest human problems is lack of meaning and purpose in life; right next to this (and often resulting from it) are isolation and loneliness. When people discover the power of God in Christ, they can begin to meet others who have made the same discovery; they can go church; and there, in the great “ship” of Christ, they can take part with others in the fishing enterprise – and there is a lot to learn and to do in being a disciple, just as there is in fishing.
The thing about fishing is that it involves a great deal of life and movement that is out of sight. The sea covers a whole world that fishermen, for all their arts and sciences, cannot see or control; which explains why they are so cautious and sometimes superstitious. There are long periods of waiting and, in the church, you can “toil all night” for seemingly very little to no tangible results. People are every bit as alive and mysterious, and apparently even more free, than the fish of the sea. But even deeper than that (pardon the seafaring pun); the entire enterprise depends upon the sovereign will of the living God, the Lord of the harvest, who can make a few moments as fruitful as many days or even weeks and months. The important thing in the “ministry/fishing” life of the church and of the witness of the individual lay Christian is to be aware that you are always on call (even in the least obvious times and places). In this situation, tasks quickly can become assignments and errands for the Lord. It is well for each of us to have regular routines, jobs, careers, volunteer work, to do and which keep us working and gainful in daily life and which are intrinsically honorable. But when you have heeded Christ’s call, you can be amazed at the ways in which the Lord will suddenly show up, as when Peter and his fellow workers were stunned by the great shoal of fish. We see these sorts of things in this great old ship of Saint Thomas, as do many of our members who report in from time to time about the providences of God out there in the world where they live and work.
Fishing is supplemented by other images of the Church’s and the individual Christian’s life and work, such as the one in today’s Old Testament reading from Judges in the call of Gideon to be a warrior for the Lord in Israel. It’s a long and remarkable story, in which the angel of the Lord repeatedly makes it clear to Gideon that God works his will, including determining and fighting the battles; and Gideon is invited to cooperate with that sovereign will. To make the point, the Lord even whittles down Gideon’s army to a trained, faithful remnant, which puts a much larger enemy host to rout. Battles, banquets, races, trials and tests, fishing; all constitute part and are images of the Church’s ministry and the Christian’s life to be faithful to the Kingdom of God, to forward its purposes, and to invite others to join or to enter more deeply into it.
I began with fishing, I end with fishing; remember, it’s an allegory of apostolic witness and ministry. First, you don’t just start fishing; there’s a lot to learn on many fronts, and it takes time – years, a lifetime, really. Second, and following right on this, fishing is hard but rewarding work that can be dangerous and exhilarating. Teamwork is essential, close and trustworthy collaboration, and makes all the difference, even between life and death. Third, the sea itself, the “deep,” is a clear indicator of the utter sovereignty of Almighty God. “They that go down to the sea in ships and occupy their business in great waters,” says the Psalmist (Ps 107:23-30), “these men see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.” And we here, in this great ship of Christ, we also see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. Let us, at Jesus’ call, occupy our business in these great waters!
In the Name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Amen.
