Faith Of A Fisherman I

He said, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” So, they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of the fish.” The faith of a fisherman. I am always tempted to believe that we all carry the faith of fishermen.

Our theme for this year is “Reaching Out in Faith.” As I reflected on this theme, I was drawn to a particular story in Luke 5. Jesus was at the shore and got into Simon Peter’s boat to teach. After teaching, he asked Simon to go out a little deep and let down his net. Simon Peter and his friends had toiled all night and had caught nothing.

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” The important phrase here is “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” The faith of a fisherman.

I was drawn to this interaction because it tells the story of how faith motivates and drives us to respond to the Savior’s invitation even when we are tired, exhausted, drained, and worn out. Even when we have given our all and our all appears insufficient, we still give it our all.

Reaching out in faith is like carrying the faith of a fisherman-that the dangers of the sea and the hard work of being a fisherman doesn’t deter you, it rather motivates you.

Let me tell you about fishing and fishermen - fishing is one of the most dangerous, physical, demanding, and hardworking jobs. As a kid, I grew up among fishermen, and my home in Ghana is still among fishermen. There were times when fisherman actually lived in our house. I consider myself a fisherman.

In fact, my maternal grandfather, in whose house I lived, grew up a fisherman. In his later life, he owned fishing boats which employed fishermen. Behind the very same house where I grew up still live fishermen and people who work in the fishing business. I grew up surrounded by fishermen and women. Looking at these fishermen, I am of the view that the nature of the work and the occupational hazards aren’t any different from first-century fishermen.

By virtue of the fact that I lived among them, I am very much aware of the nature of an occupation that involves casting nets into the ocean with bare hands and pulling them out of the ocean-whether with fish or without fish with bare hands. The fishermen that I knew were mighty strong because it took a lot of strength and energy to do that kind of work.

A typical day for a fisherman involves loading up their big canoes with nets, outboard motor, fuel, water, food and other supplies and heading onto the open seas with little to no protection in the middle of the night.

When it rains, they are at the mercy of the rain. When the sun is up, they are at the mercy of the harsh heat from the sun. When there’s a storm, they are at the mercy of the storm. When the waters rage, they are at the mercy of that raging water. The fishermen that I grew up with were and still are at the mercy of nature when they venture out into the open seas to fish.

Beyond the harsh reality of putting themselves out there on the high seas and being at the mercy of everything else was the reality of catching nothing. That is the most depressing state you can ever find a fisherman. The work is difficult and tough, and to catch nothing after all the hard work isn’t a pleasant feeling at all. 

The fishermen that I knew operated with this mindset; the sea will never run out of fish, but nothing is guaranteed. There’s so much fish in the sea, and the fact that we didn’t catch any fish doesn’t stop them from returning to the open seas the next day for a catch. The fact that they didn’t catch any doesn’t mean there’s no longer any more fish to be caught. They rest, mend their nets, fuel up, get supplies, load up their canoes, and go back out late at night to fish.

Strangely enough, the fishermen I knew and the disciples of Jesus do not attempt to understand why they caught no fish-it felt like they intuitively understood why. But one thing they knew was that the sea never runs out of fish so catching nothing today didn’t mean they wouldn’t catch any tomorrow.

One interesting point to note is that fishermen do not go back and cast their nets into the sea again right after they pull out to shore. That isn’t their practice. They fish all night, and so when they pull up at the shore, all they want to do is clean up and rest.

But that is exactly what Jesus asked Simon Peter to do. To go back into the deep and let down their nets. What Jesus asked the disciples to do was not the typical way that fishermen operate. That is why they complained-we have worked all night and caught nothing. This is the time we clean up, rest, and prepare to go back out later in the night.

The invitation from Jesus didn’t make sense to them-it felt like adding insult to injury. But Simon Peter didn’t reject the invitation to return to the deep water. Amid his complaints, he made this point “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

This is a mark of total surrender marked by faith. And when he listened and obeyed, went into the deep, and let down his net, a miracle happened. Miracles aren’t possible without a response on our part. Miracles only happen when faith leads us to surrender to God’s invitation. Miracles happen when we respond to God.

I think that is one of the most faith-induced statements I have ever read from scripture. This is what Simon Peter appears to have said: we don’t want to do it, we don’t feel like doing it, but we will do it nonetheless because you have asked us to.

About two weeks ago, I got a call from Clarksville GIANT about our Food Drive. According to them, we can no longer have as many people by the entrance to the store as we used to. We can only have two people at a time. I could see the frustration on Patricia’s face when I broke the news to her. Michon was also devastated. She went there to check, and they affirmed what they told me.

The Food Drive is meant to benefit the patrons of Howard County Food Bank. But since we are conducting the Food Drive, it is always tempting to make it about us, and to make it about us would have meant canceling the drive because we didn’t like the new restrictions. But it wasn’t about us - which was an important distinction to draw.

I do not believe that acts of faith should be about us. It is for this reason that the words of Simon Peter: “But because you say so, I will let down the nets” become so relevant because our response to faith should overcome all challenges, headaches, distractions, and difficulties that may come our way.

As we prepare for Easter, may we all remember that it was mainly fishermen whose faith in Christ Jesus carried the message of human redemption.

May you have the faith of a fisherman.

Manny+

(This is the first part of the thoughts I shared at the Christ Church Wednesday Evening in Lent program.)