Regular People as Disciples

Luke 5:1-11

In his commentary on Acts in the Interpretation series, Will Willimon comments that Peter, quoting Joel in Acts 2, is not talking just about God raising up individual prophets, but rather about God forming a prophetic community. Old and young, men and women, servants as well as those served—all of these receive the Holy Spirit in the last days. Reading Luke 5:1-11, it occurs to me that the Holy Spirit doesn't wait until Acts to get going on this prophetic community development project.

Peter is a useful model for discipleship precisely because he is a regular guy. What do I mean by regular?

1. He's by the shore washing out nets. They guy works for a living.
2. He had a bad day (or night, actually) at work. Once in a while that happens to just about everyone.
3. He talks frankly to Jesus. Yes, he uses an honorific title ("master" in the NRSV), but you can hear the resistance to Jesus' words in his reply to the suggestion that he try fishing again. He's not afraid to say to Jesus, "This sounds like a bad idea to me."
4. He knows he's way out of his league when he realizes that Jesus has at his disposal the power of God. No false modesty here, just the realization that, "I am a sinner."

The epiphany in the text for me is not so much the great catch of fish (though that is impressive), but rather Jesus' catch of Peter and the implications of that catch for who else Jesus is interested in catching for membership in his prophetic community.

1. Jesus is not put off by Peter's initial resistance to the idea of putting the nets down again. Apparently we don't have to hide our true opinion of Jesus' ideas from Jesus himself.
2. Jesus is not put off either by Peter's sinfulness or Peter's acknowledgement of the same. Likewise, we don't have to hide our true opinion of ourselves from Jesus.
3. By calling Peter, Jesus is about something bigger than just affirming Peter (not that there's anything wrong with that). :-) The reason for the call is not to say to Peter, "Buck up, little buddy, you're not so bad," but rather, "Stop being afraid now. We have work to do."

The crowds are as overwhelming as all those fish in the nets. The reason for the call of disciples is that people need the power of God and the Word of God that Jesus is offering, and in order to catch people with these things, Jesus needs help. The best thing that Peter teaches us about discipleship is that a regular guy does not cease to be a regular guy just because he is called to follow Jesus. Jesus is not putting together a group of fellow superstars who can sing, "When we all retire, we will write the gospels, so they'll all talk about us when we've died." Jesus is putting together a prophetic community, a group of people who will live the gospel so that others can hear it and see it. To do that, he will need all the regular people he can find.

Comments

[Susan Wright]

Hi Mary,
I've enjoyed your website! Thanks for your work.

I wanted to mention that I really appreciated how you put #3 above: that Jesus is saying more than "Buck up," but also saying, "No worries. I'm here with you."

My initial hunch for my sermon this week was along the lines of saying this: As baptized Christians, we do not have the choice but to be a witness to Christ. This is our promise, grace, our identity given to us by God. We are the incarnation. Christ resides in us. BUT- Jesus makes us swim out a little further (doesn't let us off the hook, in other words) and says I need you to follow.

So, your words of wisdom helped in this greatly. Thanks! skw

[Stephen Brown]

Hey Mary,

I am drawn to your commonsense questions and points about the text.
Being a fisherman in a family od fishermen, I know how competitive I am when in the boat when others are catching and I am not. I can tell myself a hundred times that it is more lluck than skill and next time I will land the big one, but I still get down on myself when I am behind. So I know how Peter felt. How right you are ib sensing Jesus' calm about Peter's humanness. we are all human with a fishing pole or a faith in our Hands.

[Brad Rentzel]

Mary, I too appreciate your common sense approach to Jesus calling ordinary folk. Too often we hear about extraordinary beings called to do amazing things! I'm left out. But doesn't Jesus, in this story, assist with a large catch--what makes a fisherman a great fisherman--and then says let it be and follow me? Do they realize what they are getting into?

[Stephanie A]

I'm drawn to Isaiah, but with similar themes as the "ordinary people" calling idea. God doesn't call perfect people. When Isaiah tells the angel he has unclean lips, the angel doesn't say "Oh that's OK. Don't worry about it." The angel cleanses him to make him ready to serve God. God's calls don't come to perfect people. We have to be made right for the job. Like you say, there's no "buck up". There's stuff to do, and God will find a way to make the people God has, imperfect and ordinary, work in the jobs that are available.

[Roger A Parks]

I am struck with the notion of ordinary people--and notice how Jesus talks to them on the shore, and then says, "Lets go a little deeper." And when he goes deeper, there is abundance--people that encounter Jesus at the deeper level are blessed with an abundance of grace. And with that abundance comes the claim to follow Jesus further.

[Neil A.]

I mused over the musical reference to Jesus Christ Superstar in the last paragraph. In the rock opera, this chorus stands out in shocking relief - a serene musical counter point if you will - against the horrifying intertwined melodies of the disillusionment of Judas and Jesus contemplating his immanent betrayal. The Messianic aspirations of the apostles are crashing upon the hard rocks of the impending crucifixion. And the eleven are left a step behind, unwilling to even consider the truth that all would deny and all would betray - given the right circumstances. At least they won't consider that possibility until the morrow, "till this evening is this morning, life is fine."

Even here in the opera these are regular guys. They are regular precisely in their collective aspiration to be extraordinary.

So with all this "regular-ness" going around - and yes we must affirm that it is at the center of this text - what are we to make of the fact that these three regular guys (in the midst of many seemingly exceptional - in either privilege or affliction - people in chapters 4 and 5) take on the absurd task of following a wandering preacher and fishing for a catch that has never before been caught in a yet unseen body of water with no immediate sign of the necessary tackle?

[Michael Stadtmueller]

I am interested in the crowd that is mentioned in this scripture text as opposed to the Matthew and Mark calling of the disciples. It made me consider the reasons that Luke might have mentioned them. And my ears with this in mind are particularly drawn to versus 3 and 4.

"He sat down and taught the crowds... and when he was finished."

Is'nt anybody else left saying, "What we don't get to hear these words of instruction from Christ. Why aren't his teachings shared in this story?" Shouldn't verse 4 be, "And Jesus said...." And continue with some wonderful inspirational message from Christ that will draw these followers to Christ... But Luke doesn't mention this at all. In this story it is clearly of less importance.

Luke adds a crowd to this story to emphasize to the reader of this Gospel that Jesus teachings are secondary to the relationship that he is calling us to. I think this ties in well to Mary's comments.

[Gordon Atkinson]

Mary, thank you for your work. I found you through text week. I know good stuff when I see it! Well written, thoughtful, not restating the obvious.

in Christ,

rlp

[Dawn Quame]

Wow Mary! You made the "headlines" of Text this Week! In response to Michael's question about the lack of "And Jesus Said", I too caught that. It seems to me that at this point, we encounter Jesus' signs more than his words. Signs like a net full of fish or stepping into the boat (uninvited I noticed!) and away from the crowd who had been waiting to "hear the word of God". The teaching comes later, after the twelve are pulled together, I suppose.

Any thoughts on Peter's response? - "Go away from me"? I get the sense Peter's feeling a little bit convicted?

Mary, your words, "Buck up, we have work to do" are so true! Kinda helps pull the Peter in all of us out of our own pity parties and towards God.

[Dawn Quame]

Oops! I stand corrected....Sorry for misquoting you ..... I meant, "Stop being afraid now. We have work to do." rather than the "Buck Up", although I do somehow imagine Jesus telling Peter to get over it.

[Mike]

Is this "fishing" business, historic happenstance or is it a more intentional understanding of 1st century "witnessing" as described by the Gospels. Personally, I am uncomfortable with the idea of "catching people" much as fish are caught (that is, either hooked or netted). People just aren't fish. Anything to share? Thanks! M.P.

[Jason Anderson]

Dawn, I think you're right on with the 1st century witnessing. But I have always thought that this is an example of some great 21st century witnessing as well. I feel it's not so much about the fishing... as it is the language. I don't recall Jesus or his disciples ever hooking or netting other people, they do, however, speak the people's language...at least Jesus does according to this pericope. He uses this fishy metaphore, and the fishermen understand.