Fourth Sunday before Lent Luke 5:1-11 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
How do you ‘catch people’? It’s a bit of a strange phrase, yet we find Jesus saying it to the fishermen among his disciples. Of course, we do understand it here, in the context of the great catch of fish that the fishermen caught after Jesus had told them what to do. Luke records that they had not caught anything after a long night of hard work, but they did as Jesus asked and then had trouble getting all the fish into the boat! Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying: ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ Now where did that come from, we may wonder.
In the accompanying passage from the first letter to the Corinthians, we find Paul speaking along similar lines, saying he is the least of the Apostles, unfit even to be called an apostle, because he first persecuted the Church of God. Only later, by God’s grace, did he become a follower of Christ, when Jesus appeared to him ‘as to one untimely born’, he calls it. On the road to Damascus, Paul was ‘caught’. His conversion is a remarkable story, in that Paul, formerly known as Saul, changed so dramatically, by God’s grace. And Jesus, when he tells the disciple fishermen to cast out their net in the way he suggests, also changes Simon Peter, who then confesses his sinfulness. It is not simply because of the great catch of fish that this happens; it is because of the way it happens, and because of the way Jesus activates it. It is by contrast with Jesus, that Peter sees himself in a new light. No longer is he the one who is in charge, and the one who knows it all. Until then, Peter, and his companions, had still been working as fishermen, for that was their job. This is the moment, though, when they left their boats and committed themselves to following Jesus.
The readings for today, both from Luke’s Gospel and 1 Corinthians, are sharing this particular notion: that you can’t follow Jesus if your loyalty is divided. You can’t be a part-time Christian; you either are or you are not. When we see the light of Christ shine on us, we cannot but see how we need him! And we need him 24/7, not just on Sunday or every now and then, when we feel like allowing God a look in. And this may lead us to the question: how easy do we find it to commit to Christ in our lives? Are we happy to do the things that are easy, when we have some time to spare? Or are we willing to serve also when it’s difficult or demanding? It may be a question that we dodge anyway, not really wanting to engage. But if that is the case, we may miss out on the opportunity to live our lives to the full, as God has intended. For when Jesus said to the fishermen: ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people’, what he gave them was the fulfilment of their lives, according to their talents, so that they could shine as true people. Yes, following Christ may not be easy; it may be hard and even dangerous sometimes. But the alternative is an even greater loss: the loss of truth, of real peace, of destiny. When you have been ‘caught’ by Christ, you don’t lose your say about your life altogether; rather, you gain a better understanding of where your life is going. Your journey becomes more intentional, especially when you realise that you have to adjust your direction. In the long run, it is more joyful and rewarding, and safer. What’s more, when we live as people ‘caught’ by Jesus, we find that we can in turn help ‘catch’ them for Jesus too. Our faith can become infectious, inspiring others to follow Jesus. It can be as overwhelming as the unexpected catch of fish. Who knows what it can lead to? Amen.