True Call
Epiphany 5
Fr. Tim Nunez
May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
I’d like to begin our look at this morning’s gospel from the perspective of the fish. These fish are tilapia, by the way, mild fish. And they have evolved to live a rather simple life, swimming around doing what tilapia do, perhaps aware that forces beyond their normal life are seeking to catch them. The net comes and they try to escape. Some do escape!
Peter is after tilapia, doing what fishermen do. Experienced fishermen know their favorite spots. Peter and his friends are likely at a spot called Tabgha, where seven warm springs flow into the Sea of Galilee. Tilapia like that spot and they tend to stay close to shore there, in the shallow water, where they can find algae, living or dead plants and insects.
I wonder what sense Peter had that he was about to be caught. Maybe he’s been circling around, looking at the bait, but he’s not quite ready to bite.
Here, let’s pause for a moment and recognize that, taken together, the call narratives in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John indicate the first disciples’ calls were not sudden or momentary. Jesus encountered his first disciples several times. For example, John shares that Andrew and Peter first encountered Jesus while they were with John the Baptist, far away from the northwest shores of the Sea of Galilee. Just a few verses before this passage, Luke shared that Jesus had healed Peter’s mother-in-law at Peter’s home.
They’ve met. They’ve talked. Peter has heard him preach and has seen at least one miraculous healing. That’s why he’s willing to let Jesus stand in his boat while he’s teaching, while Peter is washing his nets. (It’s almost like the first podcast!) By the way, what do we suppose Jesus is teaching about? The Kingdom of God! He’s always teaching about that in some way.
Peter knows him. That’s why, with only a minor objection, he’s willing to go out into the deep water. It sounds like a dumb idea. He knows the fish aren’t around. He knows it’s much better to catch them at night when they can’t see the nets very well. He knows tilapia don’t tend to hang out in deep water.
“Still, if you say so, I will,” he says.
Peter learns a lot about Jesus in that moment. The unlikely catch is one thing. Point taken, Rabbi. But the abundance is overwhelming. The nets are breaking, they need help. Peter sees all of this and knows that he’s being drawn toward Jesus, but he also knows he is not good enough for Jesus. He is “a sinful man,” after all.
Then Peter learns Jesus doesn’t intend just to make him a better man. Now, on top of the unlikeliness and abundance, Jesus transcends Peter’s life, his very existence. If, if, you will follow me, you’re not going to be this, a fisherman, anymore. You’re going to reach others for my sake, like I am reaching you. You’re going to join me in changing the world for the Kingdom of God, if, if, you will follow me.
The fundamental proposition is that not only will Jesus improve your life, the life Jesus offers you is an infinitely better than the life you know. It’s not just marginally better, he will change your fundamental perspective on everyone and everything.
And he is calling you.
Let’s go back for a moment to the fish. We are similar to the tilapia in this respect. Every day I get dozens of emails as well as a lot of text messages, Facebook Messenger messages, and the occasional WhatsApp message, and of course phone calls. And, despite filters and blocking apps, I get attempted scams on one or more of them almost every day. There are a lot of scammers all over the world working all day every day to catch people and steal everything from their money to their identity.
We know they prey on the aged, the lonely, the naïve – but really it could be anyone. I’ve come very close to getting caught and I’ve seen people get caught. I’ve seen banks and lawyers get caught, young and old. It’s awful.
They bait their hooks. The bait may seem irresistible, like bacon. Or it may seem very familiar, like a rubber worms or a well-tied fly, just a subtle difference from a known and trusted company or person. By the time you feel the sharp hook, it’s too late. Sadly, sometimes the bait is church flavored and church shaped.
It is extremely important to make sure we are hearing Jesus and not some scammer who is offering something too good to be true – bacon – or disguised to look like Jesus. Discerning his voice in the call and day by day in his direction is critical. We lean on his Word, with the long history of interpretation. We lean on the godly people we know and trust to help us affirm it is Jesus and to hear him clearly.
Many more people are caught by much more subtle nets of everyday life. There is so much to do, after all. If you’re working and raising a family, there is always too much to do. If you’re retired, the family demands continue. There are so many things you want to see and do before time runs out, and you have to fit all of that around your doctor appointments. There are teams to follow and the constant shouting of politics in our 24/7 news cycle.
It's very tempting to stay in the shallow water, where you can listen to Jesus and get some good from him without interrupting your schedule too much. You’re probably ok. He is in your boat, after all. Is that where you want to settle? More importantly, is that where he wants you to settle?
He wants you to put out into the deep water. You may be thinking, “That doesn’t make any sense. I’m working hard enough, thank you, and I know my business.” Sure, you do. But you won’t know the abundance of his Kingdom until you let down your net in the deep water. It’s about a lot more than helping you be a better person. He wants you to join him in his great project, sharing the kingdom of God.
Deep water. Pray on it.
AMEN