Sometimes we wish we could
meet the disciples. Wouldn’t it have been something to have been able to
meet Peter, to shake Matthew’s hand? What if even now we could somehow go
back in time to hear the Sermon on the Mount?” Often when people wish for
such things, the motivation seems to be a combination of healthy curiosity and
the idea that maybe it would be easier to believe the gospel if we could have
seen gospel events unfold before our very eyes.
I doubt that seeing the
disciples would make the gospel easier to believe. In fact, seeing the
disciples in person might just make it more
difficult! The disciples were not, after all, from among society’s upper
echelons. They were not highly educated, well-dressed, or outwardly
impressive.
If you took the disciples
and brought them all together into one room, you would never in your wildest
imagination guess by looking at them that this weak-looking pack of ordinary
folks could change the world. But they did. The disciples changed
the world because it was to them that the secret of the universe was first
revealed.
That’s why Jesus called
them in the first place. If you’re going to save the world, you’ve got to start
somewhere. And if in the end you’re going to save the world through humility,
gentleness, compassion, and sacrifice, it makes sense to begin with a bunch of
fellows who couldn’t get much more humble if they tried! The disciples needed
to be common, ordinary, and above all humble if they were going to do Jesus any
good and so change the world.
“Let’s go fishing out into
the deep water. I’ve got a hunch there’s a catch out there.” Simon,
experienced fisherman that he was, tried to be polite in his answer to this
landlubber. “You know, Master, we’ve been out the whole night, and caught
nothing.” He didn’t add, but was probably thinking, “This guy doesn’t
realize that no one goes deep sea fishing in broad daylight around here”.
But Simon, having failed to accomplish much by his own tried and true
methods, was in no position to question the Lord’s strange suggestion.
What he does say is the sentence that will change the entire course of
his life. Perhaps he said it with a sigh of resignation. “If you say
so…we’ll do it.” Well, you know what happened.
It all begins when Jesus
comes to us in the middle of our lives, where we work, where we live, the
seaside, the classroom, the hospital, the barn, the kitchen, and asks us to
trust him enough to do one strange little thing, like fishing in the deep water
in broad daylight. It’s the kind of thing that’s a little weird, a bit
outside your usual routine. But that’s often where Jesus’ call comes to
us: where we least expect it. Where we’ve failed. Where we feel
over our heads. Where we feel uncomfortable. Jesus does not
typically walk into our lives where we feel in control, where we are flush with
our own success. It’s in our places of vulnerability and confusion,
failure and sin. He likes to get us out there in the deep water in broad
daylight where we feel a little silly and strange.
Jesus invited Peter to fish
in the deep water. That little phrase bristles with suggestive possibilities.
God takes the highest view of our potential. He doesn’t want us to
be paddling around in the shallows of life where we often spend so much of our
time.
Lord, I pray for all my
Sonshine Friends who you have bless with great potential to bring your
compassion to hurting people. May our diversity be a source of strength that
brings your love to all God’s people. We need volunteers to work in Charlotte
House, the new hospice program in Wyoming County. If you like to donate your
compassionate skills, contact Tim Kibler at 727-0942.
