When the Lord tells us to do what we don’t want to.

We read in Luke5: 1-11 that the Lord Jesus asked Simon to go to the deep, and then again to cast the nets for fishing.

When the Lord asked him to go to the deep, he did not argue nor complain, but when he specified the reason by asking him to cast the nets into the water, he complained.

In the very beginning the Lord Jesus asked him to move away from the shore, so that he would see all the people standing before him, which means he was using Simon’s boat as a pulpit. When I think of this situation, where it is written that they spent the whole night fishing, which is the right time for fishing and they caught nothing at all, then at the shore they were mending the nets, and to be exact, they already finished fixing the nets. Before going home to have a long nap, just imagine how exhausted they should have been, especially Simon who bared the responsibility of the crew, as I may suggest, he had to do a big effort to obey the Lord at that specific moment.

This shows how much Simon and those with him loved the Lord Jesus, because they sacrificed by staying with him and accepting to go back into the deep. But now to cast the nets, the orders were given to Simon: verse4, “…let down your nets for a draught” (K.J. Version).

If I have to interpret what is written, then this order was given to Simon Peter, but the act is requested from the whole crew. That means Simon had to give the order to the crew to cast the nets in the morning, after trying all the night, after cleaning the nets, after the great expectation to have reached the time to go back home and have a rest. Wow!

“No Sir!” This should have been Simon’s answer “not my orders!” Because a master fisherman wouldn’t ask such a thing from the crew, in the morning; but I will let them know that you ordered such a thing and we all respect you and obey you, because you are our Master, so let me put it this way: “at your word I’ll let the nets down!”

We can all see the results at the end of the passage: 1- They caught a multitude of fishes; 2- Simon confessed he was a sinner; 3- Jesus declared his will to make them catching men; 4- They left all the fishes they caught; 5- They followed Jesus!

But what about the hidden side in Simon Peter, was not this incident a changing point in his character?

Look at the pride he has as a master fisherman, look at the confidence he had when he answered the Lord, how it was broken and how he learned what is written in the Scriptures:

Proverbs3: 5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

and lean not unto your own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him,

and he shall direct thy paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes:

fear the Lord and depart from evil.

It was then normal for him to acknowledge that he was wrong and … fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying: “depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord”. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken.

Magdi Menassa Malky