From the forthcoming book, “You Can Succeed”
“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8)
Peter and his fellow fishermen knew their business. They had diligently labored in the lucrative Gennesaret region on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee. They knew the best times and the best ways to catch fish. For years, they had provided for their families by honing their knowledge and skills. They fished at night, when the fish couldn’t see the net coming. Their fishing business had brought them a rich harvest of tilapia, sardines and carp.
But not every day brought forth a good catch. In an episode recorded in Luke chapter 5, Peter commented that they had fished all night and caught nothing. That had to be frustrating. But even if they didn’t catch anything, one thing was still essential: the nets had to be cleaned each morning. If they didn’t wash their nets and dry them in the heat of the sun, those nets would rot. So they knew the drill: at sunrise, wash and dry the nets and then try to get some rest. Late in the evening, launch out to fish again. These men knew their business and they were good at it. Everyone who has ever worked a job like this knows that it involves a routine.
But one day everything changed. Jesus of Nazareth had moved to Capernaum, Peter’s hometown. This Jesus taught with authority; He even cast demons out of one of the men whom Peter knew![1] And right after He delivered that man from demons, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law in the fisherman’s own home.
And then Jesus showed up at the lake shore, early one morning. Peter and his friends had caught nothing that night. While they washed their nets, the sun began to rise on the exhausted fishermen. But then they noticed all the people. Jesus had become so popular that people were crowding around Him, even in the early morning mists.
The weary fisherman was probably astonished when Jesus stepped into his boat and asked him to push the boat a little way out into the water. And then Jesus began to use Peter’s boat – Peter’s business – in a way that he had never dreamed possible. The Master sat down and began to teach the multitudes on the lake shore. Peter had heard Jesus teach in the synagogue; he probably never dreamed that he would hear Jesus teach from his own little ship.
And then Jesus did something even more astounding. He told this experienced fisherman how to run his business. He said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”[2] Peter and his fellow fishermen probably thought, “At this time of day?!”
But Peter submissively replied, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net.” The fisherman obeyed and learned a powerful lesson. The nets filled 
to the breaking point with fish – in the daytime! The surprised fishermen shouted for their friends to help; they caught so many fish that they almost sank the boats! At that moment, Peter learned that Jesus knew far more about his business than he did.
So right there in a boat filled with wriggling fish, Peter fell to his knees to confess: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” In those moments, Peter learned even more about the power of the One who taught with authority and cast out demons and healed diseases. Intimately acquainted with the fishing business in Galilee, Peter knew that this power over nature was from God Himself. If anyone still thought Jesus was merely a lowly carpenter, they would learn that Jesus is the Lord and Creator.
He had expressed doubts about the Lord’s command to let down the nets. But that’s not what Peter was talking about when he called himself a sinful man. Like the prophets of old who had seen the Lord, Peter became intensely aware of his sinful, human condition. And his first impulse was to exclaim to the Lord, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man!”
Jesus would later describe prayer like this in His parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Lord said that the tax collector would pray, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” And Jesus noted that that repentant sinner went away justified – righteous in God’s sight.
At that moment in the boat, all Peter’s knowledge and skill seemed like nothing important to him. When a man meets His Maker, everything changes. Though the fisherman had heard about the Lord, he had failed to recognize who Jesus really was. But Jesus assured Peter that failures aren’t finished.
“Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.’” Do you see? Fearful failures aren’t finished. Don’t be afraid. The Lord knows how to reintroduce people to the most important business of life. Those who fall down to worship the Lord Jesus will find life-changing fulfillment in reaching people for the Lord.
Jesus would transform Peter into the mighty apostle of Pentecost,[3] but first, Peter had to learn to count the cost. On that day in Jerusalem when three thousand souls were converted, perhaps Peter remembered that bursting net in Galilee. And he knew that calling men to faith in Christ was more important than catching fish. He learned that failures aren’t finished. Now are you willing for the Lord to transform your work and your business? Don’t be afraid!
As Peter walked the shore each day, he learned, above all to obey
He knew his nets, his work, his skill, but humbly learned to bend his will
A businessman, unmade that day, met Christ the new and living way
And humbly learned to count the cost and one day, preached at Pentecost
Discussion Questions:
- How could the Lord use your present line of work to effectively reach others, the way He used Peter’s boat?
- What did Peter learn about the Lord through this surprising episode?
- When you think about how the Lord would use Peter in the future, how was this story an essential stepping stone?
[1] Luke 4:31-39
[2] Luke 5:1-11
[3] Acts 1:1-42
Gordon Dickson blogs at www.LiveServeLead.com
Live, Serve, Lead and help others succeed.
© Gordon Dickson
Author of
“12 Ways You Can Make a Difference in This Crazy, Mixed-up World”