Out of the Depths

One of my favorite stories is the calling of Simon in Luke 5. They had been out on the Sea of Galilee (or Gennesaret) all night, fishing, and hadn't caught a thing. We often read this text as saying something about discipleship and evangelism and extending the Realm of God. It does have something to say about "catching people" (Luke 5:10).[1] However, before Simon begins this work he has to first do something else.

"Look, Master, we've been out here all night and didn't catch a thing. We're tired. And there are all those people who keep following you around. We just want to go home."

What did Jesus ask him do? "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4). Put out into the deep water. Let down your nets, into the depths, for a catch. And when they did so they had so many fish that their nets almost began to break. Simon signaled for help. And then both these boats were filled to capacity with fish so that they started to sink under the weight. Overwhelmed by the abundance of the depths!