Intimacy With Christ Sometimes Means That Jesus Will “Show-Up” In The Midst Of Our Conventional Wisdom To Do Or Say Something That “Counters” Us To Draw Us Into Following Him- To Draw Us To Himself More Deeply Than We Imagined Possible.
Jesus Fills the Empty Boat After a Night of Total-waste
One day Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret while the people pushed their way up to him to listen to the word of God. He saw two boats pulled up on the beach; the fishermen had left them and were washing the nets. Jesus got into one of the boats–it belonged to Simon–and asked him to push off a little from the shore. Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowd. When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Push the boat out further to the deep water, and you and your partners let down your nets for a catch.” “Master,” Simon answered, “we worked hard all night long and caught nothing. (All Who Are Thirsty/Weary- Song) But if you say so, I will let down the nets.” They let them down and caught such a large number of fish that the nets were about to break. So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full of fish that the boats were about to sink. When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he fell on his knees before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord! I am a sinful man!” He and the others with him were all amazed at the large number of fish they had caught. The same was true of Simon’s partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” They pulled the boats up on the beach, left everything, and followed Jesus. – Luke 5:1-11
In this story Jesus is standing at Lake Gennesaret. No, let me say it again so we hear. In this story Jesus is- according to the leading and guidance of His Father and the character of God- Jesus “Shows-up” standing at a Lake. You see– when you are somewhere God wants you to be it’s not just nothing. With God/Christ showing up- it’s never a “Happen-chance” event. Also, with the Servant of Christ abiding in His supply of faith, vision, guidance, and power-
Jesus says: If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. John 12:26
With the kind of disciple/follower Jesus’ mentions- us believers- we too can ”just show up” as we faithfully work on the small and big details of life according to the nature and character of Christ and His power at work within us by The Spirit of Christ- we walk as he did (many would just call it “in the right place at the right time” – No, that’s not what we’re talking about here– it’s more. And so– in this context there’s no Happen-chance with us either when we’re walking in His will/Walking With Him.
The Nature of Christ- 1: With Jesus Christ and His activity here on earth there is never Happen-chance with Him showing up. Never. He doesn’t just waste His time popping in here or there. That’s never His intention. He has a plan and a Redemptive/Lover’s plan at that. We need to know and expect that He’s going to at some point in and out of our history with Him just show-up on our beach- as it were. To the one’s God has set His love upon (There are those who refuse Him setting anything upon them of His– yet, they have to receive because He still sends the sun and rain for the crops– out of goodness and love- they have no choice to just let the rain and sunshine come down from Him.) He says, “I am with you always….”, “I will never leave you nor forsake you…” “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.“ (You Are Here- Song) This is about The Presence or Presencing of Christ– He Positions Himself to be “With” or “Amongst” or “In” us. God just presences Himself with us Always/Forever. His Love endures forever. And so, Jesus is Here now with His people by The Person- The Spirit- as they (The Father, Son, Holy Spirit) are One and share the same nature. With Christ– there’s no Happen-chance– and that ought to comfort us that He is somewhere near where He’s Woo-ing men and women to Himself- to Abide/Be Intimate With Him- though we may not “see” Him. He shows up on our beach with a purpose in mind- an intent to draw us close to Him and the Father too- drawing us closer to His son as any Groom’s Father would counsel– “Be close to Your Bride to be Son. Enjoy her to the utmost. Surpise her and “show-up” to bless her son.” — that’s wise counsel any loving Father would give.
Next, our Lord Christ- (Christ means anointed one- totally set-apart to God for a purpose- fulfilling the promise of the OT that He woudl come.) while the crowd was expecting a teaching of and about God- steps into specific boat. Not just any boat. He went into the boat of Simon-Peter. He saw the nets- empty. He saw the men working hard. He saw the crowd waiting for a word from God. But, in a very Intimate way– He “Saw” Simon-Peter- the man. You see Christ will sometimes seemingly “leave” the crowd for the One. And yet, having not left the crowd at all. Then Jesus asks the ridiculous from a tired, swamped, discouraged and perhaps- a bit ashamed professional fisher who had been out all night– push the boat out. Simon would have to be blind to not have noticed that the crowd was there and wanted a “sermon” from Jesus. So, by God’s Providence and Simon’s obedience- Simon-Peter pushed it out- the crowd wanted a “sermon” and little did Peter know that it was also- “The Lord Wanted Him.”
The Nature of Christ- 2: Our Lord Christ isn’t looking for numbers and crowds as much as He is on the look for those who will “follow.” He is looking for souls one at a time. He doesn’t ignore the many. He just reaches people one at a time like the Shepherd who left the 99 safe sheep to reach the one in the crevice. He is and has reached out to You. Many are called- can you hear Him- “Come to me and Learn of Me!” – and few respond and are chosen.
With God it’s all about “Intimacy”– and never about a shallow “en masse.” There was a “personal-ness” when Jesus Christ came to You- to Me. And that’s just humbling. He’s a Personal Lord. But, He’s a Lord that will sometimes catch us at our deepest weariness as not to be able to take one more step in this or that direction and then says, “step out.” It’s not just a stepping nowhere– it’s a stepping into Him. Simon that day wasn’t stepping just into a boat– He was stepping into Jesus Christ.
Once Jesus had finished preaching the Kingdom of God at the shore to the masses who wanted to hear Him- He then moves away from them- to go to a lonely place out in the deep.
Hosea 2:14-16
“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.”
…. Later God calls her not servant but Bride in Hosea and John 14 where Jesus no longer calls them servants but “friends” and later after Pentecost Paul reveals “Bride.”
(Basically- He took her to “the deep“- away from the crowds- “to a lonely place” To Be Intimate and to reveal His glory.)
So, Jesus takes them away to the deep with Peter likely shocked and likely having thought, “Well, I’m bushed and once He’s done here I’m going to finish cleaning my net and then call it a night and go sleep the day off.” Well- Jesus does what seems to be just dumb as the fishers were professional fishermen having fished likely many, many years. Not just that– it was an insult to their intelligence. Putting up with a sermon is one thing– putting up with sheer non-sense is another– so, it seemed. What Jesus has in mind seemed once again- ridiculous. But, the fishermen were humble enough and blessed are the humble– to go at this strange preacher-man’s bidding. Well, we know of the extravagance of Christ– He didnt’ just fill one boat with fish– God filled several and in the filling drew more men into His proximity as it were like the Prophet Hosea says, “I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.” What a tender thing for Jesus to do- fill the boat of several very, very, tired simple fishermen! Now, not to take away from Christ’s/God’s work– I often find that the most simple, largely honest of heart/hard working people are tender not shrewd in the ways of the world– so shrewd as to Miss God’s Blessings. Otherwise- how could there have ever been named a TV show called “Life Goes On” staring Corky- a Down’s Syndrome character? There is something about the meek.
The Nature of Christ- 3: Jesus Christ is not looking to whip us as the Son of man came not to judge– but, to bless. Jesus Christ is not looking to only frustrate us– but, if we are patient with His workings as long as they might take (here a moment and in other places almost a life-time- I suppose Job’s trial looked like a life-time to him) He’s here to bless His people– His humble ones. Jesus Christ calls us out of ourselves (as these men were professional fishermen and could have ended it all by putting their wisdom at the center of the universe and so just went with it) and into Himself/His Path of Blessing and Learning of Him. That’s Intimacy. Are you into yourself? Am I? (That’s condemning ourselves to a fruitless existence. This is not to say that being “wise” at what we do is wrong. Rather, all of our “doings” and “goings about” need to have Jesus Christ at the center (I speak about that in a blog on food, drink people and living above and below the line. On that day such professional wisdom wasn’t being allowed by God to succeed. He’ll do that sometimes– allow the best of the best insight and wisdom to fail– just to get to us as individuals.)
So, the next thing we see after this miraculous catch is a catching the fishermen off guard as to the Nature of Christ. Peter came immediately in touch with His God- the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob- in His Christ. Peter flopped from the inside out and knew/acknwoledged to Christ all those years he had allowed his life to be controlled by sin– as likely the others felt– but, it was as always Peter first “jumping out of the boat”- metaphoricaly- to come to Christ in an honorific way.( Sometimes it’s the Honorific Respect/Humility we lack in our lives, our church life, our relationship with God or reading His Word.) Jesus then draws them all- all 5 men to Himself like netting fish and turns around and gives them a mission that went well beyond their nets into all the world– Jesus Identified Them With Himself In His Mission As Fisher Of Men. That’s Intimacy. To be drawn into Jesus’ Mission as your/our mission.
The Nature of Christ- 4: Jesus Christ does miracles every day around us whether we see them or not. There are times in the midst of the clutter of our lives where we’re tired and almost “too tired” to see anything of Him where He just does something to draw us to Him and into His Mission as Our Mission. To Love the Lord His God was the heartbeat of His Mission. To Love His neighbors as Himself. The Call of Jesus here included a call out of themselves/ourselves and into Himself- to Love God. The call here was out of their “professionalism” into His professionalism- Intimacy With Men- Immanuel- God with us- and so- to become fisher-of-men.
Father God, help us to not miss Jesus and His purposes for our lives to be called out of ourselves and deeper (into the deep waters/the wilderness) in to Him–
To hear Him speak tender things with the Power to back the tenderness and promises.
(Oh- How He Loves Us- Oh- Song)
To see Him draw us into the deep, a lonely place, a place perhaps where we experienced hardship before to see Him do the tender thing above and beyond our imagination.
Lord, we submit to Your bidding. We submit to Your wisdom. Lord Jesus– thanks that you’re not like taking out a popular preacher for coffee who is absorbed with waving at everyone in the coffee-shop and whose attention to me/us is a divided one at best. Here- Your Nature of Loving These Men/Us is not a divided one. Thanks Lord that we are called the apple of Your eye. We are called Your own disciples. We are called Your own body. We- together are Your Bride– the Bride of Christ. Let us revel in You– as You speak tender words to us and as we humble ourselves- though tired we may be- to receive. In Jesus Name AMEN
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