Missional Listening (Luke 5:1-11)

How well do you receive advice from others?

Sometimes we can find it hard to receive advice. We might think that we know what we’re doing, or that we want to work out problems or challenges by ourselves. However, when we are facing a problem we’ve never confronted before, when the challenge seems too overwhelming, or we just can’t see what our next step is, good advice from someone we trust can go a long way in helping us. On the other hand, if the person giving us advice has had no experience in what we’re doing, it can be pretty hard to take.

How do you think Peter might have reacted when Jesus gave him fishing advice in Luke 5:1-11? Peter had been out on the water, working had all night, with no success. Then Jesus turned up and told him how to do his job (v4)! What do you think Peter’s tone of voice might have been when he said, ‘Master, … we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing’ (v5a NLT). Do you think he might have sounded frustrated, dejected, or sarcastic? He had been fishing professionally his whole life. He knew the tools of the trade and he could do his job with great expertise. However, on that day, it was all for nothing. Then this son of a carpenter comes along, encourages him to have another go, and gives him fishing advice. If you were Peter, how would you have answered Jesus?

In humility and faith, Peter continued, ‘But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again’ (v5b NLT). He listened to Jesus, followed his instructions, and this time his nets were so full of fish that they began to tear! After a wasted night with nothing to show for it, listening to Jesus and following his instructions in faith produced a catch which was beyond Peter’s expectations. What makes this miracle story really significant is what Jesus said to Peter after he caught the fish: ‘Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!’ (v10b). Then Peter and those with him followed Jesus in their new callings to fish for people.

Most people understand Jesus’ words about ‘fishing for people’ (v10b) as a call to mission. Just like the Sea of Galilee contained fish that Peter wanted to catch and bring into his boat, the world is full of people that God wants to bring into his kingdom of grace, peace, love and life. The Apostle Paul wrote that God ‘wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth’ (1 Timothy 2:4 NLT). This is the truth of his love and grace for us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul also wrote that people can only be saved through faith which comes from hearing the good news of Jesus (Romans 10:17). In calling Peter to start fishing for people, Jesus called Peter to learn how to be part of God’s mission to save all people.

Jesus calls us to join him in his mission as well. We live in a world where people need to hear the good news of Jesus so they can believe in him and live. This saving faith gives us deep and enduring peace, joy, and hope as God fills us with his goodness and gives us a life that is stronger than death. God’s calls us, his church, to fish for people in mission just like Jesus called Peter to fish for people. Jesus wants us to help people find a place in Christ’s Kingdom so they can receive every good thing our heavenly Father has for us through Jesus.

While we might agree that mission is a vital aspect of the church, being in mission can be daunting. There are so many books, workshops, conferences and events that people have offered to try to motivate, inspire and equip God’s people for mission. However, most of the time we can feel like Peter cleaning his nets that morning. It can seem like no matter what we try, how hard we work, what events we put on or programs we run, people just aren’t interested in coming to church. After all our missional efforts over the years, we can feel a lot like Peter who had been fishing all night but had nothing to show for it.

Maybe we can learn something from this story about how to be part of Jesus’ mission in the world. Peter listened to what Jesus’ said, then followed his instructions in faith. Maybe a starting point for mission in our time and place is doing the same.

Jesus trained and equipped Peter and the other apostles for mission by calling them firstly to be his disciples. Discipleship and mission belong together. Learning to live in the way of Jesus is at the heart of being involved in his mission in the world. As we listen to Jesus and learn from him how to live in faith, hope and Christ-like love, he is also teaching and equipping us to fish for people and participate in his mission to the world. Everything we say and do as Christians, as followers of Jesus, is part of his mission to the world.

That might mean moving from the comfort of the shallow, safe water into deeper, darker and possibly unknown waters further out. This doesn’t mean physically shifting our church building or our place of worship. Instead, when Jesus calls us to move into the deeper water he might be calling us to leave our religious comfort zones and take some risks on people. Mission isn’t about being safe. Jesus calls us to go into the deeper water, to places where we might not be comfortable, but where we can find people who need to hear the gospel.

Jesus then told Peter to let down his nets. Jesus taught a radical, counter-cultural and sometimes dangerous message of forgiveness, compassion, acceptance, love and grace. Letting down our nets might mean throwing God’s grace, love, compassion and forgiveness around indiscriminately. We don’t know which people in our lives are open to the good news of Jesus. We don’t know what’s happening in their hearts, how the Holy Spirit might speak to them, or who will respond to the good news of Jesus in faith. We are in mission as we love all people in self-giving and 1 Corinthians 13 kinds of ways and as we throw God’s love and grace around to everyone we know, especially those whom we think deserve it the least but might need it the most. As we do, we trust that the Holy Spirit will catch people up in God’s love and grace and to draw them into Christ’s Kingdom, just like a net.

When Jesus told Peter that he was going to fish for people, he called him to learn from him as his disciple and to be in mission with him. Jesus calls us in the same way. Jesus calls us to follow him and learn to live in faith and love from him. As we learn to trust Jesus and love others as he has loved us, he is also equipping us for his mission. Like Peter, when we listen to Jesus, trust in him, and follow his word in faith and love, we cast his nets over the people around us and the Holy Spirit will draw those with willing hearts into Christ’s Kingdom. Whether we like receiving advice from others or not, listening to Jesus and following him in faith and love gives us the tools we need to be in mission as we fish for people with him.

More to think about or discuss:

• Do you like other people giving you advice? Why or why not?
• How do you think Peter would have reacted when Jesus told him to go into deeper water and put down his nets? Why do you think Peter followed what Jesus said to him?
• What do you think it means for Christians to be in mission? How can you throw the nets of Jesus’ love and grace over the people around you this week?