Trinity 5 – 12 July 2009

          One of my favorite childhood activities was to sit around the table with my grandparents or parents and listen to their stories.  One of the many colorful North Dakota characters I heard about was Irene Thacker whom my mother used to call Crazy Old Irene.  Irene grew up in a log cabin (which was still standing three years ago) nestled among some stately Cottonwood trees near a small river.  At some point in time, probably the 1920’s, Irene’s family built a beautiful new two-story house with four dormer windows.  When Irene’s family moved into this new house, they left all of their old possessions in the log cabin.  It was common practice to leave one’s possession behind in those days, the days before U-Haul, but what made the Thacker’s uncommon was that their new house was a mere 50 yards away from their old their house.  Incidentally, the Thacker’s old possessions were still in their log cabin three ago when I saw it last.   The Thacker’s were indifferent to their material possessions.  I have no idea why they were, but indifference to material possessions was also a trait the disciples.  In our Gospel reading, St. Luke’s account of Jesus’ calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John, these four men left their boats and their nets, all the material possessions of their occupation as fishermen, to follow Jesus.  However, what makes this story all the more incredible is that Jesus had just given them the biggest catch of fish in their life. 

          The occupational goal of a fisherman, such as Peter, Andrew, James and John is obvious: to catch and sell fish.  These four men had been out all night trying to catch fish, but they caught nothing.  As they cleaned and fixed their empty nets, Jesus, who had been teaching by the lake, hopped into Peter’s boat and asked Peter to row him out from the shore so that the crowd gathering about him could hear his spoken words.  After finishing his teaching, Jesus, a non-fisherman, told Peter, a seasoned professional fisherman, to row out a bit further and lower his nets.  Peter’s reply, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net” is thinly veiled sarcasm, but Peter had nothing to lose, so he obeyed.[1]  As Peter lowered his nets into the water, fish began to swarm into the nets.  Peter caught so many fish that his nets started to break.  He then called James and John for help but there were so many fish that both boats started to sink.  At this point in the story, I would expect Peter and his friends to be elated over their newfound wealth and very excited to have a new fishing buddy named Jesus.  [Emily pointed out that this story, up until this point, is the story for those late-late night televangelists preaching health and wealth who say, “Add Jesus into your life and into your business and you too can have a marvelous haul, especially if you write me a check right now.”] However, this story takes an unexpected turn.  Peter, instead of asking Jesus to stick around and go fishing tomorrow, asked Jesus to depart for he realized that Jesus was no ordinary man.[2]  Jesus then told Peter not to be afraid and gave Peter a new vocation, a fisher of men.  When the men finally got their boats ashore, they did the most unexpected thing; they left everything behind – their boats, nets and their biggest catch of fish- and followed Jesus.  Why would Peter, Andrew, James and John show such complete indifference to their occupation and their material possessions?   

          I believe we can find an answer in Jesus’ words, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.”  Jesus gave the disciples a new vocation, a heavenly vocation, and they knew that their heavenly vocation - fishers of men - affected their earthly occupation.  Furthermore, since Jesus had called them to their heavenly vocation, the disciples believed that Jesus would supply their daily material needs.  Thus, their faith in Jesus to supply their daily bread led the disciples to treat their material possessions with indifference. 

Jesus has called each of us to follow him and he gives us the same heavenly vocation as he gave his disciples, we are called to be fishers of men.  Our heavenly vocation does not mean that we must all give up our old earthly occupations.  More often than not, we are called to keep our old earthly occupation.  Think of the great Anglican William Wilberforce, who after his conversion desired to be a priest, but on the advice of John Newton continued his occupation as a politician and used his political office to advance the Gospel and end slavery in Britain.  Wilberforce was more effective in catching men for Jesus as a politician than he would have been as a rural priest.  However, our heavenly vocation must affect how we see our earthly occupation and its material rewards.[3] 

          Now, I believe, we all know that our heavenly vocation is supposed to affect how we live.  We know that Jesus must shape all aspects of our life, from how we work, how we spend our money, how we treat our spouse and children, how we interact with our boss, our fellow employees, our neighbors, and those who bag our groceries.  There is no part of our life that does not belong to Jesus.  We know that. Nevertheless, we all struggle with it.  So, we must ask (and ask ourselves daily), “How can I be like the disciples and leave the biggest catch of my life on the shore?” 

The answer is simple but complex and easy but profound: our life changes through faith – the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1), specifically faith that Jesus will supply all our daily needs.  This was the faith of the disciples, who believed that just as Jesus filled their nets with fish, so he could fill both their bellies and their souls with their daily needs.  We pray for this kind of faith in the Lord’s Prayer when we ask, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  Through faith, we realized that all we have - our jobs, our house, our family, our money, and our food – is a gift from Jesus, a gift we must use to advance our heavenly vocation to be fishers of men.

          We all have been given the same heavenly vocation for we all have been called by Jesus to be fishers of men.  Our heavenly vocation affects our earthly occupations for it causes us to realize through faith that all our possessions are a gift from Jesus.  Through faith, we recognize it is far better to be in the presence of Jesus than in the presence of earthly wealth and glory.  Through faith, we know that Jesus does and will provide all of our needs so that we can treat our material possessions with a generous indifference.   Finally, through faith our lives will slowly, slowly change so that one day we see, just like Peter, Andrew, James and John, our nets and our boats behind us and Jesus ahead of us leading the way.   


[1] This sounds somewhat similar to Blaise Pascal’s famous wager, “Now, what harm will befall you in taking this side [the side of Christianity]? You will be faithful, honest, humble, grateful, generous, a sincere friend, truthful. Certainly you will not have those poisonous pleasures, glory and luxury; but will you not have others? I will tell you that you will thereby gain in this life, and that, at each step you take on this road, you will see so great certainty of gain, so much nothingness in what you risk, that you will at last recognize that you have wagered for something certain and infinite, for which you have given nothing.” Pensee #233.

[2] We can and should conclude from this story that Jesus cannot be used for financial gain. 

[3] Peter, Andrew, James and John realized that their great catch of fish was a gift; they had not caught the fish because of their skill for on their own they caught nothing.  All that we have - our homes, our jobs, our cars, money and food - is a gift from God.  Because all we have is a gift from God, we are required by our heavenly vocation as ambassadors of Jesus, to treat these gifts with a generous indifference, being willing to forsake them or be generous with them as need arises.