Jesu Juva
Lk. 5:1-11; Is. 6
February 9, 2025
Epiphany 5C
Dear saints of our Savior~
Today’s Holy Gospel is famously known as the call of St. Peter. What we learn right away is that Simon Peter was a fisherman—but not in the way some of you might call yourselves “fishermen.” Fishing was Peter’s business, his livelihood. He was a pro. He was as much at home on the water as on dry ground. His crusty, opinionated personality was perhaps a bit more pronounced than usual that day when Jesus showed up.
Peter and crew had been fishing all night long—fishing when the fishing was supposed to be best. But as the day broke, they had nothing to show for all that work. You probably know how that feels. You show up at work bright and early with your thermos full of coffee, ready for a day of solid productivity. But at the end of the day you’ve got nothing to show for all your time and effort.
As Peter and crew were calling it quits, Jesus just showed up. Jesus first borrowed Peter’s boat, and made that boat a pulpit from which the crowds could see Him and hear Him. He first borrowed Peter’s boat . . . but then He set out to borrow Peter himself: Simon, put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. This is the exact moment captured in the artwork on the cover of today’s bulletin. Take a look if you’ve got a copy handy.
That’s Jesus on the left: humble, gentle, earnest. He’s got His hands on Peter. That detail isn’t in the text. But do you know the kind of people Jesus made a habit of touching? The sick, the fevered, and all those in need of healing (4:40). Perhaps the artist wants us to see this moment as a moment of healing for Peter.
That’s Peter in the center. Look at his face. You can almost hear him say something like: You want me to do what? That’s probably the same look you would give me if I showed up at your office and started telling you how to do your job. Peter knew that nighttime was the right time to catch fish on the Sea of Galilee, and that venturing into deep water at mid-morning was a complete waste of time. Listen, Master, we toiled all night and caught nothing! But at some level, Peter knew. When Jesus speaks, it pays to listen. Ok. Alright. Whatever you say! At your word I will let down the nets. Because you say so, I will do as you say. This is the key to understanding this entire episode. Trust the word of Jesus.
Will you do that? Will you trust Jesus, and take Him at His Word, even when His word seems unreasonable and illogical—even when it makes no sense? Jesus works this kind of trust-building in us all the time. Will you take Jesus at His Word? Do you believe that God is for you, even when it feels like all things are working against you? Will you do your best work even when it feels pointless? Will you speak a word of forgiveness to that person who has hurt you, even though every cell in your body screams out for revenge and retribution? Will you treat your marriage as something holy and sacred—as a union created by God—or will you dishonor and despise that gift by your words and actions? Will you believe Jesus? Will you trust Him? Will you do what He says? Will you follow His Word even when it feels like a huge waste of time—or worse?
That’s what Peter did. Peter let down the nets in deep water, in broad daylight—and the result was a net-busting, boat-sinking load of fish! In fact, it took two boats to haul in the schools of fish that apparently swam to their ultimate demise at the command of Jesus.
But for Peter, the thrill and the euphoria of the catch quickly gave way to a far different feeling. Peter fell down at Jesus’ feet: Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man. And this, too, is the voice of faith. Faith recognizes when we stand in the presence of the holy God. Faith recognizes that in Jesus the holy God has become one of us and stands in our midst—that He is the Lord of creation, who the wind and the waves (and even the fish) obey. Peter recognizes this moment as a close encounter with God Himself.
Faith leads us to know and confess that we are sinful men and women. Can you confess that your problem isn’t just a curse word here and a little bickering there and an occasional moment of lust or greed or whatever? Can you confess that you are by nature—down to your core—sinful and unclean?
Peter sounds a lot like Isaiah did when he came face to face with the Lord in today’s OT reading. It’s another close encounter. Isaiah knew what it meant for someone like Him to be standing before the holy God: Woe is me! For I am lost. I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. But Isaiah quickly learns that the God who is perfect and holy is also gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. A burning coal from the altar is applied to Isaiah’s lips and Isaiah is purified: Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.
This is the only way sinners can stand before God and live: Your guilt must be taken away. Your sin must be atoned for. Your debt must be paid for you. That Jesus standing on the lakeshore—that humble, gentle man with His hand on Simon Peter’s shoulder—He’s the one. He’s the atoning sacrifice. He’s the guilt-bearer. He’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He’s the one who washes you white as snow in His bright red blood. He’s the one who died—more than that—who was raised to rescue you, and lift you up from your knees, and put you to work.
We are all people of unclean lips and lives—sinful down to our DNA, sinful from when we were conceived. And when it comes to that sin, all we can do is follow the lead of Isaiah and Peter: admit it, own it, confess it. Don’t pretend otherwise. Don’t say, “Well, I’m not so bad.” You know it’s not right with you—whether on your lips or in your life. And no matter how hard you try, you can’t make it right.
Today we all enjoy a close encounter with God. Today we kneel next to Peter on the seashore; and we tremble with Isaiah in the temple. Isaiah’s sinful life and lips were purified by a burning coal taken from the altar. And from this altar the Lord Jesus purifies your lips and life with His body given into death to save you, and with His blood, shed for you as the atoning sacrifice for your sins. Through the lips of His called and ordained servant, He puts the forgiving words of absolution into your ears and heart: Do not be afraid. Your guilt is taken away. Your sin is atoned for. I forgive you all your sins.
Peter and his fishing buddies received a whole new vocation that day: “Don’t be afraid,” Jesus said, “from now on you will be catching men.” They used to catch fish in nets, but now they will catch men and women in the nets of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In fact, if I could persuade you to take just one more look at the sketch on the bulletin cover, notice that there are no fish in the sketch. But look at the net. Are Peter and his crewmate merely holding onto the net? Or is the net rising up to catch them? Are they about to be caught by Jesus? Either way, Jesus was at work to snag Himself some new disciples, creating faith in the hearts of crusty, grumpy, skeptical fishermen.
We too have been caught in the net of Jesus—baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But unlike the thousands of fish who lost their lives that day in the Sea of Galilee, to be caught like us in the net of Jesus—is actually to live forever in Him. To live is Christ; to die is gain. Whoever loses his life for Jesus’s sake will certainly find it. In your baptism you were caught—you died a watery death to sin. And then you were dragged out of the depths of that sin and right into the boat of Jesus—this boat we call the church. You’ve been caught by Jesus. And that’s the best of news on this 5th Sunday after the Epiphany in the year of our Lord 2025.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.