For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
What would it take for you to drop everything in your life, your job, your boat, your entire way of life, to go and follow Jesus? You would think it would take the promise of great riches and comfort where you were going, right? That does not seem to be the case with Simon Peter, Andrew, John, or James. They were coming back from work and were confronted with a carpenter from Nazareth who was teaching a crowd. Jesus commanded Simon Peter to let down for another catch. What was it about Jesus that made Simon Peter obey when he knew he would catch no fish in shallow water at the wrong time of the day? Obey he did though and the catch almost destroyed the boat. Jesus commanded them to follow him. They did.
They seemed to be good fishers of fish, at least good enough to make a living at it. I couldn’t do that. They suddenly found themselves willing to abandon their way of life on the basis of one miracle from Jesus. Simon Peter knew it was the Lord, not because of the fish but because of his sin. He needed a Savior and here he was. All he asked was everything. When Jesus gave us his all on the cross, we can give our all for him. Do you still find it impossible to…
Leave everything?
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church