Lake Kaweah in the spring.
Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.” But they didn’t understand any of this. This significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about (Luke 18:31-34, NLT).
It is deeply satisfying to cast a baited hook well into the water. And it’s especially satisfying when the hook slowly sinks to its depth on a calm, lazy day. Sit back and slowly real the line in. There’s no rush. If a fish bites then there will be some excitement. If not, well, at least there has been some relaxation and peace.
Fishing is an odd sport when you compare it to hunting. Generally, you cannot see the fish that you hope to catch; whereas, when one is hunting you are able to see the specific animal before it’s brought down. Fishing, like trapping, is a sort of gamble. You may know the whereabouts of the game you seek but only in a general way. The hook is precise in its design, intended to pierce the mouth of a single fish. It can be cast over and over in one area or many different areas. Most of us are familiar with this concept having fished at a lake, river or ocean. In Biblical times, some people fished with hooks but the professionals used nets, for the net not only brought in more fish but provided a higher level of probability and certainty that even multiple hooks were unable to do.
Still, fishing is a sort of gamble. You don’t really know what you’re going to catch, if anything at all. The water, a necessary component of fishing, hides that which is sought. Words, which typically illuminate and bring about understanding, can also become a deep and murky sea. This is the case in the above passage. Jesus describes His coming death and resurrection. The disciples don’t get it. And in this specific account we are not told whether or not the disciples question Jesus. Instead the action moves on to a blind beggar given sight.
The disciples are not able to see and are close to Jesus.
The beggar is able to see and is far from Jesus.
Luke notices this sort of thing throughout his Gospel. For example, when Mary encounters the angel Gabriel, she is “confused and disturbed” and later asks, “but how can this happen?” (1:29a, 34a). Later, Mary and Joseph forget Jesus in Jerusalem. When they find Him, Mary inquires “why have you done this to us?” (2:48b). Sometimes those closest to Jesus are left scratching their heads. And it’s not a slight on Mary or Joseph or the disciples when noting their confusion, but a recognition that the divine, the holy, is much different than the secular to the point of confusion and misunderstanding. It’s no wonder John the Baptist preached, “clear the road for him!” (3:4b).
Before one can follow Jesus, one must be called by Jesus. This happened to Peter, James and John in the fifth chapter of Luke’s gospel. Here we’re told that Jesus “was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee” (5:1a). It was a large crowd and they were pushing in. So Jesus borrowed Peter’s boat. When He was done speaking, Jesus told Peter and company to “go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish” (5:4b). Peter protested at first because he and his fellow fishermen had been up all night and hadn’t caught a single fish. He was probably tired and I think at least a little annoyed. Regardless, the fishermen did what they were told. They went to the depths and cast their nets.
Before one can follow Jesus, one must be called by Jesus.
Sometimes faith is simple obedience to Jesus when the tried and true no longer works. We know the rest of the story. Empty nets are not brought back into the boat but nets full and beyond intended capacity. Peter’s reply is that of humility: “Oh, Lord, please leave me – I’m such a sinful man” (5:8b). Jesus replies in this way: “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” (10b). And they did for a time because they left everything and followed Jesus. However, when Jesus finally did go to the cross they scattered and followed Him not. They could not understand what Jesus was up to in that hour. They did later by His grace and mercy.
There is an ancient interpretation and line of argument within Christianity that offers a straightforward explanation of Jesus’s redemptive work. It begins with the simple observation that all have sinned. Its second premise is then of eternal damnation. If the soul sins then the soul is now property of Satan (the Devil’s due). God is just, so He will not break His own laws in order to save the soul. But He will send His Son, who is both fully divine and fully human. Satan is unaware of the Godhead and accepts Jesus’s death. But, Jesus is sinless and holy and Satan cannot hold Him. As Gregory once put it, Satan is “outwitted and caught, as a fish is by the bait which conceals the hook”.
The redemptive work of Jesus hooks the soul in just the right way. He is a Savior who is more than capable and is full of faithful love. He’s the reason why you and I are hooked. He’s the reason why we practice servant leadership. There is a new day dawning for the Church of God in Central California. The lake is still, the fish are biting and the hook is set. Next blog post will focus on the ongoing work that is happening here in the district. And it is deeply satisfying work.
-Pastor Aaron
