Eager for the Journey

Text: Luke 5:1-11

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God the Father and from our Lorad and Savior, Jesus Christ.

          One of the great explorers of the late 16^th Century, Sir Francis Drake, was attempting to recruit some young men for an upcoming exploration. He gathered them around and told the group that if they came with him they would see some of the most marvelous things their eyes could ever behold. Sandy white beaches, delicious fruits, foreign peoples, priceless treasures, and breathtaking landscapes. And he told them that this wild adventure could be theirs if they came with him. Not a single one of them enlisted for the journey.

The next day a different group came out. And Drake told them that if they came with him they would encounter storms that would terrify them into tears. Severe winds would hammer their ships and blow them off course for months. Drinkable water would frequently be scarce. In short, danger would be their constant companion. Drake concluded by declaring that if they could handle these things, the joys of exploration would exceed their wildest dreams. Every single one of them in the group joined Sir Francis Drake that day. Some didn’t even go home to say goodbye to their families, they just boarded the boat eager for the journey. I’m not advocating for that kind of devil may care attitude, but just pointing out the differences in approach and how they were received.

So, what made the difference in these two groups? Why did the first group turn down the mission and the second jump at the chance? Was that second group different, maybe more adventurous than the first? The answer is NO. It’s not the men who had changed; it was the message. The first spoke of rewards; the second spoke of challenges. The first offered comfort; the second promised suffering. The first tempted them with things; the second seduced them with an experience unlike any other.

I think that Sir Francis Drake had discovered what Jesus knew all along. Which is that the paths that are offered to us must promise to shape us. They serve to build our character. And they should change our view of the world. It’s all these things that cause them to have any appeal to us at all. When we’re presented with a challenge that will change us and form us,

WE’LL BE EAGER FOR THE JOURNEY.

So, what is it about Jesus’ message that made the disciples eager for the journey that was presented to them? Jesus offered them a change from the lives they were living. It happens immediately in our text as Jesus surprises the disciples by showing up on the shoreline as they’re cleaning their nets after a long and unproductive night of fishing. A night like that would have left them disappointed, dejected, tired, and ready to spend the rest of the day recouping so that they could come back again the next day, hoping to do better. So why is it that Peter doesn’t object when Jesus hops into his boat and “asked him to put out a little from the land.” Peter was looking for something different. He was ready for a change. And Jesus knew that the time was right to offer him that change.

And it doesn’t stop just at the opportunity to offer Jesus a floating pulpit to address the “crowd that was pressing in on Him to hear the Word of God.” At the end of Jesus’ teaching, “He said to Peter, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’” You have to understand the context a little bit to really know how big of a change this was for Peter, or for any other fisherman for that matter. Beyond the fact that these guys had to have been tired from a full day’s work and probably lacked much motivation after a disappointing night, Jesus, the carpenter, was telling them where and how to fish. And the way He told them to do it was a change from anything they had ever learned or experienced as fisherman. They knew that going out into the deep and fishing in the middle of the morning was not how you were successful in this business.

But what happens when Peter and the other disciples are obedient to this call for change? They see something happen that wasn’t happening when they were trying to do it their own way. I don’t believe that this miraculous catch of fish was simply an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate His divine power over creation. It was also clearly conceived to show the future disciples that His way is better than any way they could do it on their own. Which is why when Jesus throws out the invitation later on to “not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” it becomes so much easier for them to sign on to what must seem to them like a strange mission.

Peter, James, and John have to know that this isn’t going to be easy. They’re leaving everything they own and everything they know. Giving up their way of life. To do something they know they’re not yet trained to do. In fact, they probably don’t have a very good idea of what becoming fishers of men actually means yet. It’s like Sir Francis Drake saying to those potential sailors, “This journey is going to be terrifying. There will be storms that will blow us off course. There’s a chance we might not survive. Actually, we can’t even predict what’s in store for us. But if you get on board and we do survive, the wonders we’ll see will be beyond your imagination.”

What’s your response when God asks you to get on board with His plan? Is it attractive only when it doesn’t require any personal sacrifice or threat of danger? Or are you in for the long haul? Knowing that there will be hard times. Knowing that what we’re asked to do isn’t always easy. That it does require some sacrifice. That we can’t simply continue doing what we’ve always done. I think that’s one of the things that makes the true Christian calling attractive to people. And it’s why our first response when called by God to do His will and to speak His Word should be the same response Peter had. A recognition of unworthiness.

When Peter saw what the Lord had done for them by filling there boats with so many fish that they could barely haul them all in, “he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’” Peter knew he couldn’t do it on his own. He knew where all those fish came from, and it wasn’t his great fishing skill. That’s the same response we should have. And when the Lord picks us back up again and tells us not to be afraid of the winds and the waves ahead of us in our Christian walk, we can have the same response as those first disciples who “left everything and followed him.”

Perhaps your road as a Christian has been easy so far. If that’s been your experience, I hate to be the one to tell you that it likely won’t continue that way forever. Because what Jesus offered to these new disciples was a mission that promised to be a challenge. And to those who are following Him today, our mission also promises to be a challenge. Opposition to the Word of God is everywhere and navigating the rough waters of the Christian life can be a very difficult thing for those who are unwilling to compromise on the truth of God’s Word. But it’s really nothing new for us as Christians.

Maybe you’ve heard of Origen of Alexandria. Origen was a 3^rd Century theologian. When his father was arrested for being a Christian, Origen, then only 17, was determined to follow his father and share in glorious martyrdom. His mother pleaded with him not to go, but the headstrong boy didn’t want to listen to reason. So, his quick-thinking mother did the only thing she could think to do. She hid his clothes. Even though Origen stormed and protested (as many who have teenagers have probably witnessed), his mom wouldn’t reveal where the clothes were hidden. He couldn’t leave the house, and therefore he was unable to volunteer for martyrdom.

I think it’s interesting that Origen was brave enough to be martyred, but not brave enough to go outside naked. Stepping outside without clothing would have made for an easy way to be arrested and imprisoned, but it was a step he was unwilling to take.

In a sense, I suspect that some of the things that we’re called to do as Christians are the equivalent of going outside naked. We’ll say that we’re willing to die for our faith. Our confirmands say it in their vows. Our new members say it as they’re received into membership. But ask us to have a conversation with a friend about our faith. Or stand up for the truth as it’s revealed to us in God’s Word. It makes us uncomfortable. We feel exposed. We declare that we’ll give our lives for Christ if he should ask it, but to risk a bit of embarrassment for Him seems to be beyond our level of discipleship.

It’s sad actually. Because we truly know what it’s like to follow Jesus when we’ve braved the storms. When we’ve been blown off course and then had our ships righted by the forgiveness we’re freely given in Christ as a result of His payment for our sins. When we’ve suffered for the sake of the Gospel and not forsaken Christ and His gifts, it’s then that we can truly know the joys of the promises we’ve been given, and which were won for us on the cross. The disciples were willing to forsake everything. They left it all behind. And they experienced the incredible opportunity to follow Jesus. And because they endured all that that brought upon them, and never lost faith, they now enjoy the eternal reward of that faithfulness. That’s the same challenge and the same promise that we have today.

I pray that you will accept that challenge. And that promise. Because Jesus offers us a change from what the rest of the world offers. And because He offers us meaning that we can’t find anywhere else. And because this mission we’re on promises to be challenging, yet highly rewarding, our lives will never be the same. And we shouldn’t live like they are the same. We’re called to look, and act, and BE different than this world we’ve been placed in. We’re called to “not be afraid.” For the Lord is with us on this journey. The journey may be rough, but in it we can lean on the Lord and on each other for strength and support. And when it’s over, despite the hardships and challenges, those who remain faithful will experience far more than we could ever imagine. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.