Leaving All To Follow Jesus

Leaving All To Follow Jesus

"So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him." (Luke 5:1-11, NKJV)

Simon lent Jesus his boat so that He could teach the people. We are not told how long Jesus spent teaching the multitude. We are told that they "pressed about Him to hear the word of God,". When Jesus stopped speaking, He instructed the fishermen including Simon to launch into the deep and cast their nets down for a catch. Remember Jesus was a carpenter by profession. These seasoned fishermen must have wondered what Jesus was really saying but Peter responded humbly recognising the Person and authority of Jesus, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” The command of Jesus was a seemingly senseless command but with God nothing is impossible. In other words, when God commands, no matter how odd it sounds, we should obey. The fishermen obeyed and they caught so much fish that they signaled to other fishermen for help to load the boats with the fish they had caught after a night of fruitless labour. Really amazing!

They caught so much fish that the boats began to sink. What a haul of fish; enough to compensate their disappointing and fruitless outing and more than sufficient to boost their depleting money accounts. Interestingly, the amount of fish they caught moved Peter to fall down on his knees before Jesus and acknowledge his sin. "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”, he said. 

Have you acknowledged your sin and repented of it before Jesus? Have you received Jesus as Lord and Saviour? The Bible says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:" (John 1:12, NKJV). Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) and He can set you free from sin today. Only Jesus can deliver you from the bondage of sin and the lies and deception of Satan. Come to Jesus today!

One would have thought that Peter and his colleagues would have rejoiced after catching so much fish and that they would have sold them to make a lot of money. Instead, the Bible says that they forsook all and followed Jesus. Jesus was more important to them than all the fish and money in the world. Fish and money will come to an end but the Word of God will never pass away. Remember that Jesus is the Living Word of God. Peter and his partners were astonished at the amount of fish they caught; that brought Peter to his knees and consequently led to him following Jesus wholeheartedly. A close encounter with Jesus produces a radical transformation in an individual. 

Fulfilment does not come from material things. The very thing that Peter had toiled for all night unsuccesfully was presented to him miraculously but in the end he forsook all to follow Jesus. Jesus is worth more than all of us and our possessions put together. At the end of the day, the question to answer is ~ Whose side are you on? Jesus' or Satan's? Jesus will never lead you astray and that is why it is worthwhile following Him unreservedly just as Peter did. 

The English say, "You cannot eat your cake and have it". Seeking fulfulment in life and staying in your comfort zone is a contradiction in terms. Something has to give. Peter discovered that sustenance is derived from the Source (Jesus); the catch of fish was a miracle and rather than settle for the miracle, he went after the miracle-maker, Jesus Christ. It made a lot of sense. It is often said "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man To fish, and you feed him for a lifetime". The encounter Peter had with Jesus opened his eyes to God's high calling for his life ~ catching of men. It would be fair to say that Peter reasoned that if at the command of Jesus, fish could be caught in such abundance, then the higher calling would be a great possibility. Don't allow the devil to rob you of your destiny. Respond to the calling of God upon your life to the ministry of reconciliation. This is what the Bible says about that.

" Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19, NKJV)

You have been given the ministry of reconciliation and the word of reconciliation. Go and preach the Gospel to all creatures (Mark 16:15) and go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). As you forsake all to follow Jesus (just as His disciples did), the blessings of God will be your portion in Jesus' Name. May God richly bless you today and always in Jesus' Name.