The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

February 9, 2025

Luke 5:1-11

Epiphany Moments—

The Least Qualified are the First Sent!

1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

5Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (NIV1984)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

There is an old legend that I would like to share with you this morning. It centers on a conversation that took place between Jesus and the angel Gabriel after Jesus had returned Home as the Victor. It goes like this: “Gabriel asks the Master what plan He had made for completing His work of telling everyone about God’s love. ‘I asked Peter, James and John, and some more of them on earth, to make it the business of their life to tell others. And the others are to tell others, and the others still others, until everyone has heard the message and has had their life transformed by it.’ Gabriel stood in meditation as though he saw a flaw in the Master’s plan. He said, ‘Yes, but Master, suppose after a while Peter forgets and John loses his enthusiasm. And what if their successors, down in the twenty-first century, get so busy or so timid that they do not have the time or the courage to tell others? What will you do then?’ The voice of Jesus answered quietly and confidently: ‘I haven’t made any other plans. I am counting on them.’”

Even though this is indeed a legend it captures the essence of the Epiphany Moment we want to emphasize this morning. That Epiphany Moment is this: The Least Qualified are the First Sent!

Once again Luke’s train of thought is not only very easy for us to follow, but it is also very informative when it comes to helping us understand the main point of this text. After Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, the Holy Spirit immediately leads Him out into the wilderness where He is tempted by Satan for forty days and forty nights. After successfully overcoming all of Satan’s temptations Jesus goes home to Nazareth where He reveals to the people He grew up with that He is the fulfillment of the ancient Messianic prophecies. After the people of His hometown angrily reject Jesus’ message and try to kill Him by throwing Him down a cliff, Jesus goes to Capernaum. There in Capernaum we’re told, “They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority” (Luke 4:32). Jesus then healed a man possessed by an evil spirit, He healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, and He healed all kinds of people who had various kinds of sicknesses. Early the next morning Jesus went out to a solitary place. When the people found Him we’re told, “they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:42-43).

The necessity contained in those words brought Jesus to the shore of the Sea of Galilee— for a purpose! Luke reveals that purpose to us when he says in the opening verses of our text, “One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.”

Jesus’ dedication to proclaiming God’s Word comes out clearly in these verses. The hungry souls of this large crowd of people who had gathered there on the shore of the Sea of Galilee needed to be fed with Jesus’ Gospel of forgiveness and His guarantee of eternal life. But, since everyone wanted to get as close to Jesus as possible, not everyone could actually hear what Jesus was saying. So, Jesus asked Simon Peter to help Him. He got into Peter’s boat, asked him to push out a little from the shore so that Jesus could speak to all the people at once— with Peter having the best seat of all! Then the whole situation took a very interesting turn! Luke continues, “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’”

Did you catch the irony in these words? The carpenter from Nazareth gives some very unconventional advice to a professional fisherman. Look at it from Peter’s perspective. Fishing is what Peter did— perhaps for his entire adult life! Fishing was how Peter made his living. Fishing was how Peter provided for his family and paid his bills. Peter knew that if the fish were going to run at all, it would be at night. Peter knew that you don’t catch fish in deep water— you catch them in shallower water. But at the very same time, this was not Peter’s first contact with Jesus. Peter had heard Jesus preaching “with authority.” Peter had seen Jesus perform miracles— including the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. So while someone else may have responded to Jesus by saying, “You stick to what you’re good at— preaching and teaching— and leave the fishing to me,” Peter’s respect and admiration for Jesus, Peter’s faith and trust in Jesus led him to say, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

Do you ever find yourself in a similar situation, my friends? As you are reading your Bible at home and as you are listening to God’s Word being proclaimed to you here in God’s house— have you ever heard Jesus say something to you that goes against “conventional wisdom”? Maybe it’s what Jesus says to you about the Creation of the world or about the end of the world. Maybe it’s what Jesus says to you about His design for marriage or about the sanctity of human life. Maybe it’s what Jesus says to you about worry, or about trust, or about the only way to eternal life in heaven. (Pointing to the cross) Whatever it might be, we need to follow Peter’s example. Instead of saying to ourselves, “I think that I know better,” we need to say to Jesus, “Yes, Master, because you say so!”

We, of course, know what happens next. Peter’s nets were instantly filled with so many fish that his nets began to break! When Peter called out to his partners— James and John— for help, they “filled both boats so full that they began to sink.” That brings us to the “heart” of this text. Luke goes on to tell us, “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’…Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

One might think that this miraculous catch of fish would flash dollar signs in front of Peter’s eyes! Two boats filled with so many fish that they began to sink— well, that would have been worth a great deal of money in the marketplace! What was Peter’s reaction to this miraculous catch of fish? Peter was afraid! What was Peter afraid of? He was not afraid of his boat sinking. He was not afraid of losing all those fish. Peter was afraid of— Jesus! He was afraid of Jesus’ holiness! He was afraid of Jesus’ power! He was afraid of Jesus’ justice! He was afraid of being in Jesus’ presence! He was afraid because in that instant Peter realized what he deserved to receive from Jesus because of his own sin! “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

We can relate to Peter’s fear, can’t we. When we look into the mirror of God’s holy Law we too are filled with fear. When we look back over our past and see what we have done, when we take a long hard look into our hearts and see what we are capable of doing, when we take an inventory of the thoughts that we allow to reside in our minds, when we realize that we have not always loved the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind, when we realize that we have not always loved our neighbor as ourself— we realize that we too have every reason to say along with Peter, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful person!”

With everything we have done and with everything we have not done, Jesus has every right to condemn us— but He doesn’t! Instead of condemning us Jesus says to us exactly what He said to Peter. In His grace Jesus said to Peter and Jesus says to us, “Don’t be afraid.” “I am not angry. I didn’t come into this world to condemn you. I came to completely pay the debt of all your sin. (Pointing to the cross) “Don’t be afraid.” This is the essence of absolution. This is the heart of forgiveness. This is the purest and sweetest Gospel. “Don’t be afraid.” With those words Jesus took away Peter’s fears and gave him the confidence to stand before his holy and almighty Lord. “Don’t be afraid.” With those words Jesus gave Peter the ability to do what his Lord was now calling him to do— “From now on you will catch men.”

Peter— the least qualified— was now among the first to be sent out! Peter, along with James and John and all the other apostles, were sent to cast the net of the Gospel out into all the world to assure each and every person they met that Jesus was born into this world for you, that Jesus lived an absolutely perfect life for you, that Jesus suffered the punishment of hell itself for you, that Jesus died and rose again for you, that Jesus did all of this so that He could say to you, “Don’t be afraid.”

The least qualified are the first sent. That Epiphany moment not only applies to Peter, James and John, but it also applies to you and to me! Through His holy Word and through His holy Sacraments Jesus has come to us and said, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” Through His holy Word and through His holy Sacraments Jesus has placed the net of His Gospel into our hands and said, “Let’s go fishing— for souls!”

Now Satan is going to whisper in our ear, “You can’t go out and fish for souls! You and I both know that you are the chief of sinners! You have no right to point out anyone else’s sin!” Our old sinful nature is going to try and convince us that there is nothing we can do. We don’t have the time. We don’t have the ability. We don’t even have the desire to go out with Jesus and fish for souls!

Both Satan and our old sinful nature would be correct— if it weren’t for the fact that as a dearly beloved adopted child of God we never go fishing alone and we never depend on our own fishing skills! Jesus always goes out fishing with us and God the Holy Spirit always gives us whatever we need. Think about it, my friends. To us— the least qualified— Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore (on the basis of My authority) go and make disciples of all nations, (How?) baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There it is! There is where we— the least qualified— receive the authority to cast the net of the Gospel out into all the world— including our little corner of the world! That is where we— the least qualified— receive the ability to share with others the love of Jesus, to lead little children to the Savior’s waiting arms and to support God’s Kingdom work with our prayers and our offerings. Even though we are the least qualified, even though we say along with Peter, “Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful person,” even though we say with Paul, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners— of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15)— through continued study of God’s holy Word and through continued reception of God’s holy Supper Jesus Himself gives us everything we need to fulfill the work He has sent us out to do, “From now on you will catch men.”

“Gabriel asks the Master what plan He had made for completing His work of telling everyone about God’s love. ‘I asked Peter, James and John, and some more of them on earth, to make it the business of their life to tell others. And the others are to tell others, and the others still others, until everyone has heard the message and has had their life transformed by it.’ Gabriel stood in meditation as though he saw a flaw in the Master’s plan. He said, ‘Yes, but Master, suppose after a while Peter forgets and John loses his enthusiasm. And what if their successors, down in the twenty-first century, get so busy or so timid that they do not have the time or the courage to tell others? What will you do then?’ The voice of Jesus answered quietly and confidently: ‘I haven’t made any other plans. I am counting on them.’”

When we realize what God in His grace and in His mercy and in His power has done for us (Pointing to the cross), then like Peter, James and John we are ready to do whatever Jesus says and to go wherever Jesus takes us. Through His holy Word Jesus now says to us, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” What a wonderful reminder that our God uses us to cast the net of His powerful Gospel message out into all the world. What a joy it is to be “caught” by Him (Pointing to the cross)! What a privilege it is to go “fishing” with Jesus!

To God be the glory!

Amen