Sermonette for Saturday
And so was also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men. Luke 5:10
Daniel Towner was a famous writer of music for hymns, including such favourites as ‘At Calvary’ and ‘Only a Sinner Saved by Grace’. In 1887, Towner was attending a testimony meeting that followed an evangelistic service in Brockton, Massachusetts by Dwight L. Moody. A young man rose to speak, to give his testimony, and soon showed that he did not have much grasp of spiritual truths. However, the young man declared, ‘I’m not quite sure, but I’m going to trust, and I’m going to obey’. Towner was struck by the young man’s words, and wrote them down. Later, he send those words to his friend John Sammis, who used them to write the lyrics to the lovely hymn ‘Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey’. It is a similar lesson to the one that the Lord Jesus was teaching those He called to be His disciples.
The miracle of the great draught of fishes had driven Peter to his knees in acknowledgment of his unworthiness to be a follower of Jesus. Just as astonished were his partners, James and John, and probably his brother Andrew, although Andrew is not mentioned in the passage. Jesus declares to them that He is promoting them to a higher profession than that of catching fish in Galilee. The world is to become their fishing zone, and mankind is to be their quarry. And all they have to do – at this point – is to follow Him. In other words, they are to simply trust and obey. Years later, as the disciples, reclassified as the apostles, laboured in spreading the Gospel throughout the world, they would remember Jesus’ words on this occasion. Experts in the catching of Musht and Biny fish in Galilee, these men had no experience at catching men. They knew nothing of preaching, or of witnessing, or of anything else associated with evangelization. That did not matter to Jesus. So it should not matter to them. Nor should it matter to us. The Lord Jesus does not necessarily call those who are qualified, but He does qualify those who He calls.
Naturally speaking, you and I are no more qualified than those fishermen when it comes to serving our Lord. Like Peter, we were just sinners, unworthy of such a high calling. And yet, just as the Lord called lowly fishermen, he calls lowly sinners today to come and join His service. Our former professions and qualifications don’t matter as much as our willingness to serve Him. Serving Christ is not a passive profession; the Lord Jesus has no need for the lazy and indifferent. Just as He will provide us with the qualifications that we need, so He will fill our hands with the tasks that we are to perform.
Trusting and obeying are really all that the Lord Jesus is looking for from us. But they will keep us busy! – Jim MacIntosh