Surprise!
Surprise!
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ …Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
Something to think about
Have you ever browsed job adverts in a newspaper or on a recruitment website, and imagined all the very different kinds of lives you could have lived? Not everyone settles on one career: think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who started off as a bodybuilder, became an actor, and later turned to politics. But I imagine Simon, who would later be called Peter, was pretty certain that for him, fishing was for life.
When Jesus met Simon, he joined him at work. With the instruction to put down the nets after a failed night, Jesus was asking, ‘Do you trust me with what you already know? Am I welcome on your turf, can I be part of life as you know it?’
Simon’s trust was rewarded with a miraculous catch of fish, and paved the way for a second question. ‘Do you trust me with the future that is unknown? Will you follow me on a new path, can I lead you in a different kind of life?’
Yesterday’s nudge was for those who are being called to stay put. Today’s question from Jesus to Simon might resonate for you if it’s time to step out somewhere new. Hear his words of encouragement: ‘Do not be afraid’.