In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
How easily, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do we flit between one idea and the next? We scarcely scratch the surface yet we move on to a new focus; and perhaps for most things in our lives this is understandable—we cannot study everything!—but this does not mean we should study nothing.
The crowd came to the Lord wanting to hear a message, a short teaching and food for thought, and Christ gave them from the shallow waters of faith. And having heard the Master talk they had had their fill, they could go off and wander to the next rabbi, wandering from one to the next. But Simon wanted more, he was ready to go out into the depths of the Gospel.
Are you ready to go into the depths of the Gospel? Am I? Or are we satisfied with hearing a few moral teachings and then getting on with our lives? Because if we are to go out into the deep it will require work of us.
Simon did not understand everything, had not got his head around the Gospel teachings, but he knew Christ and trusted in him. He was tired, he had been out during the night dropping his nets into the deep but he did not know where to cast them and had failed to catch anything. Yet now he had not only a guide but the Guide whom he was willing to follow. “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
The Christian life, brothers and sisters, is not about knowledge of facts and figures but a relationship with the living God. Are we to be satisfied with a shallow knowledge of the Faith or do we take our relationship into the depths of the Gospel? We might not know everything, we might not be able to answer all questions, but our Faith in our Lord and Saviour, who died and is risen, is enough for us and we offer our boat to put out into the deep. And having come to the depths of the Gospel—having discovered the bountiful shoal—we, too, may call our friends and neighbours to fill all our boats with the blessings of God.
Notice the recognition by Simon of his own sinful state. Coming into contact with the blessings of God he realises his own condition, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord:” “for all have sinned,” says the Apostle Paul, “and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) and I, too, am in a sinful state, I have fallen far short of the glory of God. Yet if I purify myself as did Simon then I will hear from the Lord, “do not be afraid,” and shall hear my own task from God.
Push out into the deep of the Gospel, dear brothers and sisters, and feel the depths of God. It will require work and sacrifice on your part and you will be brought face-to-face with your own sins—yet the Lord will offer to you regeneration through baptism and confession that you may be united to him and bring others to faith and trust in God. Be not satisfied with a skin-deep faith but let us immerse ourselves, unite ourselves, clothe ourselves, in our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To him be all glory, honour and might, together with his Unoriginate Father and the All-holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit. Amen.
Brethren, it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, ” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, “I believed, and so I spoke, ” we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
— 2 Corinthians 4:6:–15
At that time, as Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned 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. But 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 was astonished, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
— Luke 5:1–11