Encountering Jesus
Luke 2:4-11
“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and 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 finished 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 large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 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. 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 and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that 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; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”
Today’s devotion is one of comparing the reactions of people when encountering the person and power of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 8, Luke 8, and Mark 5 relate the story of Jesus finding a man possessed by a “legion” of demons on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus took pity on this man and, at their pleading, allowed the spirits to enter a large herd of pigs, which promptly raced down the hillside and drowned themselves in the lake. This miraculous event clearly showed the power of Jesus over the devil and his minions. The reaction of the townspeople, however, was not what one would have expected. Having dealt with this frightening individual for so long, you would have thought that a warm welcome and reverence for Jesus and his power would have followed. This was not the case, however. Instead of recognizing the ultimate power Jesus wielded over evil for the benefit of good in their community, his actions frightened them and they “pleaded with Him to leave their region” (Matt. 8:34). The owners of the pigs certainly would have resented the change Jesus caused to their livelihood, but it appears the townspeople feared a change in the status quo as well, the potential upheaval of their lives and community from what they had grown accustomed to.
A similar account of people responding to the power of Jesus is found in Acts 16. There, the disciples encounter a slave girl with a spirit by which she could predict the future. For days, this spirit mocked the disciples' work until finally Paul commanded the spirit, through the power of “the name of Jesus Christ”, to leave her. Again, a display of Jesus’ power for good was not met with awe and adoration as it should have been. Rather, the beneficiaries of the slave girl’s gifts, along with the crowd, complained to the local authorities, who had Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into jail. Another example of an unwillingness to recognize Jesus’ power and have their lives altered from a selfish, self-centered existence to something infinitely better.
This brings us to the account of Jesus’ calling of Peter in today’s lectionary text above. The weary and worn-out fisherman, Peter, is a firsthand witness to Jesus’ miracle of the huge catch of fish. But his reaction to this encounter with the presence and power of Jesus was radically different than that of the townspeople mentioned earlier. Instead of rejecting Jesus, Peter reacts with humility and shame. While the townspeople feared change and upheaval in their existences, Peter feared his inability to measure up in the presence of the power of God. Peter believed he was too lost to be redeemed.
How do Christians today respond to encountering Jesus? If we’re honest, at times we too grow accustomed to our comfortable routines and regular lives and sometimes struggle to make room for Jesus. Work, school, and organizing a home for our families can sometimes nudge Jesus a little over towards the sidelines. Regular prayer becomes a bit irregular, opening our Bibles becomes an exception rather than the norm, and family devotions occur less frequently. It goes without saying that we need to be wary of falling into this trap.
Conversely, taking the route of Peter comes with its own problems. Sorrow for our sin and recognizing our inadequacies are integral parts of repentance and are necessary in maintaining a healthy understanding of who we are and who Jesus is. However, Peter’s fear of not measuring up led to such despair that he saw the only answer was to separate himself from the Savior who could deal with that inadequacy. Shame over his sinful nature almost cost him the wonders of a relationship with Jesus before it could even begin. And what a glorious relationship it became. Ultimately, of course, Jesus’ plan for Peter was realized, who became one of His key apostles, to the point of giving him a name meaning “the Rock”.
We can take a lesson from Peter’s encounter with the Messiah. Sorrow for sin and our sinful nature shouldn’t prohibit us from enjoying the relationship our Savior wants with us. Our church will be celebrating Communion on Sunday. As A.J. so aptly pointed out last Sunday in his call for us to prepare to receive the sacrament, yes, it’s about recognizing our sin and inability to measure up, but it’s more about the grace that is bestowed through forgiveness and re-union with the Savior made possible by his sacrifice on the cross. As with Peter, by dwelling too intently on our inadequacies, we marginalize the immeasurable gift of God’s grace and might never experience the fullness of a relationship with the Savior.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'" 2 Corinthians 12:9
“In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Ephesians 1:7