By Joe
Chesser
Most all of us have told stories about
fishing. If not we have at least heard fish stories. And probably most of them
have been exaggerated at least a bit, haven’t they. But it’s hard to beat the
fish stories in the Bible ... and they are not exaggerated! For example, the
story of Jonah, or finding a coin in a fish’s mouth to pay taxes (Matthew 17).
Have you ever gone fishing and ended up
with two boat loads of fish so heavy the boats were sinking? That’s what happened to professional
fishermen Peter, Andrew, James and John after fishing all night and getting
skunked (Luke 5.1-11). A similar thing happened sometime later when Peter and a
few friends went fishing all night and caught nothing. Someone from the shore
called out to them, “”Cast your net on the right side of the boat, and you will
find some.” They did, and ended up with 153 large fish so heavy they had a
difficult time hauling them to shore (John 21.1-14).
That someone was Jesus. In both of these
last two stories Jesus told the experienced fishermen to cast their nets once
again into the sea. Even though Jesus was a carpenter turned preacher and not a
fisherman, Peter, who was a professional fisherman, cast his nets into the sea
once again just because Jesus told him to do so. “Master, we toiled all night
and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets” (Luke 5.5).
As exciting and entertaining as these fish
stories are in their own right, these stories are not about fish. They are
merely the means to help us see the incredible and amazing power of God over
nature. God created a fish large enough to swallow Jonah, keep him alive for
three days, and then spit him up on the beach. Incredible! God put a specific
Roman coin in a specific fish’s mouth for Peter to catch on his first try so he
could pay his taxes. Wow! Because the fishermen took Jesus at his word, the
boats became overloaded with fish. All of these fish stories go far beyond
natural law. They are so far beyond what’s normal that many skeptics question
their authenticity. These skeptics fail to see and believe that these stories
are not about fish, they are about God.
It makes me wonder how many other “natural”
events in our lives are like these fish stories. How many times have we been in
just the right place at just the right time to receive something special (a job
opportunity; a discount; help with a flat tire; a new friend; etc.)? Was it
luck, or was it God? Was it “natural” or was it Providence? The word
“providence” is not found in Scripture, but concept of Providence can be seen
throughout the Bible for those who are open to see it. What Peter saw when his
nets and boats were filled with fish helped him see Jesus as the Lord and
himself as a sinner: “I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5.8). Because of the
fish Peter saw the Lord. Because he saw the Lord, Jesus called him to become a
fisher of men (Luke 5.10).
What are these fish stories telling you?
Are you more impressed with the abundance of blessings God gives you, or that
they are calling you for a higher purpose?
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