Deep Person
Superficiality
is the word of the day. We live in a instant
world. We expect everything to come to us instantly – instant news, instant
notifications, instant money, instant gratification. The church is not the
exception. We are constantly looking for new methods, new plans, new programs
for instant church growth. We are looking for newer and better methods; God is
looking for better people – not
intelligent people, or gifted people, but deep
people.[1]
Hymn writer A. B. Simpson describes God’s invitation to deeper life in Christ this way:
But mercy, alas! Only stand on the shore
And gaze on the ocean so wide;
They [You] never have ventured its depths to explore,
Or to launch on the fathomless tide.
Launch out into the deep,
O, let the shoreline go,
Launch out, launch out in the ocean divine,
Out where the full tides flow.
The Great Invitation
In today’s scripture we meet the
one who says “Yes” to the great invitation. It was an ordinary day when Jesus
was walking the shoreline. He saw two boats tied up. One of them happened to be
Simon Peter’s. He just finished his work, getting out of the boat and washing
the nets. Jesus came to him and asked him to put out a little the shore. At
that time, many people were pushing in on Jesus to better hear the Word of God.
If we picture or paint this scene, we tend to think Jesus in a white robe with
a halo. That’s probably not the case. For me personally, I love Indonesian
artist Bagong Kussudiardja’s painting, Christ
and the Fishermen. He has painted Jesus as one of us, wearing sunglasses and shorts with dark skin. Jesus
looks just like those who surround him. He identifies and hangs out with
ordinary people – you and me. He still comes to us on an ordinary day.
Jesus did come to Simon. He asked him to push the boat out into the water, then he used it for a pulpit. He taught the crowd first. When he finished teaching, Jesus said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Jesus’ invitation always leads us to a new crisis of faith. Simon answered, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and caught nothing.” Here he was saying, “We already tried them all. Been there, done that.” Let us pause and think about Simon’s feelings for a moment – tired, frustrated, disappointed, hopeless, perhaps even angry. At that time he was not fishing for fun, but for survival. For him, fishing was a life or death matter under the burden of heavy taxation. But listen to Simon’s own words: “Nevertheless because you say so, I will let down the net.” The only difference between then and now is “Because Jesus said so.” At the crossroads Simon chose to the path of obedience. At a crisis of faith he chose to say “Yes” to the invitation.
Into the Deep
Results? Miraculous catch. But this
miraculous catch itself is not abundant life that Jesus promised. Rather,
it’s a sign of abundant life. All of
Jesus’ ministry – his teaching, his preaching, his healing – is a sign that
points us to who he really is. If we say, “Because I believed, I prospered.
Because I believed, I was healed. Because I believed, I got rich”, that’s the
prosperity gospel. That’s like staying on the shallow seashore. But God nudges
us to go deeper. For Simon, this miraculous catch made him stand in awe and
feel that he is sinner and needs a different life. He felt nudged to go deeper
and live for higher calling. Then, Jesus said to him, “Do not be afraid; from
now on you will be catching people.” Now Simon got a new vocation – from
catching fish to catching people and bringing them to life. “The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He
has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the
blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
(Luke 4:18-19, NRSV) This is Jesus’ calling. This is every Christian’s calling.
It’s a new beginning. When Simon (and his partners – James and John) are called, they leave everything – their boats, their nets, their catch, their families – in order to follow Jesus. They choose to launch out into the deep. Jesus needs deep people, not gifted or smart people. He does not need people who will direct him but people who will serve him, and trust and obey him.
Launch Out into the Deep
What’s the message for us today?
How do we read and apply this story to our lives? Let us remember that we enter
the story not as passive spectators, but as active participants. Alexander
Whyte declares, “with your imagination anointed with holy oil you again open
your New Testament. At one time, you are publican: at another time, you are the
prodigal… at another time you are Mary Magdalene: at another time, Peter in the
porch… Till your whole New Testament is all over autobiographic of you.”[2]
So today Peter is you, Peter is me, Peter is us. And Jesus is coming to us and
nudging us to go deeper.
It was this past Thursday when I felt nudged. I serve as a member of the District Committee on Ordained Ministry (DCOM). As a committee, we interview new candidates who are called to ministry and help them accountable by evaluating them annually. This time a candidate was bisexual. She seemed to be a practicing bisexual person. As I was reading her paper, I realized that I was not ready to interview and evaluate that candidate. So I abstained.
That afternoon I spent time to pray and meditate on the scriptures – today’s passage. I felt like I was Simon. I said, “Jesus, I tried them all. I studied and read and listened to both sides. But there is no easy answer.” I felt torn apart inside. I felt tired, frustrated, sad. As I was journaling, I asked questions to myself: “As a traditionalist[3], how can I navigate the next steps?” “Is there any room for traditionalists in our conference?” “How much is possible working together in reality? If it is possible, what does it look like?” Too many questions, too few answers.
Then, I felt God’s nudge to go deeper. I realized that even though it’s important to discern what is right and what to do next, those questions are still like walking the shoreline. Jesus wanted me to go deeper and examine my heart. He was more interested in how I would get there – my motives, my priorities, etc. At the end of my journaling I prayed like this: “Lord, I surrender my life to you. Whatever decision is made in the future, let it be not based on my best interests, my family’s best interests, my financial security after retirement, or political lines, but solely on your will. I just want to do your will.”
As I was praying, Dr. King’s last speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” came to my mind. In the midst of uncertainty and chaos he shared the following words without knowing that he would be assassinated on the following day:
“Well, I don't know what will
happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me
now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I
would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned
about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to
the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not
get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people will
get to the Promised Land.”
Wherever we are on our journey, Jesus is right here with us to teach us, guide us, and nudge us. Do you feel a “nudge”? Let us launch out into the deep, cut away the shore line, and be lost in the fullness of God. Amen.
[1]
Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
(HaperOne: New York, 2018), 1.
[2]
Ibid., 30.
[3]
Traditionalists refer to those who hold a traditional understanding of the
LGBTQ issue, such as ban on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy, whereas progressives
are those who affirm LGBTQ inclusion. Both sides are on the same page in that
we should welcome and love all people regardless of age, class, ethnicity, race,
gender identity, etc.
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