Anticipating a Plentiful Harvest
Why did Jesus say to Peter, “…from now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10)?
He could’ve said more plainly:
“…follow me and we’ll go reach more people”
“…follow me and we’ll go make more disciples”
“…follow me and we’ll go tell more people about me”
But, he didn’t.
He used a metaphor.
Fish for people.
Why?
I think it’s easy to see why. He wanted Peter to connect what had just happened with the fish to what he should anticipate happening with lost people as he began to follow Jesus.
Remember with me what happened in the story.
Andrew, Peter, James & John had been fishing all night and caught nothing. They were likely frustrated and discouraged as they sat on the shore washing their nets preparing to go home.
Nearby, Jesus had drawn a crowd and people were listening to the word of God. Likely due to the size, Jesus got into Peter’s boat and asked him to push it out a bit from the shore. Jesus sat down and continued to teach the people.
After teaching, he told Peter to head out into deeper water & let down his nets for a catch.
Peter told Jesus that they had already worked hard all night fishing and hadn’t caught anything. But because Jesus, whom he addressed as Master, said to do it, he said he would do it.
We all know what happened next.
Jesus stirred the waters.
Not literally, of course. At least not that we know of.
But the Bible mini-series/Son of God movie does depict Jesus reaching down into the water and stirring it. The Chosen depicts him watching from the shore. The Jesus Film has him helping bring in the catch.
We all have a visual image of what happened next. And it’s powerful!
As they let down their nets, the harvest of fish was so plentiful that the nets began to break.
They needed more workers to come help bring in this plentiful harvest, so they signaled to James & John to come and help. Once they came, the harvest was so plentiful that the fish filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
All of them were amazed at what happened.
Peter fell at Jesus’s feet & told him to go away because he felt too sinful to be around him.
Then Jesus told him not to be afraid because, “…from now on, you will fish for people.”
After that, they left everything to follow him.
This story is rich with parallels to disciple-making, which Jesus invites through his use of the metaphor!
Consider the parallels between this story & Jesus sending out the 72 in Luke 10. I tried to incorporate some of the parallels as I retold the story above.
“He [Jesus] told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” (Luke 10:2).
This was exactly the disciples’ experience. The harvest of fish was so plentiful, there weren’t enough workers to bring it in. They had to holler at their friends to become workers & help bring this plentiful harvest in. But notice that the harvest is plentiful in HIS harvest field. The disciples found it wasn’t as plentiful in THEIR harvest field, where they had been fishing all night. But when Jesus told them where to fish, in HIS harvest field, the boats could barely contain the haul.
Taking these two stories together, it seems:
We should anticipate a plentiful harvest as we go out “fishing for people.”
When you find a plentiful harvest, you’ll quickly realize the workers are few & you’ll need the Lord of the harvest to raise up more workers for his fields.
If you’re “fishing for people” and catching nothing, consider whether you’re working where Jesus is stirring the waters, i.e. in his harvest field.
In pursuing movements, all of us long to experience what the disciples did with the miraculous catch of fish. We long to be a worker in a plentiful harvest where the workers are few. We pray and labor to that end.
But many of us identify more with the disciples the night before than the disciples bringing in the catch the next day.
It’s easy to feel like we’ve fished for years (“all night”) & caught nothing.
And what I love about the movements community is most people I know love Jesus so much, they’ll be obedient to continue fishing all night & catching nothing if that’s what he asks.
And perhaps that is what he asks some of us to do.
But maybe it’s not what he’s asked all of us to do.
Why?
Because the Lord IS stirring the waters around the world.
He has prepared plentiful harvests.
And where he’s stirred the waters & the harvest is plentiful, the workers are STILL few.
Those places need an Andrew & Peter to find the harvest.
And they need a James & John to jump back in the boat & get out there to help bring it in.
Now, I get it. The harvest may not feel plentiful where you’re working right now. But that doesn’t mean the harvest isn’t plentiful in other places.
It may not feel like Jesus is stirring the waters where you’re working right now. But that doesn’t mean he’s not stirring the waters in other places.
The Lord of the Harvest IS wanting us to ask HIM to raise up more workers for HIS fields!
And, if we respond, we might find ourselves right in the middle of a great catch, the very experience we’ve dreamed about.
Are you willing to work in HIS fields, where HE’S stirring the waters, or are you planning to stick with YOURS?
He’ll show you what to do!