By Metropolitan Sotirios of Pisidia
What should be admired first from what
the Evangelist Luke told us today? The people of Galilee, who thirsted
to hear the words of Jesus? They filled the shore of Lake Gennesaret as
soon as they learned that Jesus was there, and they longed to see Him
and hear Him. His word sweetened their hearts and gave peace, strength
and enlightenment. They had never heard such words before! Even His
enemies, the guards of the Hebrew high priests, after being sent to
seize Jesus, confessed: “No man ever spoke like this Man” (John 7:46).
And instead of arresting Jesus, they were fascinated and listened to
him! Let us admire the simplicity of the Lord, who decided to get into
Simon (Peter)’s fishing-boat, so His listeners could see Him better, and
speak to them.
Or the obedience of Peter to Jesus, who
told him to go out fishing around noon time? An experienced fisherman
like Peter knew that fish were not caught in the day time! The other
fishermen would maybe mock them or laugh when they see them throw their
nets out for fishing at that time. After all, last night he could not
catch any fish, so he expects a catch now? But Peter willingly obeyed
Christ! Let us still admire the multitude of fish caught in such a short
time, and at that time of day, so that not only was Peter’s boat
filled, but the other Zebedee boat as well, to the point where they were
in danger of sinking.
Peter’s reaction was remarkable when he
saw so many fish, as it was something he had never seen before. Instead
of expressing his thanks to the Lord for such a great blessing, he says
to Him: Please get out of my boat. What kind of strange behavior is
that? Why does Peter do this? It becomes clear in his words: “Depart
from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (verse 8). He felt his
sinfulness, and in humility declared that he was not worthy to have on
his simple boat the great honor of the Lord’s presence. As the
Evangelist Luke explains: “For he-Peter- and all who were with him were
astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken” (verse 9).
All of this is admirable, and among
other things, they teach us something very important for our lives.
Peter and his associates, when they struggled alone all night, thought
they were experienced fishermen, working under the best conditions for
fishing and yet had no profit. But when they had Christ with them and
obeyed His words, despite all of the unfavorable conditions for fishing,
they earned more than they ever had in their lives! Does that say
something to us too?
Unfortunately, Christians influenced by
the materialist spirit of the time do not respect the spiritual and
moral values of the Gospel. They say: You cannot survive in today’s
world with the Gospel, You have to compete with others using the same
means that they do. What are these means? We know it includes lies,
fraud, theft, usury, deception, unfulfilled promises, extortion, and so
many others that have brought humanity to such a terrible situation! We
see the downfall of so many of them! Because of the profiteering, others
become prisoners, with broken families and facing the assault of
society. They suffer from psychological problems and what is worse, lose
their souls. The Apostle Paul writes about them: “Tribulation and
anguish, on every soul of man who does evil” (Romans 2:9). They may at
first appear to be gaining and prospering, but they have a bad end.
There is a saying: “The liar and the thief rejoice in their first year
only.” But those who follow in Christ’s example, respect and obey His
will: “glory, honor and peace,” the Apostle Paul writes in his Letter to
the Romans (2:10).
My brothers and sisters, let us always
have in front of our eyes the image of Jesus with Peter and the two
boats full of fish, and remember this: If we have Christ near us and we
will work according to His words, we will enjoy blessings that no one
else can give us.
