Fishing With Jesus- No Limits” May 4, 2025
“Fishing With Jesus- No Limits”
Psalm 30:2-13
Acts 9:1-20
John 21:1-19
Some years ago, my brother, my brother-in-law, and the guy who owned the boat took off for northern Ohio to try our luck at catching some walleye in Lake Erie. Everyone on the boat except me was well seasoned in the art of walleye fishing in this giant, but shallow, body of water, so I had to learn a lot real quick. First of all, they told me, you have to use a jig that is the right color for that particular day. This is not an exact science by any means: it consists of getting on the radio and asking other fishermen what they’re biting on, and as it turned out, the color of the day was mauve. I have to admit that it was a bit comical listening to all these rough tough fisherman going on and on about the color mauve, but who am I to judge, right? It was kind of funny, though.
The next order of business before we even put a line in the water was to decide which ones to keep and which ones to throw back. Evidently, there was a six fish limit and no one wanted to limit out with a bunch of little ones, and so, after much careful deliberation It was decided that anything under 26 inches would go back in the water. I couldn’t believe it! I mean, here I was a Montana boy who was accustomed to catching trout more in the ten to twelve inch category. But these guys seemed to know what they were doing and they assured me that 9 or 10 lb. catches were not uncommon, so off we went.
I was still having some doubts that we could pull this thing off.
I thought that they were just bragging, or pulling my leg or maybe they
were trying to get my hopes up to help me make it through the long day that lay ahead.
Well, as it turned out, they were telling the truth. We had to work at it – nothing seemed to come easy. Between the sunburn and the sea sickness, there were times, I confess, that we’d been better off buying a box of fish sticks and staying home.
Like I said, we had to work at it. There were some long dry spells and periods
where all we could catch were undesirable fish like sheep head. It was a long day. I’m not sure how we did it, but we all managed to leave that day with our limit. The next day we invited everyone to a giant fish fry, and that made it all worthwhile.
But that’s the nature of fishing, isn’t it? We’ve all seen the bumper sticker that says, “A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work,” and there’s some truth to that, I believe. During steelhead season in Idaho, I used to chuckle when the Fish and Game department would post the average amount of time it took to actually land a fish. More often than not, the number was between 15 and 20 hours, yet in a snowstorm or in the pouring rain, the river outside of the town of Grainger where i was working would be lined with folks hoping to hook a big one. I thought to myself that These people are nuts.” But you know, this has been going on for thousands and thousands of years. Folks will endure all kinds of hardship and push their patience to the breaking point – all for the thrill of catching a fish. This is why the stories of fishing with Jesus can cause some confusion.
There are two examples of the way that Jesus became the life of the party for some poor fishermen who found themselves getting skunked. One, of course, is today’s passage from the 21st chapter of John, and the other is from the beginning of Luke 5. So, let’s have a look at Luke’s wild fishing story in the hopes we might make some sense of it all. (Lk 5:1-11)
“5 One day, as the crowds were pressing close to him to hear the word of God, Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats moored by the land; the fishermen had gone ashore and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats—it was Simon’s—and asked him to put out a little way from the land. Then he sat down in the boat and began to teach the crowd. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deeper part, and let down your nets for a catch.”5 “Master,” replied Simon, “we were working hard all night and caught nothing at all. But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.”
6 When they did so, they caught such a huge number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. So they came, and filled both the boats, and they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees. “Leave me alone, Lord!” he said. “I’m a sinner!” He and all his companions were gripped with amazement at the catch of fish they had taken. 10 This included James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. “Don’t be afraid,” said Jesus to Simon. “From now on you’ll be catching people.” 11 They brought the boats in to land. Then they abandoned everything and followed him.’ they abandoned everything and followed him.’ I can only hope that there was someone around to deal with all these fish. After a few days in the sun, it wouldn’t be a pretty sight; but that’s hardly the point, is it?
So what gives here? What’s going on? Was Jesus simply acting out of compassion in these stories, or was he looking to teach a lesson about the blessings of abundance. Abundance of new life – abundance of new life in Christ Jesus. “All of the above,” would probably be the correct answer.
But we still have to ask, Why?” Why would he lavish such incredible blessings on these men to whom he had given so much already? The simple answer, for me at least, is that’s what Jesus does. that’s what Jesus does. Unending mercy, unmerited favor, unconditional love. When you go fishing with Jesus, that’s what Jesus does.
The real clincher in John’s gospel happens when Jesus pulls Peter aside and asks him, “Do you love me.” Three different times, he asks this question, three different times Peter professes his love, and then three different times the Lord commands Peter to do something totally outlandish: “feed my lambs,” he said. “Shepherd my sheep. Feed my sheep.” No limits, no half measures. The wild extravagance I have just shown you; go and do the same. Take care of each other. Feed my lambs /// So if you choose to go fishing with Jesus, be advised. There are no limits, there are no parameters- there is, however, a n abundance of love and forgiveness. This is what Jesus does. Amen and Shalom
Recent Comments