Sermon - Trinity V 2023 - Luke 5:1-11

The Miraculous Draft of Fishes, Raphael, 1515-1516

“Faithfulness to the Word of God produces greater fruits than any amount of human wisdom.”

1. The Value of Life

2. God’s Word gives value and purpose

3. Therefore a life lived in obedience to God’s word has greater value than a life lived according to human wisdom.

What gives a life, your life, value? This is ultimately the question behind abortion and euthanasia and any number of life issues that we’re facing today. Typically today we answer that question very practically: what is that person producing and will that person have pleasure? So for an unborn child, maybe with disabilities, maybe with a single mother, maybe with poor prospects of wealth and happiness later, it’s concluded that that life is not worth living.  Elderly people wonder this too: why am I still alive? I can't do anything, I'm just a burden, I don't feel well, therefore my life is not worth living, some conclude. 

To some extent, I think that this mindset also plays a role in why so many teenagers, young adults, middle-aged, late middle aged people feel depression:  they don't think that their life has value. And you know, by all measurements of human wisdom, they are probably right. A disabled child born to a single mother probably will have a really hard life. The old person in the nursing home can't do much anymore. A lot of people, even when they're younger, probably aren't going to change the world and won't ever be famous. So, according to human wisdom, most life isn't worth a whole lot, it's expendable.

But frankly, human wisdom is a very poor judge of life's value. Because the truth is that life has value because God created it and life lived in accordance with the word of God is incalculably valuable! Faithfulness to the Word of God produces greater fruits than any amount of human wisdom. This is Illustrated in today's gospel, when Peter, James, and John disobey human wisdom and instead obey Jesus.

Peter, James, and John had finished working all night, now they had finally gotten their nets cleaned and were ready to get some rest, when Jesus comes along and has them put out their boats a little from the land. When He tells Peter: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch,” that sounded like a crazy idea! Like Peter said: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!” Peter, James, and John were professional fishermen; they knew how, where, and when to catch fish and what Jesus said was not how, where, and when to catch fish. In fact, listening to Jesus was risky, because if they had caught nothing they would’ve had to clean their nets again, and then they would’ve had less time to accomplish everything else that they had to do that day.

But almost resignedly Peter obeys Jesus instead of human wisdom: “But at your word I will let down the nets.”  Peter does something which is foolish according to human wisdom, but is obedient to Christ. It would be like a farmer taking the combine out into a field which was destroyed by hail in July  and doesn't have any grain to collect; it would be very foolish. Yet, lo and behold: “When they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.”

Human wisdom had yielded Peter, James, and John absolutely nothing! But obedience to the word of God yielded them such an abundance that their nets and boats could barely contain what God gave them!  So it is that all of our human endeavors are ultimately worth nothing apart from God's blessing. Like  Solomon says: “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Thus, a valuable life is one which is lived in obedience to the word of God.

 Now, to be clear, this doesn't mean that if you do what the Bible says you will be happy, healthy, and wealthy. It just means that a valuable life is one that is lived in obedience to Christ. Because there are plenty of faithful Christians who have little, and there are plenty of wicked people who have much. Even among faithful Christians there are those who have much and there are those who have little. Remember, God doesn't give to everyone the same, and that's a good thing. Recall the parables of the talents and the minas; God gives each according to his ability, and whether you have much or little is honestly beside the point. What matters is what you do with what God has given to you. Are you faithful or unfaithful?

So, while Peter, James, and John did receive a miraculous catch of fish, they were blessed not so much by the fish, but by the word of God. Peter realizes this important point when he fell down at Jesus’ knees saying: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Suddenly, the fish didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the Man, Jesus, who spoke to him and blessed him. Peter fell down in repentance, recognizing his sin and guilt, and that he didn't deserve to be in  Jesus’ presence.

 But then Jesus' words perform a greater miracle,  greater than the catch of fish, because this time Jesus' words forgive sins and give life. Our lord Jesus said to Peter: “ Do not be afraid.”  With those words Jesus forgave Peter's sins.  Jesus wasn't going to leave Peter, He wasn't going to abandon him in his sins. Yes, Peter was a sinful man and being in the presence of God was a frightening thing because he deserved God's wrath. But Jesus forgave Peter's sins so that Peter could stand in the presence of Jesus.

 Then Jesus gave Peter, James, and John a new commission, a new word to obey: “from now on you will be catching men.” “And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” Again, Peter, James, and John disobeyed human wisdom and obeyed God's word: they left this great wealth of fish to others in order to follow Jesus. A life of value wasn't going to be found in a lucrative fishing boat for them anymore, because obedience to Christ meant something else now.

The lesson for us today is that like these three apostles, we are to leave behind our human wisdom and follow Jesus at his word, and then we will be blessed. Just to make sure that there is no confusion, we're not blessed because of our actions, instead we are blessed because of God's action. Jesus’ death is what gives us life; our salvation is by grace, not by works. Our life lived in obedience to God is simply the fruit of faith in Christ.

This is actually very comforting and encouraging for us as well! If you're ever depressed or anxious about your life, thinking that your life isn't valuable, that your life isn't worth living, that you'd be better off dead, or that you just don't know what to do with your life, then take heart that your life is valuable and has a purpose and a direction! Christ tells you: do not be afraid! Your Lord laid down His life for you, so evidently your life is valuable. It doesn't matter whether or not you're successful or useful according to human wisdom.

And if you're trying to figure out how to have a valuable life, then look no further than the Holy Bible. A life lived according to this book is of utmost value! The most utterly mundane and repetitive life, which forsakes human wisdom and embraces godliness, which follows Jesus, but doesn't conform to the standards of success of this world, is precious in the sight of God. You don't have to make a name for yourself in this world, because your name has been engraved in the Book of Life. And if God has richly blessed you with material wealth, like a whole bunch of fish, good! But remember, those fish were either eaten or they rotted; they didn't last. So don't hesitate to leave everything behind in order to follow Jesus. Your life has all of its value apart from your material wealth. Your value is found in Christ, and your true treasure is kept for you in heaven. So let us follow Christ and live!