Friday, December 18, 2009
The Captain
"Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me."
—Acts 27:25
In Luke 5 we find the story of Jesus using a floating pulpit of sorts. The crowds were pressing in on Him to such an extent that He asked Peter if He could borrow his boat to speak to them. Peter agreed, and so Jesus launched out a little from the shore and spoke to this group. After He was done, He said to Peter, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
Peter said, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." Peter used a unique nautical term in his response to Jesus, which could be translated, "We have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless Master, or Captain of this boat, we will do it."
Jesus was what we would call a landlubber. He was not a guy who spent time on the water. He was a rabbi. So when He said, "Let's go fishing," Peter might have been saying, "You know, Lord, with all due respect, when it comes to teaching, You are the Man. But this is kind of our thing. This is what we do. We know the way fish bite, and we know when to go and when not to go. We have already been fishing. This is a waste of time."
I don't know how Peter said what he said to Jesus or the tone he used. But I know this much: when they launched out into the deep, there were so many fish in their nets that they began to break and the boat began to sink. Another boat was brought up, and it was overwhelmed with fish as well.
Is Jesus the Captain of your boat? Let Him be that for you. Let Him take control.
Copyright © 2009 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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