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5th Sunday, Year C – 9th February 2025
Luke 5:1-11: Cast the “gospel net” obediently, and it will not be in vain
The starting conditions for a sermon by Jesus are excellent: He does not have to motivate people to listen to His message; rather, people come to Jesus of their own accord because they want to hear Him. This means that the story opens up towards missionary experience right from the start.
Now, the fishermen come into view. It is the classic activity of the fishermen who went about their work. Without asking, Jesus gets into a boat and asks Simon to go out onto the lake so that He can speak to the people gathered in the bay. However, the teaching Jesus only comes into view briefly because the scene changes quickly.
The following section shows the surprising possibilities that arise from trusting in the word of Jesus. That is why, in the story, Jesus addresses Peter with an imperative. The request made to Peter is grammatically and factually significant. From a grammatical point of view, the request changes from the singular to the plural ("go out" → "cast your nets for a catch"). This nuance reveals knowledge of the work of fishermen. It is clear to the narrator that the work of fishermen is teamwork. Although a fisherman has a casting net at his disposal, which can be used by one person, the trawl net must be operated by around 14 to 16 people, and pulling the net also requires several people to do the work.
The narrative logic is factually flawed. Fishing is an activity that promises success at night, but pursuing this business in sunlight contradicts human experience. Therefore, the objection that Simon puts forward is highly plausible: "Master, we have struggled all night long and we have caught nothing." The term struggle is often used for missionary work. However, despite his previous experiences to the contrary, Peter follows Jesus' instructions and casts the nets again.
Simon Peter knew that he could catch fish using two methods: with a fishing rod for one fish (as in Matthew 17:27) or with a net for many fish. The success of this action is enormous. The fishermen catch so many fish that their nets begin to break—contrary to John 21:11. This motif combines various statement intentions:
On the one hand, Jesus is portrayed as someone who gives in abundance and thus surpasses even the boldest imaginations. This narrative trait is typical of gift miracles: God, the giver of all good things, gives so much that there is still enough for the other boats.
However, the cooperation almost has disastrous consequences because the catch is so plentiful that both boats begin to sink.
In this threatening situation, Peter falls on his knees before Jesus and recognizes who He is: a man who could not trust the word of Jesus enough. Through this reverent gesture, Simon becomes the "prototype of all who will come to faith by confessing their sins and accepting Jesus as Lord." (Lam, KEK, 209).
According to Lam, the human community of solidarity points to the important aspect of community with the exalted Lord, which is threatened by sin. At the same time, the idea of community is strengthened among those who turn to Jesus, because turning to Jesus saves them from this precarious situation.
For Luke, it is important to emphasize that following Jesus is not just about leaving everything behind. No, that is not enough in Jesus' eyes. Missionary work is teamwork and therefore requires a community of solidarity—the Church!
As a Church’s community, we should cast the "gospel net" obediently, trusting that God will bless His Word and that our efforts in the Lord will not be in vain (2 Tim. 4:2,5; Isa. 55:11; 1 Cor. 15:58). In doing so, we should be prepared to do something unusual that does not look promising—like the disciples who cast the net one more time or like Philip, who obediently went down a deserted road and was able to be used by God there (Acts 8:26-27).
Have a great Sunday!
Fr Joe Lam, P.P
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