Trust

This week at Home Team we looked at Luke 4-5 where Jesus calls Peter as a disciple. I really loved these verses since Matthew and Mark have the "Cliff Notes" version of the story...

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 17 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 18 And they left their nets at once and followed him.

Luke, on the other hand, gives us the more detailed story which revealed some interesting facts.

1. Jesus knew Peter (Simon) prior to calling him as a disciple. In fact, Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law when He was invited to Peter's house.
2. Peter had a mother-in-law which means Peter had a wife!
3. Jesus used Peter's boat to preach from and Peter sat there and listened. He was familiar with Jesus' teaching.
4. When Jesus asked Peter to go and fish, it wasn't a simple request. Peter had been fishing all night. He was probably exhausted. Not only that, he was an expert on his trade. Going to fish during the day was just stupid. It made no logical sense.
5. Peter trusted Jesus anyway and went out to fish.
6. Not only was Peter's boat filled with fish, but also James and John (Peter's fishing partners) got in on the deal and their boat was filled to almost sinking.
7. What does tons and tons of fish mean? Money and provision for Peter, James and John's families.
8. Peter's first response was to recognize he was a sinner and that Jesus was holy.
9. Jesus reassures Peter and calls him to do something amazing.
10. Peter's response? He left everything in God's hands and followed Jesus.

Last week, I simply could not get this story out of my head. I thought about it constantly. Here were some of my reflections on the passage.

• Do you really trust God? When it came down to it, if God asked you to do something seemingly illogical would I still do it?
• Recognize that we're sinners saved by a Holy Savior. We can't do this on our own.
• When God calls you to do something, He provides for your needs. Peter wouldn't have left his family had he not known in a HUGE way that Jesus was providing for their everyday needs.
• What do you have to leave behind in order to completely follow Jesus?