Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Today we have a Gospel account recounting the beginning of the great relationship between St Peter and Jesus, where Jesus intentionally and personally meets Simon (later renamed Peter) right in the midst of his ‘ordinary’ work.

I notice that a crowd was already ‘pressing in’ around Jesus as we are introduced to the context in which this extraordinary meeting takes place. The crowd already want to hear Jesus teach. But Simon himself doesn’t seem to be a part of that crowd. He was simply there on the lake of Gennesaret because he was fishing. Simon was going about his fisherman duties, his daily work.

Jesus then approaches his boat, gets into it, and together they set out onto the water. From that intimate gathering on a boat, Jesus begins to teach the crowd, followed by a wonderful miracle that reveals the truth of God’s abundant providence.

From this very ordinary beginning, in a very ordinary way, Jesus encounters Simon in the very core business of his life. And here, an extraordinary relationship begins, one that would shape the very nature of the church we have today. But it all begins with a very ordinary moment. And that’s often how God meets us: in our world, in our context, in our workplaces, in our families. In the ordinary, Jesus wants to speak a word directly into our hearts and to see us grow in relationship with him.

Today, what do you sense God is saying to you?