Post by Mark on Oct 30, 2008 4:19:36 GMT -8
In Northwest Montana, where sports fishing is a staple to the local economy, there is a sporting goods store that is larger than most Wal-Marts. It has everything anyone could imagine for the angler to be armed with: the most sophisticated electronic gadgetry, boats, lures, bait, poles, reels, clothing, books… it’s like a Cabella’s Toys R Us. Behind the store is a park-like setting with a man-made fishing pond, stocked with every conceiveable species that one is likely to encounter out in the Montana waters; but it is more than just what you see on the surface. If you walk down stairs, you will see that the lake is more like a huge aquarium where you can stand and study the fish as they approach, evaluate and hopefully take the bait of some angler that is standing above you. The idea is that in order to be a better fisherman, you need to understand how the fish is likely to appraoch and respond to your bait.
This idea would have completely mezmorized Peter. The 1st Century Israeli fisherman knew little about the waters of the sea other than what he saw on the surface and what he was able to bring up. He hadn’t any understanding of the underwater world that swirled around beneath him, other than the effectiveness of his trade.
Hebrew mythology viewed the sea as the gates to the underworld, to Hell and death. The Hebrew word "te-home" which is often translated "the deep" would be more literally translated, "the tempest" or "the destroyer". In Greek, the word "bathos" which is translated "deep" in Messiah’s instruction found in Luke 5:4, literally means "mystery". This was the gamble to which the fisherman had to be come accustomed: you throw your nets into the water: sometimes you get fish and sometimes you don’t. There are are signs that give hints as to when and where fish may be; but what exactly goes on below the surface of the waters was without a doubt an absolute mystery.
Messiah’s words commanded expectancy. If He had simply said, "Let down your nets into the deep," it would have presumed that He wanted them to catch something; and Peter would have likely let his net down in obedient resignation. "We’ve tried ths already tonight; but it couldn’t hurt." Yet, Messiah Yeshua said, "Let down your nets into the deep for a catching." There is no question in this declarative statement. "When you bring your nets up out of the waters they will be full."
Peter’s response, in today’s venacular may have been, "Yeah. Don’t get your hopes up." If the fish weren’t there, they just weren’t there. But one more time, just to avoid argument certainly wouldn’t hurt, and the worst that would happen is that he would say, "I told you so."
Knowing Yeshua the way that we do, the result needs little explanation. The resulting catch was greater than what their nets could hold. Exactly as Messiah had spoken, it had happened. Somehow He knew what couldn’t be known!
Peter’s response at this point is minimized in signifcance by our Christian ignorance of Jewish culture. Peter kneeled before Yeshua right there in the boat. This was a no-no. Jews didn’t kneel before anyone. Kneeling was a position of prostration before pagan deities and was therefore not a position that a Jew would assume. The position of kneeling was not even an acceptable position in Hebrew worship because of its pagan associations. One may lay prostrate before Adonai or one may stand before Him; but one would never kneel. So, powerful was the aversion to this position of homage that in the book of Esther, brave Mordecai was willing to risk not only his own life but the lives of all the Jews in Persia rather than kneel.
By kneeling to Yeshua, Peter demonstrates that he wasn’t exactly a religious man. Few fishermen would have been, particularly in the culturally mixed regions of the Galilee. There is nothing ceremonious nor holy about fish; and the association or nearness of daily proximity to "the gates of Hell" would not lend itself well to those who are seeking nearness to the God of Heaven. To kneel before Yeshua was not so much to acknowledge Yeshua as the Lord God of Israel; but definitely put Him on parr with things much greater than what he was able to understand.
His statement could have been meant in two different ways, "Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinner," may have suggested that Yeshua should leave lest He be tainted by Peter’s sinfulness, or it could be that Peter recognized his proneness towards idolatry and this man’s presence wasn’t helping him any. It really doesn’t matter what Peter was thinking at that point.
What matters is that Messiah Yeshua didn’t leave just because Peter asked Him to go. He rather extended an invitation to become something more than what, till that moment, he had been.
"Fear not; from henceforth you shall catch men." (Luke 5:10).
Often the path that we see laid out before us is not the journey that our God and King is taking us on. Often, the direction He leads us in takes a sharp turn from what we had originally considered or expected. We often consider this to be the case when we are presented with catastrophe: when our lives fall apart, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that God must be leading us in a different direction.
That’s not what happened to Peter. Peter’s calling came to him just as he experienced the biggest catch of his life! What made Peter’s experience different is that he recognized that this success was not happenstance, nor the result of his own cunning devices; but the response of something greater than himself acting upon his life.
Messiah Yeshua didn’t consider Peter’s qualifications as a teacher, his theological reputation, nor even the success of his business. He said, "Come."
Often we see in the religious community, young potentials jockeying for status or position to become the next leaders of the Church. They build for themselves a reputation and scholarship to do the work of ministry as they see that this vocation will require. They build bridges and structures that define themselves according to the expectations of the religious community and jump through the necessary hoops of education and position in order to become that pastor or rabbi. Messiah’s path was different. He said, "Launch out into the deep." He takes us to places that we don’t understand and provides for us in ways that we can’t explain so that our testimony is about who He is rather than what we are able to do.
This isn’t to suggest that a deep sea fishing trip should replace a solid biblical education; but rather to ask where our confidence lies in obedience and reverence toward Adonai.
When Peter kneeled before Yeshua, he testified that he was prepared to abandone everything he thought he understood and recognize that this Man had power beyond his understanding. May we, today, be willing to likewise launch out into the deep.
This idea would have completely mezmorized Peter. The 1st Century Israeli fisherman knew little about the waters of the sea other than what he saw on the surface and what he was able to bring up. He hadn’t any understanding of the underwater world that swirled around beneath him, other than the effectiveness of his trade.
Hebrew mythology viewed the sea as the gates to the underworld, to Hell and death. The Hebrew word "te-home" which is often translated "the deep" would be more literally translated, "the tempest" or "the destroyer". In Greek, the word "bathos" which is translated "deep" in Messiah’s instruction found in Luke 5:4, literally means "mystery". This was the gamble to which the fisherman had to be come accustomed: you throw your nets into the water: sometimes you get fish and sometimes you don’t. There are are signs that give hints as to when and where fish may be; but what exactly goes on below the surface of the waters was without a doubt an absolute mystery.
Messiah’s words commanded expectancy. If He had simply said, "Let down your nets into the deep," it would have presumed that He wanted them to catch something; and Peter would have likely let his net down in obedient resignation. "We’ve tried ths already tonight; but it couldn’t hurt." Yet, Messiah Yeshua said, "Let down your nets into the deep for a catching." There is no question in this declarative statement. "When you bring your nets up out of the waters they will be full."
Peter’s response, in today’s venacular may have been, "Yeah. Don’t get your hopes up." If the fish weren’t there, they just weren’t there. But one more time, just to avoid argument certainly wouldn’t hurt, and the worst that would happen is that he would say, "I told you so."
Knowing Yeshua the way that we do, the result needs little explanation. The resulting catch was greater than what their nets could hold. Exactly as Messiah had spoken, it had happened. Somehow He knew what couldn’t be known!
Peter’s response at this point is minimized in signifcance by our Christian ignorance of Jewish culture. Peter kneeled before Yeshua right there in the boat. This was a no-no. Jews didn’t kneel before anyone. Kneeling was a position of prostration before pagan deities and was therefore not a position that a Jew would assume. The position of kneeling was not even an acceptable position in Hebrew worship because of its pagan associations. One may lay prostrate before Adonai or one may stand before Him; but one would never kneel. So, powerful was the aversion to this position of homage that in the book of Esther, brave Mordecai was willing to risk not only his own life but the lives of all the Jews in Persia rather than kneel.
By kneeling to Yeshua, Peter demonstrates that he wasn’t exactly a religious man. Few fishermen would have been, particularly in the culturally mixed regions of the Galilee. There is nothing ceremonious nor holy about fish; and the association or nearness of daily proximity to "the gates of Hell" would not lend itself well to those who are seeking nearness to the God of Heaven. To kneel before Yeshua was not so much to acknowledge Yeshua as the Lord God of Israel; but definitely put Him on parr with things much greater than what he was able to understand.
His statement could have been meant in two different ways, "Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinner," may have suggested that Yeshua should leave lest He be tainted by Peter’s sinfulness, or it could be that Peter recognized his proneness towards idolatry and this man’s presence wasn’t helping him any. It really doesn’t matter what Peter was thinking at that point.
What matters is that Messiah Yeshua didn’t leave just because Peter asked Him to go. He rather extended an invitation to become something more than what, till that moment, he had been.
"Fear not; from henceforth you shall catch men." (Luke 5:10).
Often the path that we see laid out before us is not the journey that our God and King is taking us on. Often, the direction He leads us in takes a sharp turn from what we had originally considered or expected. We often consider this to be the case when we are presented with catastrophe: when our lives fall apart, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that God must be leading us in a different direction.
That’s not what happened to Peter. Peter’s calling came to him just as he experienced the biggest catch of his life! What made Peter’s experience different is that he recognized that this success was not happenstance, nor the result of his own cunning devices; but the response of something greater than himself acting upon his life.
Messiah Yeshua didn’t consider Peter’s qualifications as a teacher, his theological reputation, nor even the success of his business. He said, "Come."
Often we see in the religious community, young potentials jockeying for status or position to become the next leaders of the Church. They build for themselves a reputation and scholarship to do the work of ministry as they see that this vocation will require. They build bridges and structures that define themselves according to the expectations of the religious community and jump through the necessary hoops of education and position in order to become that pastor or rabbi. Messiah’s path was different. He said, "Launch out into the deep." He takes us to places that we don’t understand and provides for us in ways that we can’t explain so that our testimony is about who He is rather than what we are able to do.
This isn’t to suggest that a deep sea fishing trip should replace a solid biblical education; but rather to ask where our confidence lies in obedience and reverence toward Adonai.
When Peter kneeled before Yeshua, he testified that he was prepared to abandone everything he thought he understood and recognize that this Man had power beyond his understanding. May we, today, be willing to likewise launch out into the deep.
