Who Is He? Who Are We?ਨਮੂਨਾ

Are you allowing Jesus to cast your nets?

In this passage of scripture, we see the disciples turn back to the profession that Peter, James, and John knew well – fishing. After following Jesus for 3 long years, seeing Him be taken away and crucified, and living through Jesus’ resurrection, they were trying to figure out what post-resurrection life would look like. So, the disciples returned to something comfortable, something familiar.

Now Peter, James, and John were seasoned fishermen, as this was their former profession before they were disciples of Christ. They absolutely would have known where to cast their nets, and they figured out how to do their job effectively. However, whenever they cast out their nets, they drew up nothing. They ended up not being able to bring in any fish the entire night, and Jesus called out to them from the shoreline to inquire about their success.

They admitted their shortcomings to Jesus. He instructed the disciples to cast their nets to the right. As they obeyed, they brought in a catch so large that they couldn’t haul the net overboard!

Sometimes in life, we can settle for casting our own nets rather than putting our faith in the Lord’s provision. We can tend to fish all night on our own when the Lord is simply asking us to follow Him. When life feels uncertain, when the future seems unclear, we can often turn to familiarity. Whether it’s old habits, familiar crowds, or behaviors we once left behind, we often run straight back to what feels predictable. Is it a past relationship? Could it be putting your self-worth in a worldly thing? Wherever it is, it's in these times of unpredictability where the Lord builds up perseverance, trust, and increases our faith. We are, in our human flesh, weak. It's only through the Lord’s strength that we are made strong.

One important detail to note is that Jesus did not cast the net – it was the disciples who did the casting. To allow the Lord to cast our nets is to act in obedience when He speaks. Jesus could have easily cast the net Himself, but there is something subtly beautiful about Jesus allowing the disciples to throw the net over themselves: it allowed them an opportunity to act in faith. They could have complained about how they had not brought in a catch all day, but instead, they tossed their net over in what seemed like a nonsensical act of faith. Why would this cast be any different? This act of faith saw the disciples go home with an abundance, rather than a lack.

The thoughts to chew on are these: am I allowing Jesus to have control, or am I attempting to fish in the night and take control myself? Finally, once I have allowed Jesus entry to my life, am I responding to Him in obedience, even if it seems nonsensical to me? I believe that as we allow Jesus entry and respond to His Spirit in obedience, then we will begin to see His will unfold, which is so much more beautiful than anything we could conjure up on our own.