Full service HERE. Sermon starts at 29:00. (This sermon is much better performed than read, so you can see all the flapping and flopping as I imitate being in a boat full of fish!)
Epiphany 5C
February 6, 2022
Luke 5:1-11
INTRODUCTION
Today is the day of call stories. We’ll hear Isaiah’s dramatic call story, in which he describes a vision he had of God on a throne. You will recognize some of the words in this text: the call of the seraphs, the angels, are words we now sing as a part of the communion liturgy. I hope as you hear and sing them later this morning, that they will bring to your mind this scene that Isaiah describes, in which the whole room is filled with God’s glory, and where sin is blotted out.
The other call story we will hear today is the call of the first disciples, Peter (here he is still Simon), James, and John. Where in the other Gospels, Jesus starts calling disciples pretty much first thing after his baptism and temptation in the desert, in Luke he has already been doing some teaching, preaching, and healing, and so has already made a name for himself. In fact, one of those healings was of Simon’s mother-in-law, so keep in mind that today’s interaction is not the first time Simon has met Jesus.
To guide your listening today, I want to point out that God uses all manner of ways to be revealed to us. For Isaiah it was a dramatic vision. The apostle Paul will refer to Jesus’ literal appearance to him on the road. And the way Luke describes the disciples’ call story is downright absurd. Enter into these stories, really try to picture them, and see the myriad ways God is revealed. Let’s listen.
[READ]
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| Model of a 1st century fishing boat |
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Why are fish so smart? Because they hang out in schools.
What do you call a fish with no eyes? Fshshshsh.
What did the fisherman say to the magician? “Pick a cod, and cod!”
Okay, I’m o-fish-ally done telling fish jokes. (Boom. Nailed it!)
I mean, who doesn't love a fish joke, am I right? In fact, even Luke does. It’s true! Of all the evangelists, the Gospel writers, Luke tells the story of Jesus most playfully, including little inside jokes throughout (jokes even better than the ones I just told – I know, hard to believe!), and today is no exception. I think often when we read the Bible, we think it must be done very Reverently and Seriously… but while I do think we should approach the Word of God with reverence and seriousness, I also think that Jesus had a sense of humor, and that there are parts of the Bible that are downright funny! And if we ignore that fact, then we’re missing some of what it has to offer.
So, let’s walk through this story of the calling of the first disciples, in a way that highlights some of its humor and absurdity.
Simon and his colleagues, James and John, were just packing it in, having worked the third shift. Nighttime was the only time to fish, really, at least with their trammel nets. These were nets that were dropped into the water and stayed afloat with corks, and fish would swim into them and find themselves trapped, and then the fishermen would pull them in. In the daytime, of course, the fish could see the nets, and would wisely avoid them. That’s why fishermen worked at night, when they could catch more, or any fish.
At least, usually they could. But it had been a rough night. All night long they had fished, and caught nothing, so their mood was… grim. This was, after all, how they fed their families and made a living. Tired, worried, and grumpy, they underwent the equally difficult work of cleaning their regrettably empty nets.
Along comes Jesus. This actually excited Simon somewhat. Since Jesus had healed his mother-in-law a few days before, he was quite intrigued by this itinerant preacher. He was a little wary of the crowds that came with him, but, oh well. That was typical of Jesus. Simon was admittedly a little miffed when Jesus helped himself to Simon’s boat, since that would mean that they’d have to climb back in and go out on the water again, but eh. It was the least he could do for the guy who had healed his mother-in-law. And if he was honest, Simon did enjoy listening to his teachings.
But then Jesus took it a step too far. He asked Simon to put the nets back in the water. Now, it was one thing that he was bone weary from having fished all night and then cleaning those massive nets. But even more than that – who did this guy think he was? Who was this itinerant preacher, telling him, a professional fisherman, how to do his job? Huh? And third, he clearly didn’t even know what he was talking about! It was broad daylight – duh! Not even a fish was fool enough to swim into their nets by day! But Simon wanted to be respectful. As he felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment and frustration, he said, “Master, we have been fishing all night and caught nothing.” Again, what did Jesus know about fishing?? But Jesus looked back at him, with that burning gaze of his, the same he had seen as Jesus cast out the fever from Simon’s mother-in-law, and Simon sighed and added, “Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” Joke’s on him, Simon grumbled. Jesus would definitely look the fool here.
Never, in all his years of fishing, had Simon seen anything like what happened next. The fish rushed into the nets! It was as if Jesus was some sort of fish-whisperer, and these finned fellows were in on the act. Now Simon felt the fool, as he tried to haul in this bounty, even as the nets began to break from the weight. Quickly, he whistled for the other boat to come, but even with them, there were more fish than they could handle. Fish were flopping this way and that, the men were all slipping on the fish now covering the floor of the boat, and Simon could have sworn some fish were actually jumping directly into the boat from the water, just to join in the game and have a laugh (and now that I mention it, it did seem as if the fish were laughing at him!). It was a scene of slimy, smelly chaos!
Suddenly, Simon stopped, and looked over at Jesus, who seemed very much amused by the whole scene, as he stifled a laugh. Here they were, in deep water, with boats so bursting with fish that they were literally sinking, and this guy is giggling? Yet somehow, in the midst of the absurdity, Simon had a realization, an epiphany. As a fish jumped up and smacked his face with its tail, he became certain that this itinerant preacher and healer was more than some arrogant weirdo who knew nothing about fishing. He was… the Lord.
In the midst of the fishy chaos, Simon stood. He was waist-deep in flopping fish, but that no longer bothered him. He fell down at Jesus’ knees, his face now level with the fish. Hiding his face behind a particularly animated tilapia, he said, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
And just like that, the fish all stopped flopping and jumping about. The water became like glass. And time stood still. The other fishermen also turned to face Jesus, amazed. A smile danced on Jesus’ lips. With a raised eyebrow and a sideways glance at the vast sea around them, subtly reminding Simon that there was really nowhere to which Jesus could “go away,” Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you’ll be catching people.”
Fish for people? Honestly? His words didn’t make a lick of sense to Simon, nor the others. But they trusted this guy. Trusted him enough to leave behind this fish jackpot they’d just hit, this catch that had just moments before been all that mattered to them. In fact, they left everything, and followed him.
It’s a ridiculous story, truly absurd. At first, I find myself a little annoyed by this, that God would use such absurdity in a moment of such magnitude! He’s calling the men to leave everything for a new and largely unknown call and life, fishing for people, whatever that means – is this really the time for jokes, Jesus? If he wants them to take this call seriously, shouldn’t he be more, well, serious?
But upon deeper reflection, it becomes clearer first that seriousness is not always the best way to meet people (and God surely knows that), and second, that even in my own life, God has used levity and humor to get through to me when nothing else would. A timely joke offered in one of my darkest moments helped light and hope break in, offering me a small resurrection. A shared laugh lightened a tense conversation, and made it possible to keep doing the hard work. Even my call to ministry definitely has some humor. I was serving as a missionary, and looking at what to do when I returned to the states. I was applying to some jobs I thought might be a good temporary gig while I figured out my next steps, and my mom said, “Your dad asked me, ‘Why doesn’t she just apply to seminary?’” And I literally laughed out loud. “Pfff, yeah right. I’m not going to apply to seminary!” The next day I found myself sitting at a computer, looking up seminaries before I even realized what I was doing, then suddenly thought, “Wait, how did this happen?” When I realized where my life was heading, my first thought was not Isaiah’s, “Here am I – send me!” but rather, “Oh no. I think I’m meant to be a pastor.” Yet here I am, 10 years into ordained ministry, laughing a lot, loving it a lot, and unable to picture myself doing anything else.
When I look back on it all, I laugh. God might as well have used flopping tilapia tails to smack some sense into me. God is funny my friends, and why should this surprise us? Ours is a God of joy, a God who desires joy for us. So why wouldn’t such a God use humor, even slapstick comedy, to reveal Himself to us? Whether to impart some message to our closed minds (humor is disarming after all), or just for fun to fill up our aching, empty hearts, humor is a powerful tool, and one that God uses to feed us, heal us, and call us. When we open our eyes to seeing God in the humor in our lives, we also open our hearts to receiving the life-giving gift of divine joy.
Let us pray… God of slapstick, God of belly laughs, God of joy, we thank you for making us laugh. When we experience humor and joy, open our eyes to find you there, and open our ears to hear what you have to say. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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