If You Say So

'Master,' Simon replied, 'we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again.'"  Luke 5:1-11

There were many times when my kids were growing up that they were less than enthusiastic about a request I would make of them. The infamous "Why?" question with the sassy twang. The power eye roll as they walked away. The finger pointing at a sibling. I heard and saw it all. Their unwillingness to be responsive to what they had been told to do would occasionally result in consequences far worse than the request itself. More often, however, a firm "because I said so" was sufficient to motivate obedience.  

Fishing and not catching is a real bummer, especially if catching is required to pay your bills. Peter and the boys were in just such a place. All night. No fish. As the sun began to rise, they made their way to shore, beached the boats and pulled their nets out to remove the debris that reminded them of their unsuccessful evening. Jesus showed up. The crowds moved in. Jesus preached. After the message, the test came. Jesus told Peter to go deep and throw out the nets one more time. 

What would you do? Peter muttered something about not catching anything all night, but ultimately, he made the right choice. He obeyed. Nothing in his years of experience as a fisherman could make sense of what Jesus had just asked him to do, but he did it anyway. Why? Because the "he who said so" was Jesus. What's it going to take for Jesus' "said so" to become enough in your life? Peter knew fishing. Jesus commanded fish. Whose boat would you want to be in? Peter again chose wisely. He left everything and followed Jesus. What about you?

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