Salvation, It’s So Much More Than About the Fish

“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Luke 5:8

In the book of Luke, Chapter 5, Jesus told Simon to take the fishing boat that he was teaching from out into deeper waters and to drop their nets. Well, Simon was skeptical but did as he was told. Anyway, you know the story, they caught an enormous amount of fish and I can imagine Simon looking at Jesus; wondering, as he struggled with the haul; screaming for the other boat to arrive. While fearing that his nets would tear from the sheer weight of the catch, he looked again at Jesus, and with all his strength he gathered in the rest of the fish with the help of his friends. I could then see Simon sitting exhausted on the sidewall of the tiny craft; then sinking to his knees. Then, he shook; not because of the multitude of fish flopping about, but for another reason: Simon knelt knowing that he was in the presence of God. How do I know that? He said to Jesus, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’

Strange thing to say? No, Jesus had been teaching many people from the boat moments earlier, and Simon heard what He had said. More than likely, sin and repentance was the theme. But there was something so much more going on here. To hear about sin….yeh, yeh, yeh… but to realize that you were in the presence of the very One his sin offended? What do you do? What would you do? Simon wanted Him to depart right there in the lake. Why? Well, not because he wanted to continue in his sin, but how could he remain there in the presence of such perfection? Holiness? Beauty?

Now, wait a second. You many ask, where do you get all of that? Again, by what Simon asked Jesus to do. Was the Disciple Thomas; who was a doubter of Christ’s resurrection, any different when he proclaimed, “My Lord and My God!” after he saw Christ and Jesus encouraged him to stick his finger into His side? What about Isaiah when he beheld the throne of God? He cried out, “I am a man of unclean lips!” No, I assure you that if you have a true meeting with the Son of God; then your knees will become weak; you’ll tremble. At that point, our life is held up as a glass to be inspected against a brilliant light, and we’ll see all our filth and blemishes. We will want the light removed because of our shame. Would you offer a King a drink from a filthy cup? Yes, take it from me! Take it away! Such incomparable beauty! I cannot view you as I am!

So. You might ask, you get all this from a fish story? Yes, indeed. Whatever you’re doing; wherever you are; if He is there and you are blessed to know the reality of His presence, and you find that your life is held up for inspection under His incomparable Light, you may well say the same as Simon, ‘depart from me!’ But it’s His response that you’ll want to hear. He will tell you that He did not come to indict but to save, but to save, you must first suffer the indictment… a glimpse of your sin and for that, repent. Yes, believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, and as Jesus later asked Simon, ‘come, I’ll make you a fisher of men.’