May 11, 2025 - Luke 5:4-9 - "At Thy Word"

Luke 5:4-9

"Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:"

How different we find Peter's confession in this portion. It highlights Peter's Spirit-wrought obedience ("At thy word I will let down the net") and the miraculous abundance that followed. Contrast this to what the LORD prophesied later—of him denying Him three times before the cock crowed—on the eve of His judgment hall experience by the Jewish rabbis. In either case, Peter would experience the authority of Christ and the revelation of His divine power. In this fishing instance, Christ's word brought Peter to a deep sense of his unworthiness. In the latter instance, before the judgment hall, the LORD didn't say a word, but simply looked at him, and he melted into tears.

This gives us pause to consider how at one moment we can boastfully say, like Peter, that he would never deny the LORD, and then deny Him: "Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples" (Matthew 26:35). Note that it wasn't just Peter who said it, but all of the disciples—showing that we are all of the same nature. As the hymn writer expressed it: "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the One I love." That's when the LORD told Peter that before the cock crowed, he would deny Him thrice (Matthew 26:34). And he did—even down to a little girl who said, "You're one of those." Such was his denial of our Lord.

When you weigh Peter's denial with that of Judas, you may ask, "What's the difference?" The LORD was his Representative. And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:31–32). The Lord would not let him go. The Lord had already identified Judas from the beginning as the son of perdition (John 17:12). That could have been any one of us. But that's where we read that when Christ came out of that judgment hall—after Peter had denied Him—the Lord didn't say one word in harshness: "And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:61–62).

The narrative here in Luke 5 is not so much about fishing as it is about Christ, and how HE will build His Church, and nothing can inhibit or prohibit Him where He has purposed to draw sinners to Himself. Luke 5:11 tells us, "And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him." It's a reminder that God is not limited to the four walls of a church building to do His work. The LORD brought Peter to his knees in a boat on the water. The Lord has given us means today through the internet. This Gospel net is being cast throughout the world, and the LORD is drawing in those that He purposed to save from all eternity, and for whom He sent His Son to save by His death, and has saved at the cross (John 6:39).

How is it that the Lord draws sinners?

First, is through His Word. It's not men's commentary on the Word. It's His Word: "And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret" (Luke 5:1). They didn't have Bibles. So, how is it they were hearing the Word of God? Christ was speaking. They pressed upon Him Who is the Word of God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).

There was a time when we who are the LORD's were in darkness, ignorance, and blindness—walking around, busy in our dead works—like the demoniac of Gadara (Matthew 8:28–34). We were like these disciples, endeavoring to just live an industrious life, busy about making a living as these fishermen. And yet, as with the apostle Paul, when it pleased God to reveal Christ in him, he wasn’t even looking (Galatians 1:15). These disciples weren’t looking. They were simply focused on making their living when Christ found them. They didn’t find Him. There’s no way they were going to identify with this One who later would be crucified. But the Lord never leaves His own alone. It's not the sheep finding the Shepherd; it's always the Shepherd finding the sheep (John 10:1–16). It’s got to be this One who tenderly, continually goes before His sheep and brings them again and again—because we are prone to wander. If we are His elected sheep, we are drawn and kept by His Word—or better yet, Him who is the Word.

Second, the idea of catching is that the gospel net is cast, but Christ determines the result. There were other fish in the sea when this was all said and done that weren't brought in, but exactly the number that the Lord purposed were brought in. It's not only preaching the Word, but God's providence in grace. Providence is God causing to come to pass at a particular point exactly what He has purposed. There was a meeting that took place here, and it wasn't organized by men. The Scripture says, "I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name" (Isaiah 65:1). They were about their business, but here was the Lord—providentially causing each person to be there exactly at that time that He so purposed.

Third, there is a physical hearing of the Word, but then there's a spiritual hearing. This is clearly what took place when the LORD was pleased to do this mighty work. He even made Peter willing. You can see this in Luke 5:5: "Master, we've toiled all the night and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net." He wasn’t trying to justify himself or explain this to the Lord. He just said, "Nevertheless, at Thy Word, I will let down the net." The Lord will draw in those that He's purposed by this special revelation—by Him revealing Himself in them—no matter how sinful.

When Peter saw, his eyes were opened. What did he see? It wasn’t just the fish, but Who he saw! He saw the Lord. Just like any blind person, when the Lord opened their eyes, the first Person they saw was the LORD (Matthew 9:27–31). When the LORD touched the eyes of the blind man in Mark 8:24, he said, "I see men as trees, walking." And the LORD touched his eyes again and made him whole. He's going to cause His own to see, just like He did Peter here. But when Peter saw what happened, he fell at Jesus’ knees, and worshiped Christ as God, the Word made flesh (John 1:14).

Those who have truly seen Christ, they do bow. Such is the work of the Spirit. It takes the Word, it takes the providence of God bringing them to that point—but then there's that bowing in seeing Him once the LORD opens their eyes. Try explaining sight to a blind man. If the Lord has never done a work of grace in their heart, you can talk till you're blue in the face to explain it, but they'll never see. Let him explain what it means to be lost. Let him explain what it means to be found—and they're still just as blind. People today are religious, but lost. When you proclaim to them how God must open their eyes to see, they give you the deer-in-the-headlights look. They are blinded by the light. They'll often say, "What are you talking about? I grew up in church. I was baptized, and such and such. My grandparents and all my family—they've always believed the Bible to be the Word of God. Don't tell me that isn't enough." And yet the question remains: “Do you believe the God of the Bible—not just that the Bible is God’s Word?” You cannot explain Him to a blind person in a way that causes him to see. However, when you find somebody that God has caused to see, and you run into them, it's like you've known each other all your life. You embrace them, and there’s immediate fellowship—because the same Spirit of Christ in you is in them (Ephesians 4:3). You begin to talk of Christ. Read every instance in Scripture where the Lord ever opened the eyes of a lost sinner, and it’s going to be the same position: bowing at His feet along with others that He has taught.

How do we follow Christ? "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:37–39). Here's where we bow to the Sovereign LORD God. We may not understand it, but we bow—just like Peter—acknowledging ourselves as nothing but unworthy, and Christ alone as worthy of all the glory.

Many argue that if we agree with the Scriptures that Christ did not die for every single sinner, we are somehow limiting Him in the salvation of sinners. But it’s just the opposite. If Christ died to save sinners who end up in hell anyway, then His power would be limited, because it couldn’t save them. However, declaring that He has saved everyone that God the Father purposed to save, then although His death is limited in its extent and design by God’s purpose, it is NOT limited in its power. Just like in the case of the disciples putting down the net after having labored all night, every fish that God purposed should be drawn in, while many others were left.

What is it that God has accepted on behalf of the sinner so that each one should be drawn? It is the death of His Son. That’s it. When Christ the Word is revealed in us, then, like Peter, we say, “Nevertheless, at Thy Word.” No matter how long we may have vainly toiled and labored to no effect, yet at His Word, our net is cast on Christ and His finished work at the cross. And there we see the wonderment of God's grace in having done for us—in paying our sin debt—that we never could have done to satisfy Him. It had to have been done for us. It was, if we are one of those for whom Christ has done the complete work—and thereby, at His Word, we follow Him. Like Peter, we wonder, "Why me, LORD?" It’s only by His grace alone.