It had been a long night. He and his partners had worked and worked, but still came up empty. Now the arduous task of cleaning began. They couldn’t even do that in peace because a crowd had gathered along the shore to hear some traveling preacher. If that wasn’t bad enough, this preacher just stepped into boat and asked him to push out just a little from the land. The crowd pressed right up against the water to hear what this man had to say about God and his Kingdom, and with good reason. The message of this New Kingdom was different than anything they had ever heard.

When he was finished speaking, Jesus asked Peter to put out into the deep, throw the nets, and try his luck again. What was he thinking? He may have been an excellent teacher, but he seemed to know little or nothing about fishing. Peter answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” The catch was incredible.

“And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But 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 and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,” (Luke 5:6-9)

The catch, recorded in chapter five of his gospel, is Luke’s account of Jesus calling his first disciples. This group of men – Peter, Andrew, James, and John – who would be joined by others were ordinary fishermen whose lives would never be the same after that day on the sea. They began a journey that they could have scarcely imagined prior to that day. They would spend the next few years following Jesus everywhere. After his death and resurrection, they would continue for the rest of their days carrying the message of the Kingdom that had caught ahold of them. What was it that they witnessed that day that made such a difference?

They caught a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. No doubt, that while they were washing their nets nearby, they heard Jesus speak about this Kingdom (Luke 4:43). They probably heard the good news of a Kingdom in which not only the elite of society enjoyed privileges, but where everyone, even common, blue-collar fishermen were welcomed and could participate. They were introduced to a Kingdom in which those who were part looked out for the best interests of others and not just themselves. It was news of a Kingdom that was unlike any they had ever known, and one that brought true freedom.

They caught a glimpse of a very different kind of King. They heard of a King who was willing to give gifts to his people; a King who wanted the good for his people instead of just things from them. The good news of a King who could be trusted to seek the best for his subjects, and really cared about their futures and their wellbeing. They met a King with true authority, authority like they had never seen. They met a King who would teach them, defend them, protect them, challenge and correct them, feed them, and even lay down his own life for them.

Once it became apparent that Jesus was no ordinary teacher, but a different kind of King who was calling people to a different kind of life in a different kind of Kingdom, it is no wonder they left everything and followed him.

It seems too good to be true. Could there really be a King who is more concerned with enriching our lives than his own? Could there really be a King who welcomes all people and not just the elite? Could we really be a part of a Kingdom where self-sacrificial love and seeking the good for others is the order of the day? Could there really be a Kingdom where we can be free from the bondage and guilt of sin, and be truly human as we were designed?

This is what Jesus came to bring. This is what he is offering. Once we catch sight of this, we can no longer ignore who he is. We can’t pretend that he has nothing to say about how we live or how we respond to the world around us. We can’t just pretend that he doesn’t matter or that he doesn’t care. Once we see him for who he is, that vision captures us, and everything else becomes secondary to what he calls us to do. May God help us to be continually captured by Jesus, and to share the good news that will capture the hearts of others around us.