Find Hope When You Have Tried Everything

Luke 5:1-11 NIV 

[1] One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. [2] He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. [3] He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. [4] When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” [5] Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” [6] When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. [7] So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. [8] When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” [9] For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, [10] and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” [11] So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.5.1-11.NIV)

There is nothing quite as galling as the feeling of futility. Where it happens when you work hard on something only for a computer error to wipe it all, or a job you worked hard at but has been taken away from you, or the nagging feeling that everything you have done has been a waste of time, futility hurts. 

And there are fewer things in life that cause us to lose hope faster that futility. 

As Scottish doom-merchants Del Amitri once mused: 

‘And nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all, 

The needle returns to the start of the song and we all sing along like before 

And we'll all be lonely tonight and lonely tomorrow.’ 

Is that how you feel? 

What we are looking at in this study is an exercise in futility: a group of men who knew their job well, but had worked the night shift and came up with nothing. We'll see how hope came into their lives and the difference it made. 

However, before we do that, we need to understand something about this encounter that gives it extra flavour.  

A similar encounter is recorded in all four Gospels, which tells you just how significant it is. However, one of the Gospels places it at a different time: Matthew (Matthew 4:18-22) and Mark (Mark 1:16-20) both state that Peter was casting his net into the lake when Jesus saw him. Luke (Luke 5:1-11) states that the fishermen by the side of the lake were cleaning their nets, but only specifically mentions Peter in relation to his boat, and also mentions the miraculous catch of fish. John (John 21:1-14) places it right at the end of Jesus' ministry, as a sign that He had been resurrected and was restoring Peter. 

So what is happening here? 

Firstly, we have to realise that Peter had already met Jesus (John 1:40-42). 

Secondly, we have to be aware that although the miraculous catch of fish is not mentioned in Matthew and Mark, we should not take that as an indication that they thought it didn’t happen. Instead, they left it out. This is not unusual. John admitted that he also left out some of Jesus' miracles (John 20:30-31). 

Thirdly, the details are actually quite close. All three talk about fishermen preparing their nets. None of them mention specifically that Peter was doing this. Matthew and Mark mention that Peter was casting his net into the lake, potentially to try to make up for a night on the water with no catch. 

So these accounts likely describe the same event.  

But not John. John talked of another event, one very special and meaningful. It is the same miracle – the provision of a huge catch of fish after a night of failed work. However, in the Matthew-Mark-Luke encounter, Jesus was calling Peter into ministry. 

What makes the event in John so special is that Jesus was recalling Peter back into ministry after Peter had denied three times ever knowing Him. 

Jesus was using the same miracle as before to reset Peter's relationships with Him. 

That makes it an extraordinary act of Sovereign Grace. 

This is a really special miracle. 

And I'm saying that as someone who doesn’t even like fish. 

Let’s explore the three simple phases of this miracle and see how it brings us hope. 

Firstly, let’s look at The Work. 

The Work 

Luke 5:5 NIV 

[5] Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.5.5.NIV)

Instruction manuals are very useful, but there is a particular thing we must do to make them useful: 

We must read them. 

How many times have we tried to set up a piece of technology or build a piece of furniture or use a piece of software and become frustrated because it won’t do what we want, before realising that the answers to our problem are in the manual? 

Peter’s problem was not quite like that. There was no manual for fishing in Lake Galilee.

What he would have had was years of experience, possibly even handed down from his father and his father before that, or from those with know-how who lived nearby. 

That was why, on both occasions, Peter went fishing at night. 

The local speciality fish, a breed of tilapia, tended to be much harder to catch in the daytime. Fishermen's nets were more visible in the sunlight. The daytime heat drove them to cooler depths. Human activity would have made them more wary. But the darkness, coolness and quietness of twilight would have brought the fish nearer to the surface and made them much easier to catch. 

An experienced fisherman like Peter, who was rich enough to own his own boat (Luke 5:3), would have known this. 

Peter had done everything right. 

Yet nothing had worked. 

Here, by the shores of the lake, he was casting a smaller hand net into the lake. While he might catch a shoal of fish, this was a less precise method: as well as the sought-after tilapia, he might also catch catfish, which were unclean and would have to be thrown back. 

The accurate method had failed. He was then using a less accurate method, simply to make a living. 

And even that wasn’t working. 

It got worse the second time around. The disciples were back in Galilee, waiting for Jesus to appear as He said He would (Matthew 28:10), but He and not yet appeared. Peter had badly let Jesus down by denying he knew him, even calling down curses and swearing that it was true (Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62). Jesus had appeared to him privately (Luke 24:33-34), but we don’t know what was said or happened there. 

What we do know is that the disciples were waiting and Peter said this: 

John 21:1-3 NIV 

[1] Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: [2] Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. [3] “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.21.1-3.NIV)

Peter is returning to his old occupation that he had before Jesus called him.  

This feels like someone who has failed resetting their life to its last saved restore point and beginning again. 

He has seemingly given up. 

And then he failed as a fisherman. They worked all night in a lake known to be teeming with fish and caught nothing. 

Of all the failed catches he ever had, I am sure that this one stung the most. 

Have you ever felt like this?  

Have you ever hit a wall that nothing you do can break through? 

Have you ever worked hard at something you are good at and nothing had happened at all? 

Then you stand with Peter. 

If you are ministering for the Lord and feel this painful pang of futility, bear this in mind: 

1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV 

[58] Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.15.58.NIV)

No effort for the Lord is ever wasted. That is always true. 

But it can often feel like it. 

Now we have seen the work the disciples carried out, let’s go on to see The Wonder of what happened next. 

The Wonder 

Luke 5:5-7 NIV 

[5] Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” [6] When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. [7] So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.5.5-7.NIV)

John 21:5-6 NIV 

[5] He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. [6] He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.21.5-6.NIV)

There are times in our lives when a sudden moment of inspiration can solve great problems.

It could be a project at work or school or a problem in our family. It’s a tremendous feeling when the frustration dissipates and we suddenly find a way forward. Often this leads to being very much ‘in the moment’ as our idea springs to life right in front of us. 

Sometimes, as here, it causes us a lot of hard work, but it is more than worth it. 

On the surface, this is an odd little event. You have experienced fishermen on the lake. They have been working a night and have caught nothing. They are likely tired, a little emotional, definitely fed up and probably just looking to go to bed and sleep. 

Have you ever been there? I have. More times than I want to admit to. 

Then you have a man on the shore. This man trained as a carpenter. He is an itinerant preacher. A rabbi. He hasn’t ever fished, as far as we know. 

Yet he gives those seasoned fishermen directions on where to catch their fish. 

Think about that for a second. 

Now, we would be wrong to extrapolate from this that we should turn to people who have no experience and no knowledge to provide us with life advice. Too much of that happened during the Covid pandemic and it led to a mess that even now our nations are still cleaning up. 

That’s not the point. 

The point is that these fishermen, led by Peter, were smart and humble enough to accept advice from Jesus, someone whom, at least when the first miracle occurred, they hadn’t known for very long but knew was not a fisherman. 

They were humble enough to hear from Jesus and obey. 

This is the whole point, and the pivot of this miracle. Peter had been exposed to frustration when nothing he knew seemed to work. Jesus told him how to fix it. Peter listened, obeyed and reaped the reward. 

That frustration had a purpose. Look at these verses: 

Deuteronomy 8:2-3 NIV 

[2] Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. [3] He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/deu.8.2-3.NIV)

Romans 8:20-21 NIV 

[20] For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope [21] that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.20-21.NIV)

Do you see it? Frustration with the fallen life we lead is meant to go somewhere. That somewhere is not teenage angst or the streets or a riot. Neither is it meant to be directed at people who love and care for us. 

No, it’s supposed to make us realise that this life is not all there is and that life with God is so much better. 

Look at Peter. He had a good business. He had his own boat. He clearly had a good livelihood. But both of those nights spent on the lake without a single fish in their nets were designed to teach him not to rely on his skill or ingenuity but to rely on God, and His Son Jesus. As soon as he stopped relying on his own wisdom and ability, that’s when the frustration ended. 

Look again at this ancient proverb: 

Proverbs 3:5-8 NIV 

[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. [7] Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. [8] This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.3.5-8.NIV)

The whole point of frustrating situations is to remind us that this life is not perfect, and neither is it all there is. Peter was in a frustrating situation  because God placed him there so he could see another life beyond his day-to-day fishing life. Jesus provided a miraculous catch of fish not to validate the life he had, but to show who He was so Peter would follow Him. 

Jesus didn’t show up and act like some form of Santa Claus and deliver a monumental catch of fish so He could take the applause and admiration of other people. The miracle had a deeper purpose: He wanted Peter to follow Him. 

So yes, this was a great miracle, and yes, it was a whole lot of fish, but it happened because Peter was prepared to obey Jesus and because Jesus wanted Peter to follow Him. 

We might be wanting a similar miracle in our lives to take away the frustration and put us on Easy Street for a change. But I wonder: are we really prepared to obey and follow Jesus? 

Or do we just want the miracle instead? 

We have seen the work that Peter was involved in: how he was an expert who knew precisely what he was doing, but it just wasn’t happening for him. We saw the wonder of the miracle and saw not just what happened but why. 

Now we go on to see The Worship that followed. 

The Worship 

Luke 5:8-11 NIV 

[8] When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” [9] For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, [10] and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” [11] So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.5.8-11.NIV)

John 21:18-19 NIV 

[18] Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” [19] Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.21.18-19.NIV)

Have you ever done a significant piece of work for someone and then been disappointed when they didn’t thank or even acknowledge your efforts? 

I've been in the corporate world since 2003. I've felt it. It’s galling. 

Sometimes it’s better just to do things for your own self-recognition and for the satisfaction of doing a good job. Other people cannot be depended on to react how you would like. 

It’s a sad reality, but sadly it is reality. 

Times like that remind you of the importance of being grateful. 

Peter’s response to this miracle is interesting. Jesus had just poured out an amazing blessing on his business – so big that it almost broke their nets and sunk their boats!  

How would you react if God blessed your work like that? 

Many of us would be tempted to take the blessing and run. After all, it’s the blessing we are seeking, is it not? 

But not Peter. 

He responds to this astonishing blessing in three ways. 

Firstly, in confession.  

Luke 5:8 NIV 

[8] When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.5.8.NIV)

This astonishing miracle forces Peter to realise who Jesus is and who he is. The language he uses here is quite surprising. He’s not telling Jesus to go from him because he doesn’t want to be around Him, but because he is afraid that his moral deficiencies might affect Jesus in some way. This display of Jesus' greatness has convicted Peter of his smallness and his sinfulness. 

This is a painful but absolutely necessary confession. It is inescapable. It is unavoidable. 

1 John 1:5-10 NIV 

[5] This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. [6] If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. [8] If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1jn.1.5-10.NIV)

If you want the blessing without the conviction then you don’t want to meet Jesus. 

Secondly we see astonishment. 

Luke 5:9 NIV 

[9] For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.5.9.NIV)

Peter and his companions admitted that Jesus was beyond anything they knew or had experienced. 

He was supernatural in the truest sense of the world. He was like nothing they had seen or heard of. He was extraordinary. 

If you are frustrated with life and how nothing ever seems to work for you, the reason why that’s happening is because God wants you to see that there is something more for you out there – something beyond what you could imagine right now.  

That something is Jesus. 

Knowing Him is not for people who like to play it safe or like their lives to be ‘just so’. In my experience, there are times when things can be chaotic and crazy and stressful. You have to understand who He is to cope with a life when He is fully in charge because you have no idea where it will take you. 

If you follow Jesus, you need to be prepared to be astonished. Often. 

Lastly, we see obedience. 

Luke 5:9-11 NIV 

[9] For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, [10] and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” [11] So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.5.9-11.NIV)

Despite their obviously good lifestyle, even if it was hard work, and His provision for them within that lifestyle, they were willing to abandon it at a second’s notice to follow Jesus. 

What’s more, having failed badly the first time around, Peter was called to do exactly the same thing when Jesus called him the second time around (John 21:19) 

I headed this section with the word ‘Worship'. Maybe that has confused you. After all, there is no sign of these fishermen singing anywhere. 

But that is not what worship is. Worship is not about the lyrics, it’s about the lifestyle. It’s not about the words, it’s about the work. 

Singing nice songs for performance reasons isn’t worship, it’s karaoke with a live band. 

Worship is what we do every day when we declare Jesus is worth it by confessing our sins, having our minds blown in wonder at His greatness and obeying His call. That’s worship, because it is in spirit and truth. 

John 4:21-24 NIV 

[21]  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. [22] You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. [23] Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. [24] God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.4.21-24.NIV)

We have to get away from our worship being something we do with music on a Sunday.

True worship is not when we declare the worthiness of God through song, but when our lives declare it without words. It’s when we live it. 

That is what Peter and his colleagues did here. 

True worship is when we obey and follow Jesus. 

Everything else is just music to someone else's ears. 

Conclusion 

Luke 5:5 NIV 

[5] Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.5.5.NIV)

More often than not, I have hit an obstacle in life and become frustrated. I admit it. I admit that I also have something of a Celtic temperament. I lived in Romania, which is Eastern Europe's equivalent of a Latino nation. My wife is Filipino. They are basically Asian Latinos. 

I have to admit that when I get frustrated, it’s not pretty. 

I can only how a bunch of tired Middle Eastern fishermen reacted to an empty boat when their livelihood depended on it.  

I can imagine the crankiness was at a very high level. 

Their work had been frustrated and frustrating. The fact that Jesus then intervened with a wonder which then led to true worship teaches me a very simple, but very profound truth: 

Frustration ends when we let God be God. 

There will be times when everything we do just fails. There will be trials when we will knock on doors and none will open. We live in a fallen universe. We cannot and should not expect to spend the whole of our lives in some form gilded reality where nothing ever goes wrong. 

That’s just how life is. 

But when Peter gave Jesus His place, when He obeyed Jesus no matter how nonsensical His command seemed to be, that’s when Peter’s frustration ended. 

Now, we need to understand this correctly. Jesus was not blessing Peter's career as a fisherman to entice him to stay there. No, He was calling Peter away from fishing to a much deeper life. The miraculous catches of fish were to show Peter just who He really was. 

But if we seek to obey Jesus and follow Him, even in the middle of frustration and pain, that’s when the blessing will really flow. 

Even if, unlike Peter, our circumstances don’t change. 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, I'm so sorry that I get frustrated at small things instead of bringing them to You in prayer and humbly seeking to obey You. I won’t do that anymore. I will seek You and obey You instead. Amen. 

Questions for Contemplation 

• What went wrong for Peter? Has something similar ever happened to you? What happened? 

• What did Peter do right in the first instance of this miracle? What can you learn from this? 

• What was the purpose of the miracle? What could God’s purpose be in your frustrating situation?