The Question of The Deep Water

My great fishing story continues.

(This is written more than six months later. I did not stop considering the fishing story, and things did not stop happening in my life. I have just begun to have time and/or inclination to start writing about them again.)

As the story goes in Luke’s account of the great catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11), when Jesus had finished teaching from the boat, he told Peter to take the boat out into the deep water and let down his nets. As was pointed out in the teaching I heard on this passage, the word used for nets was the word that referred to nets used for night fishing, which would stand to reason since they were on shore in the daylight hours cleaning them after use. Also when Peter answered Jesus instructions, he states that they had worked hard at fishing all night, but had come up empty.

Now we can assume one of a couple of things from this. One, it’s possible that Jesus, being a carpenter, didn’t know one fishing net from another and just used the word that came to mind. Or, it may be that somehow he did know what he was talking about and used the proper word for the nets that were available at the time. Whatever the truth about this, the important point is that they did have their night nets with them and that is what they were instructed to use, during the daytime. Myself, being a non-net fisherman, don’t have a clue what the difference was between a day net and a night net in first century Palestine. I do know the difference between a floating plug and a diving plug in modern day bass fishing, as well as the difference between a dry fly and a wet fly in trout fishing. When it comes to net fishing, I even know the difference between a gill net and a seine net, but that’s as far as it goes. The fact remains that it was daytime and a non-fisherman was instructing them to use the lesser effective equipment for the time of day, after they had given it all they had at the best time with the right equipment.

Jesus also made one more fishing faux pas that was not covered in the sermon I heard, but one that I believe was truly seen as poor advice by the professional fishermen present. Jesus told them to push out into deep water. The reason I mention this is that, being a person who has at times pursued the art of fishing quite seriously, I know that deep water is seldom where one finds fish, whether while fishing with a net or with a line. If they are in deep water, it is due to the need for a certain temperature, or that is where the food is, and it is very hard to make nets useful in very deep water. Fish are usually found around what is called structure. Structure is usually an object, or underwater geography that is pronounced and will provide some sort of shelter, food, or movement boundary that fish seem to desire.

I sail my boat around the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. There are a number of commercial fisheries there which set nets, and a sailor has to be able to see the markings and avoid them. These nets are set around certain types of shoreline and off of points that extend into the water. Fish tend to hang around these areas or cruise them looking for food. Fishing in the deep water is done with down riggers and totally different equipment.

(Note: In studying about the deep water in study materials, all they do is analogize the “deep water” into what it means for Christian Ministry today. In fact, I see too many times that this whole story is used as an analogy for Christian Ministry with total disregard for what it may be speaking to the individual Christian in their personal life. I find that very sad.)

So to restate the scenario, not only had Jesus told them to fish during the day after a night’s worth of fruitless efforts, he told them to use the wrong nets, and told them to fish in the wrong area. Sheesh what a carpenter!

What can we say about the deep water in this story and what it has to say about us and our lives? In the story, Peter doesn’t come right our and say it, but I can’t help but think that he was thinking very loud that, “You just don’t catch fish with a net in deep water!” I took improvisational comedic acting training at one time and one of my favorite things we did was called a rant. It is exactly what it sounds like; you pick a topic and “go off” on it. I loved the rant and seemed to do well with it. I still have a lot of fun with it today. I can hear the rant going on in Peter’s mind at this moment.

“Deep water! The carpenter wants me to fish in deep water. Hey, would somebody tell this “great fisherman” that you don’t catch fish with a net in deep water. Or maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m the one who’s been wrong all these years. I’ve only fed my family for fifteen years from the fish I’ve caught. I’ve only bought a house and clothed my family on fish I’ve caught. I’ve even done well enough to take my mother-in-law in. And I’ve done all of that by not fishing where the fish aren’t. In deep water!”

But this word had not come from just any old carpenter. It had come from Jesus. Peter wasn’t totally sure of who he was at this time, but he knew he was someone and something special. He had already heard about and personally seen the miraculous workings of this man.

One other thing shows up in this narrative, and that is the confidence that Jesus had when he gave the instruction. He didn’t give it as a weak suggestion, “maybe, if you went out there and let down your nets, you might catch something.” No, Jesus was definite and direct with his language. “Put out into the deep water and let down your night nets for a catch.” The word “catch” here has a connotation of fullness. It definitely meant much more than a few. So they did it, and of course the catch was truly a catch.

I continue to dwell on this story because of how it has pertained to me in my life recently. I related earlier how the opportunity came for the job. How I got the call and almost didn’t answer it, how it was for a place that had passed me over several times. And how it all happened so fast it made my head spin. I wrote that earlier part before I realized the catch was not yet complete. You see, I went there as a temporary contract employee. That is how you get your foot in the door of a lot of companies in my line of work. After being there eight weeks, they came to me and told me that the workload had diminished and they would have to let me go in a couple of weeks. I was truly disappointed, but feeling that God had truly provided the job, I trusted Him to handle the situation (This may sound like I’m a warrior of faith. Not hardly, but I do have my moments). One week later, they came to me and said they had enough work to keep me on for a number of months. That was good. Again I gave God the glory and honor for this one.

Then something truly amazing happened. I was told to put out into the real deep water for a catch. I thought I had already done the deep-water thing, but there was deeper water to be fished. Two job postings for permanent employment came up in my area of expertise at this company. Before I could act, one of them, the one that I felt more qualified for was filled. It was, by the way, the lesser of the two jobs. I was bummed, but I was encouraged by others to apply for the other one. To remind anyone who may have stuck with me through all of this, this company is the top in the area for what I do. It is in the top three in the nation and top five or ten in the world. I was totally blown away by the fact that I was actually working there, and now the opportunity of being a full time permanent employee with a higher classification and salary than I could ever believe possible was dangling in front of me. “I’ll never get it,” was my feeling. “Why should I even try?” I said to myself. Remember, I had been beat down by the outside employment world for a number of years. But, remembering this story about the catch of fish, about putting out into the deep water, about using the obviously wrong nets for the situation, I decided to put out into the deep water.

Yes, I put out into the deep water, let down the wrong (not fully qualified in my sight) net, and I landed the great catch of the job. I got the Job! After the three companies going out of business from under me, I got the job. The job. A little bit of listening to God and taking a step in obedience, if not fully convinced faith can open the doors that produce miracle upon miracle. Praise God!

So why is it that God will call us to do irrational things at irrational times only to produce unbelievably miraculous results upon our acting in faith? I can think of two reasons right off the bat. One, there are times when He wants to bless us and/or teach us something, and He wants us to realize that it is totally and completely from Him. Secondly, He wants to show us his power and/or His love, depending on the situation.

Peter could look back and realize that even the bad night of fishing was only set up in preparation for this miracle. I can look back and see that the struggles I had been having with my employment over the past few years was only set up for my miracle. Some times we need the frustration of the trying times to prepare us for the miraculous work of God.