The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome, “How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Our faith and trust in Christ are the work of God entirely for us, and still Saint Paul makes clear that to call upon the Lord Jesus we must believe in Him, which requires us to hear, and if we must have heard, someone must have spoken of Jesus to us. And that is the precise reason why our Lord calls Peter, James, and John into the office of the Holy Ministry. In order to continue speaking of the marvelous Words and works of Christ, that our salvation is achieved and given to us by faith and the Word.
It is certainly miraculous enough that God chooses these men, fishermen, who are in no way different from any other, all of whom have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And this is the precise reason why Peter says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Only Christ alone has the power to forgive us our sins, to proclaim the kingdom of God, and to carry out the sacraments that He Himself has instituted. And still, Christ gives that authority to those whom He has called and ordained for the benefit of all who hear and believe in Christ’s Word.
The manner in which Christ calls these men to forsake everything so that they may be fishers of men, through the miracle of the marvelous catch of fish, also instructs us how our Lord brings us safely into the boat of salvation, that is, the holy Christian Church.
This all begins the night before these men encounter our Lord as they work all through the night, and they accomplish nothing. And only at the Word of Christ are they able to catch anything. And their catch is so abundant that the boats begin to sink. This shows us what the church is without Christ and the word of God. They gained nothing.
It is only by the word of God that there is life in abundance. The night is symbolic of lack. Wherever the Word of God is absent, the world, the devil, and our sinful flesh will excuse the absence by replacing it with the doctrines of men. The doctrine of God is those things that are true as they come from the truth of God’s Word and are profitable for salvation. On the contrary, the doctrines of men are things we invent that sound good and profitable to us, but in reality, they are not. Such as if I really didn’t hurt anyone or get caught, it’s not a sin and therefore was never really a problem. Or if I am not the first to initiate conflict, anything I do in return is fair game. Or if I just say something is unfair automatically, everyone will likely take me seriously, and soon my problem will disappear. It does not matter how much we want these things to be true; they will not save us from our problems.
We are only saved from the dark sea of despair by being caught up in Christ. For the disciples were only successful in catching fish when Christ was in the boat. It was only by His command that they could catch a single fish. And likewise, the day is faith and the word of God. That is what saves us. We are saved by the word of God and faith in that Word, who is God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Our Lord, who has taken our sins upon Himself, our sins of unbelief and trust in false security. He has redeemed us by His own sacrifice on the cross, and by His resurrection, He has brought life and immortality to light. For it is only by the day, only by the light of Christ that we are saved. The fisherman can bring sinners to salvation only when Christ is in our midst. The preaching of faith and the word of God bring salvation and repentance. Therefore, we must remain in the light of His Word, meaning trusting and believing what it says that Christ has saved us when we cannot.
To bring us in, the Lord Jesus uses the net. Which reminds us of the Office Christ has instituted for the church. The fish, those who are the genuine hearers of God’s word, God must create a way for them to hear. And so the office of pastors, who are the net, is to bring them into the boat. The men of the office of the Holy Ministry are not sent to game for themselves a marvelous catch, a people of their own following, for that would be no benefit to those who hear. Instead, the Office of Pastor is given to speak Christ’s words. To stand in the stead and by the command of the Lord Jesus Christ to preach, to absolve, and to carry out what God has given to the church for the salvation of our souls. Preaching the Word of God and administering the holy Sacraments are carried out for our reconciliation. That is the way God brings us back to Himself in Jesus Christ
So by these means God comes to us, for we cannot come to God by our own merit or strength. Christ Jesus, who has reconciled us by His crucifixion and death, now extends what Jesus Himself has done for us through the Word of God, baptism, the Lord’s supper, holy absolution, and the Office of Pastor. And none of these things are instituted for the Pastor’s own ego, but for the sake of Christ, because by these gifts He gives us everything achieved by His life, death, and Resurrection.
And so the fishermen on the boat are the individual pastors themselves, called to a specific congregation. Similar to the miracle, as none of the fish would have gone into the net without the Lord Jesus. The called Pastor would stand idle if it were not for God’s work in bringing him the catch, and so he is entrusted with the responsibility that the Lord’s fish remain steadfast within the church of Christ.
Now we turn to who are the fish? And what do they teach us about God’s plan for salvation? Those are the hearers of God’s Word, those from every tribe and nation who hear the Word of God and receive it with joy. The fish do not choose to go into the fisherman’s net. Instead, they end up there because they have been chosen to believe in Christ. Just as the fish do not decide to believe. Neither does the fisherman decide who to catch. Nothing you or I have decided has determined that you are a Christian. It is all the work of God for us, sinners.
It is all Christ who has opened our ears that we may receive Him and repent of our sins, accepting Jesus as our Savior. Because without our Lord, we would be toiling all through the night, accomplishing nothing. And so Christ comes to us, and He takes upon our sin and imperfection, lack of trust and obedience. He lives perfectly, obedient to death, so that He may die, so we can live, be saved, and be brought into the church, which is the Lord’s boat for salvation. And in this boat, He keeps us secure until the entire church arrives at the kingdom of God. And there, we are brought to His eternal glory.
St. John's and Grace Evangelical Lutheran Parish 