Luke 5: Settling for Less

This year, I am not reading through the Bible from Genesis to Revelations as I normally do. That gives one a great view of the Bible from a historical and chronological perspective.  This year, however, since God's perspective is all encompassing, I am reading several parts simultaneously.  I started in Genesis and the prophets and am now in the chronicles of the kings and Luke in the New Testament.  So I'm going to divert to Luke as far as this blog is concerned, at least for today.

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 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.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
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.”
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 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.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 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 catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. -Luke 5:1-11 NIV

If you just read the version of the calling of the disciples in the book of  Matthew, you would get the impression that Jesus was casually walking by some fishermen and called out, "Follow me!"  This is not the case.  Jesus was already being followed by the crowds.  He saw Peter and his two fishing buddies, James and John, washing their nets after a disappointing night of catching nothing.  Jesus borrowed Peter's boat to preach to the crowd from the shore then rewarded the fishermen with a catch that their nets were barely able to contain. 

By the world's standards, Peter, James and John should have been content with this miraculous catch that provided them more income in a few minutes than they normally experienced in an entire night, and perhaps in an entire week.  What a gravy train they had discovered.  I suppose they could have asked Jesus to give them the power to have that type of catch every night so they could become millionaires, but instead they were in awe.  So much so, that they forgot about earthly practicalities and left everything and followed Jesus.

Sadly, today, I think most of us are interested in having our worldly needs met rather than meeting the source. When Jesus can reveal the Father to us, can reveal God himself, why do we settle for daily provision, when He is offering so much more?