Messy

We know Benjamin Franklin for famously saying that two things in life are certain, but I’d like to add a third; death, taxes, and the messiness of relationships.

In the Gospel of Luke, chapter five, we read a well-known story. A story where Jesus first calls some of his disciples. In this very story, we get a glimpse of how relationships can be messy.

“Once while Jesus was standing beside the Lake of Gennesaret and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore.”

The rabbi is telling the expert fisherman where to fish. How would you feel if you were Simon? Honestly, I’d be a little annoyed. Nonetheless, Simon follows through with what was asked.

Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were astounded at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

This story manifests the messiness and complexity of relationships. Although Simon may have been annoyed at Jesus at the beginning of the story, Jesus’ love for Simon was not compromised. We can find this to be true in our own relationships.

In our middle school Sunday school class, we are talking about life in a relational world (part of a larger teaching series by Fuller Youth Institute titled “Faith in an Anxious World”). We focused on the above scripture passage last Sunday. We talked about families and the impact they have on how we feel. The story in Luke is a reminder that although people we know, including our own family members, can get under our skin sometimes, we still need them.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.