Obedience

“And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.’ (Luke 5:11).

Christ delivering the Keys to Saint Peter (Matteis)

Christ was a carpenter.  He was a simple craftsman.  To all outward appearances Christ was a nobody.  He came from a minority group in a small town in a small place which was certainly not very important in the scheme of things in the big wide world.

I live in a large place in the world.  It is certainly not a world leading place, here in Sydney, but it is certainly a place where we are able to be at the centre of many things…  There is lots of work and money and business and deals.  People who live in this place are important in the world – there are rich and famous people who live here who can make decisions that may affect others in their roles as CEOs and CFOs and investors and advisors…

In contrast, Christ was a small man in a small part of the world who made decisions that appeared completely unimportant.  And yet, He was able to command.  Not only did He command the winds and the water.  But He also commanded the spirits and the men…

“Jesus said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’  And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’  And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking... But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’  And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.’ (Luke 5:1-11).There was the carpenter teaching the fisherman how to fish…

And I have been thinking about that today, because it seems that Christ asked for one thing and one thing only…  Obedience.  He asked the people to obey Him.  He was obeyed by the spirits and the elements.  That part was apparently easy.  He had only to say to the sea to calm and it did.  But it was the people who were problematic.  He asked Saint Simon Peter to cast his nets.  And after doing so, the catch was so great that the boat nearly sank.  And afterwards Saint Simon Peter told God to go from him because he was a sinful man…  What does that really mean?  Well, it means that Saint Simon Peter obeyed, but perhaps unwillingly.  Perhaps he obeyed but was thinking in his heart that it was all a waste of time?  And this occurs to me today as a terrible thing.  For I do it all the time.  I follow the Holy Will of God (sometimes) and when I do this, I complain inside my heart continuously…

And today it seems to me that all those complaints are a terrible thing for my God to have to witness.  My Lord and my God, who only asks of me my OBEDIENCE, so that He can help me to do what I need to do to merit salvation…

My Lord and my God…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.