第五章

耶穌站在革尼撒勒湖邊，眾人擁擠他，要聽　神的道。 2 他見有兩隻船灣在湖邊；打魚的人卻離開船洗網去了。 3 有一隻船是西門的，耶穌就上去，請他把船撐開，稍微離岸，就坐下，從船上教訓眾人。 4 講完了，對西門說：「把船開到水深之處，下網打魚。」 5 西門說：「夫子，我們整夜勞力，並沒有打著甚麼。但依從你的話，我就下網。」 6 他們下了網，就圈住許多魚，網險些裂開， 7 便招呼那隻船上的同伴來幫助。他們就來，把魚裝滿了兩隻船，甚至船要沉下去。 8 西門‧彼得看見，就俯伏在耶穌膝前，說：「主啊，離開我，我是個罪人！」 9 他和一切同在的人都驚訝這一網所打的魚。 10 他的夥伴西庇太的兒子雅各、約翰，也是這樣。耶穌對西門說：「不要怕！從今以後，你要得人了。」 11 他們把兩隻船攏了岸，就撇下所有的，跟從了耶穌。
默想：

1. 漁夫們經過一夜的打撈，毫無所獲，深感疲倦挫敗，不願再試。這和我們的人生多麼相像，我們也常會遇到失敗沮喪，因而想要放棄、退縮，與人保持距離。
2. 主耶穌對信徒的呼召，并非一定是要我們去做什麼嶄新的事情，多數是要我們回到日常生活的圈子、平日所作的事當中。但是這次是與耶穌一起去，和他一起作。神就是這樣來掌管我們的人生——我們的工作、家庭、休閑 等一切。同樣的船，同樣的工作，同樣的方式，但現在有耶穌在其中——這就起了極大的差別。
3. 耶穌在我人生的船上嗎？是誰在為我的航程掌舵？目前我是否正經歷或大或小的風浪，或是“整夜勞力並沒有打著什麼”的挫敗？安靜默想，讓聖靈向我的心說話，隨心中聖靈的感動，向主作回應的禱告。

Luke 5

¹One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, ²he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³He 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.  ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”  ⁵Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”  ⁶When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷So 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.  ⁸When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰and 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.” ¹¹So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Meditation:

1. After a whole night’s labour, the fishermen didn’t want to try again, depression and fatigue were written all over them.  How similar this is to our own lives.  We have all experienced failure which often left us feeling guilty, shameful and self-distrust.   Then, we wanted to quit, withdraw and to be away from people.
2. Jesus does not get us to do something entirely new but sends us back to what we’ve been doing all along, but this time with Jesus.  God wants to be in command of our lives – our work lives, our family lives, our leisured lives.  Same boat.  Same Commands.  Same nets.  But now Jesus is with us[JS1]  – and that makes all the difference.
3. Is Jesus on my LIFE boat?  Who’s in command of my journey?  What am I experiencing right now?  Just be quiet before God and allow the Holy Spirit speak to my heart.  Respond and speak to God as you are so moved by the Holy Spirit.

Family

What did the fishermen say when Jesus asked them to go to the deep water to fish?  Why?  What happened afterward?  What’s the difference between the fishermen’s first fishing trip at night and the second trip after Jesus told them to?  Sing this song: “With Christ in my vessel.”