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Title: Following Christ
Text: Luke 5:1-11
Liturgical Date: Epiphany 5C
Calendar Date: February 9, 2025
Location: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church
Preacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Jackson
Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County serves Sturgeon Bay and other communities in Northeast Wisconsin.
The following transcript was produced with the assistance of AI and does not reflect 100 percent the sermon as it was preached.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”
On the basis of these words, we’re going to talk about following Christ and how our following Him—just as it was for the original disciples—is on account of the Lord’s provision for us.
When we think about Peter, James, and John, these disciples whom Jesus called to follow Him at the Lake of Gennesaret, we might be amazed at all they gave up for the sake of Christ. And indeed, they did give up quite a bit. Scripture tells us, “they left everything and followed him.”
But what is that everything that they left behind?
Let’s start by talking about Peter. What did he leave behind? Peter seems to be at a stage in life where he is well regarded. He appears to be at the head of a large fishing operation. He’s not just a small-time fisherman, but someone who, through a lifetime of hard work, has accumulated a good deal of possessions. He owns a boat, for example, which signifies material wealth. Not only does he have a boat, but we also know he has a household. He is the head—the patriarch—of a household in Capernaum. He has a wife, children, and others under his care.
Peter seems to be well regarded in his community. People know about his household, and his home appears to be large enough to welcome sizable groups of people. He’s a man who, as we might say, pulled himself up by his bootstraps. And yet, all of this—his business, his home, his social standing—he left behind for the sake of Christ.
But he wasn’t alone. James and John also left everything behind.
Their circumstances were a little different from Peter’s. James and John seemed to be younger men. They also had some measure of wealth, but for a slightly different reason. From what we can tell, they came from a well-known, possibly aristocratic family. How do we know this?
During the Passion of our Lord, James and John were welcomed into the courts of the high priest. Why? Because they were known. They were recognized. They were the sons of Zebedee. And Zebedee, their father, seems to have been a well-known figure—not only in Galilee but even in Jerusalem.
And yet, this too they left behind. They left behind their fishing business, their source of income. They left behind the social standing, the recognition that came with their family name. And where did this lead them? Eventually, it led to the loss of their very lives. Peter and James were both martyred for Christ.
John, the only apostle who died a natural death, still died far from home. He lived out his last years in Asia Minor—modern-day Turkey—hundreds, even thousands of miles away from his homeland, from the place where he was known and respected. This, too, he left behind for the call of Christ.
The call of Christ upon these men cost them a great deal in worldly terms. And our jaws might drop at that. But the fact of the matter is this: they turned aside from these worldly forms of wealth not because of who they were, not because they had an uncommon strength of character. Notice, they admitted their faults and failings. Peter himself said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
It wasn’t on account of their own power, their own abilities, or their own iron will that they were able to make these sacrifices. It was on account of the provision of Christ. And it is on account of that provision that we, too, can follow Him.
Now, we may not be called to give up our lives or our livelihoods for the sake of Christ in the way that they were. And yet, all of us are called to follow Him. And that following will lead to some form of worldly sacrifice, one way or another.
Let’s talk about it.
These disciples were willing and able to follow Christ because Christ had provided for them in three ways.
The first way that they were able to follow behind Christ as His disciples was that Christ had provided for them through His teaching.
Now, when we read this Gospel lesson, in all likelihood, the thing that sticks in our minds is the incredible miracle—the miraculous catch of fish. This massive catch is so great, so abundant, that it threatens to break their nets and sink their boats. It is an incredible miracle, no doubt—an important miracle that we will talk about in a moment.
But notice what Jesus was doing before that miracle.
“Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, He asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the people from the boat.”
Before the miracle, before the great catch of fish, Jesus taught the people. Jesus provided for the disciples by teaching them. And Jesus provides for us by teaching us as well. And we need that teaching. We desperately need that teaching.
St. Paul indicates as much in our Epistle lesson for today. Paul was dealing with all kinds of problems in the Corinthian church. One of the problems he faced was that many people claimed to have some sort of spiritual power, but they exercised that power in a way that glorified themselves. They acted in ways that often contradicted the Scriptures. Their so-called power didn’t edify the congregation because it had no Christian content.
And so what does Paul say?
“Will I pray in my spirit? Yes. Will I sing with my spirit? Yes. But I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my mind. I will bless you with teaching by my mind.”
This tells us something important: our minds must be formed by God. And that formation doesn’t come through some vague, undefined spiritual revelation. No, our minds are conformed to the will of God by means of His teaching—by the Word of God.
And we need that teaching because, apart from it, our minds are deluded by sin.
That might sound harsh, but it’s the truth. Sin makes you crazy. It makes you think that up is down, left is right, backwards is forwards, right is wrong, and wrong is right.
I saw this play out in a striking way when I was in college. You may have heard me use this example before, but I think it’s a powerful one.
I was in an ethics class, and the professor posed a question. He said:
*”Let’s say you’ve been verbally promised a promotion at your corporate job. Because of the pay raise that’s coming, you go out and buy a new house—one you couldn’t normally afford without that promotion. You also enroll your daughter in her dream college, an expensive school out east. The money isn’t rolling in yet, but you know it will soon.
Then, your boss calls you in and says, ‘You know Joe, your subordinate? There may be circumstances in which we need to let him go. But in order to do that, we need cause. Here’s what I want you to do: write up a bad performance evaluation. We know Joe is doing just fine. But just in case we need to fire him, we need this on record. And if you don’t? Well, your faithfulness and loyalty to this company may be in question. And that promotion? We may have to reconsider.’
Now, would you write that bad evaluation?”*
It was a class of about 30 people. Only three of us refused.
That didn’t surprise me. I assumed people were saying, “I know I shouldn’t do it, but I also know I’m weak.” That, I could understand. But that’s not what people said.
When asked why they would write the bad evaluation, to the last person, they all said: “Because it’s the right thing to do.”
They said, “Look, your family is depending on you. Your company is depending on you. If you don’t write that bad evaluation, you’d be letting your company down, and you’d be letting your family down. It’s the right thing to do.”
It was as if the Eighth Commandment—“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor”—didn’t even register as a moral guide.
That is what sin does.
It utterly deludes our minds. It makes us think that wrong is right and right is wrong. And that is why we need God’s teaching to show us His ways.
In this example, what does God’s Word say?
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
No conditions. No exceptions. No asterisks. No “unless it threatens your promotion.”
“Thou shalt.”
We need that teaching. We need other teachings as well so that we may follow in God’s ways. And Jesus amply provides this through the Holy Scriptures and the preaching of His Word.
My prayer, brothers and sisters in Christ, is that we would be people of the Word—so that we might follow in the ways of Christ.
Now, as we follow in the ways of Christ, we may indeed suffer some form of worldly loss. We may not be called to give up our lives as Peter and James were, but to follow Christ will mean making sacrifices that others may not be willing to make.
Let me give you a tangible example.
Many of you know that I like to tinker with construction, auto repair, and that kind of thing. I’ve always enjoyed using my hands. But I’ve also noticed something—it would be so easy to cheat a customer in construction.
So much of what is done gets buried behind drywall and other finishing work. I’ve seen people in the industry cut corners to make a little extra money, knowing the customer will never see it.
And yet, as Christians, that is something we cannot do.
Why? Because we lay aside worldly gain for the sake of following the commands of Christ.
“Thou shalt not steal.”
As Christians, our lives will look different. They must look different.
We just heard, for example, how the majority of people who do not know Christ see no problem with bearing false witness against their neighbor. So it shouldn’t surprise us that our way of life stands out.
And perhaps, as the years go by, as we become known as Christians, that distinction costs us something.
Maybe we get passed over for a job. Maybe we lose an opportunity for a promotion, an internship, or a degree.
Let us gladly accept that cost.
And why?
Because Jesus gives us the answer here—in that great catch of fish.
This is the second way that Christ provided for His disciples and, therefore, made them willing to leave all and follow Him.
By providing them with this miraculous catch, Jesus was demonstrating that He is the Lord of all creation. All things are in His hands.
I imagine Peter may have been afraid to follow Christ.
“Who’s going to take care of my family?”
“Who will provide for my household?”
“Who’s going to lead this fishing fleet?”
And yet, in this abundant catch of fish, Christ was showing Peter:
“I am the Giver of every good gift. I will provide for you.”
And, brothers and sisters in Christ, we can trust that as we follow Him, He will provide for us as well.
Yes, it may mean some form of worldly sacrifice. But we trust that the Lord is our Provider.
This is not the only way Christ provided.
When Peter saw this incredible miracle—the great ingathering of fish—he perceived something deeper.
He saw the glory, the power, the holiness of God resting in Christ.
And what was his reaction?
He was overwhelmed.
He knew he was a sinner.
And so he threw himself at Jesus’ feet and said,
“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
Likewise, Isaiah—when he was drawn up into the heavenly courtroom and saw the glory of God—was filled with fear.
“Woe is me, for I am lost! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips! For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Like Isaiah, like Peter, we may find ourselves thinking:
“There is no way I can follow Christ. I am too much of a sinner.”
“I sin too often. My sins are too great.”
“My heart is too hard. My faith is too weak. My trust is too small.”
And when our sin presses in on us, we may feel paralyzed—unable to follow Christ.
We may think:
“I have sinned—why not sin more?”
“I have sinned—so I am not worthy to pray.”
“I have sinned—so I don’t belong in church.”
But once again, Christ provides.
Jesus says to Simon:
“Do not be afraid. From now on, you will be catching men.”
Notice—He doesn’t say, “Peter, you’re not really that bad.”
He doesn’t say, “Peter, you’re mistaken about your sinfulness.”
No, He simply says, “Do not be afraid.”
And why?
For the same reason that Isaiah was not destroyed in the presence of the Lord.
What happened to Isaiah?
One of the seraphim flew to him, carrying a burning coal taken from the altar. He touched Isaiah’s lips and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away, and your sin is atoned for.”
The reason Isaiah could be commissioned—though he was a man of unclean lips—to call God’s people to repentance…
The reason Simon Peter—a sinful man—could be called to be a fisher of men…
Is the same reason you can follow Christ.
Because of the abundant provision of mercy and grace won for you by Jesus on the cross.
Your sin—atoned for.
Your guilt—erased.
By the work of Christ.
By the power of Christ.
By the righteousness of Christ.
So that you may be known as God’s people—not by your works, not by your strength, not by your abilities…
But by His work, His power, His ability as the Son of God, your Redeemer.
And so, my prayer for you, brothers and sisters in Christ, is this:
That you would gladly follow Christ.
Follow Him by knowing and studying His Word.
Follow Him, trusting in His ability to provide for you all that you need.
Follow Him, receiving His greatest provision—His sacrifice for your sins, making you His holy people.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.