The Clones

And when he had finished speaking, he 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 large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:4-11 ESV). I really like old movies. One I recently watched again brought to mind an important principle. It was an older movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger in it titled “The 6th Day.” Perhaps you remember the story line. It is about the illegal cloning of human beings in a futuristic society where the star fights to regain his life back after being replaced by a clone. It is nothing more than fantasy, but it began me thinking about the real life Jesus offers and what so many people have settled for. In our reading today, Jesus was just starting His ministry on earth and was looking for a few good men to experience what He was going to do. One day, after preaching a sermon, He turned to a group of fisherman and commanded them to head out into the deep waters of the ocean and let down their fishing nets. They were skeptical. They had fished all-night and caught nothing. They were professionals and knew the best places to fish. They were tired and ready to go home. There were many excuses not to follow Christ's commands, but one man, Simon Peter, took his boat and his crew, and followed Christ's instructions. You can probably imagine the scene on the shoreline. One fisherman cleaning his nets, laughing at Peter for taking fishing tips from a carpenter. Another too frustrated by a bad night of fishing to try again. Another, weary from the night's work, just sitting and waiting to see what would happen. Then the miracle began. The people on the shore could hear their shouts and see their boats leaning heavily toward one side. They could see the frantic waving and the signals for help. Their hearts began to race as they sensed what was happening and quickly threw their gear onboard and headed out to sea to experience the miracle for themselves. Jesus proved to them that He was not a replica of life. He IS life! How long have you been standing on the shore, watching others put out to sea, and let down their nets? How long has your experience of God been second hand? It's easy to stand on the shore, but there are miracles out at sea. It's safe to stand on the shore, but the catch is out at sea. You can rest on the shore, but you can rejoice out at sea. How long have you been a seashore believer in a deep-water world? The time has come. Put out to deep waters. Let down your nets. Experience the miracles of Christ in your own life! Don’t settle for anything less than Jesus!