Welcome to Day 2819 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

Putnam Church Message – 02/15/2026 Luke’s Account of the Good News - “What It's Like to Fish With Jesus.”    Last week, we continued our study of the ministry of Jesus Christ with a message titled “Ministry at the Grassroots Level,” where we learned what true ministry included. Today, we continue with the twelfth message in Luke’s narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ in a message titled “What It's Like to Fish With Jesus.” Our Core verses for this week are Luke 5:1-11, found on page 1597 of your Pew Bibles. Follow along as I read.   Introduction: When You’ve Fished All Night and Caught Nothing There are moments in life when effort and outcome simply don’t line up. You did everything right. / You prepared. / You stayed up late. / You worked hard. You relied on your experience and training.  / And still—nothing. That’s where Luke places us at the beginning of chapter five. Not at the height of excitement. Not at a revival service. Not at a mountaintop moment. But at the shoreline…early in the morning…with tired, smelly men washing empty nets. Luke has already shown us Jesus preaching with authority, confronting evil, healing the sick, and drawing crowds. But now, the story slows down. The camera zooms in. And instead of crowds, we find fishermen—ordinary men—at the end of a long, disappointing night. This is not accidental. Because this is where discipleship begins. Main Point 1: Jesus Meets Us in the Weariness of Our Ordinary Work (Luke 5:1–3) “One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.” (Luke 5:1–2, NLT) The Scene Luke Wants Us to See Luke is a careful storyteller. He wants us to notice details. It’s morning. The fishermen are done. The nets are empty. The boats are idle. These men—Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John—are not amateurs. Fishing is their livelihood. Their families depend on it. Their reputations are tied to it. In the first century, fishing on the Sea of Galilee was serious business. Night fishing was the norm because fish stayed near the surface in cooler temperatures. To come back empty after an entire night wasn’t just frustrating—it was financially dangerous. And now, exhausted and discouraged, they are washing nets they barely used. That’s when Jesus steps into the picture. Not with fireworks. Not with angels. Not with thunder. But by asking for a boat. Jesus Steps into Simon’s Boat “Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.” (Luke 5:3, NLT) Jesus doesn’t interrupt their work to scold them. He doesn’t explain anything. He doesn’t promise a miracle. He simply asks Simon to let Him use what he already has. A boat. A place of work. A familiar setting. Object Lesson #1: The Boat Hold up my iPhone: “This boat and my iPhone represent the ordinary places of our lives—our work, our routines, our responsibilities. Jesus doesn’t wait for us to be rested, inspired, or successful. He steps right into the middle of our exhaustion.” Simon’s boat had just failed him as a fishing platform. But it becomes a pulpit for the Son of God. What Simon thought was an instrument of disappointment became a platform for divine teaching. Ancient Perspective: God Has Always Worked This Way This moment fits a familiar biblical pattern.

• God met Moses while he was tending sheep (Exodus 3).
• God called Gideon while he was hiding in a winepress (Judges 6).
• God spoke to Elijah not in fire or wind, but in a whisper (1 Kings 19).

God consistently enters lives at the point of ordinary obedience—not spiritual readiness. The fishermen weren’t praying. They weren’t seeking guidance. They weren’t expecting a call. They were cleaning up after failure. Modern Analogy: The Office, the Kitchen, the Garage Most people don’t encounter God in dramatic settings. They encounter Him:

• At a desk, staring at an unfinished project.
• At a kitchen sink, washing dishes again.
• In a hospital hallway, waiting for news.
• In a garage, fixing something broken—again.

Jesus still steps into boats like that. And often, He does not explain what He’s about to do. He simply asks, “Can I use this?” Why This Matters Simon lets Jesus use the boat—but notice something important. / Simon is still tired. / Still discouraged. / Still empty-handed. Yet he makes space for Jesus anyway. / That’s the first step of discipleship. / Not confidence. / Not clarity. / But availability. Summary of Main Point 1 Jesus does not wait for us to be strong before calling us. He does not require success before involvement. He meets us in weariness and uses what feels inadequate. Discipleship begins when we allow Jesus into the ordinary places of our lives—especially when we are tired, discouraged, and empty-handed. __________________________________________________________________ Main Point 2 - When Jesus Asks Us to Try Again Where We Already Failed (Luke 5:4–7) The Most Irritating Command Jesus Could Have Given “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.’” (Luke 5:4, NLT) This is the moment where the story shifts from calm to uncomfortable. / Up to now, Simon has been polite. / He let Jesus use the boat. / He listened while cleaning nets. / He stayed out of the way. But now Jesus crosses a line. / Jesus stops preaching…turns to a professional fisherman… and tells him how to do his job. / Not only that—Jesus tells him to do it wrong. / Fish at the wrong time. / In the wrong place. / After the wrong result. And not just a net— “let down your nets.” Plural. Simon’s Response: Respectful, Honest, and Reluctant “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” (Luke 5:5, NLT) This may be one of the most relatable verses in all of Scripture.  / Simon doesn’t argue—but he doesn’t pretend either. / You can almost hear the tone: “Jesus… I respect You.  / But just so we’re clear— we already tried this.” / This is not blind enthusiasm. / This is exhausted obedience. / And that’s important. Ancient Perspective: This Was a Professional Embarrassment In first-century Jewish culture, /skill and experience mattered deeply. A craftsman’s honor was tied to competence. Simon wasn’t just tired—his identity was wrapped up in his ability to provide. Fishing again wasn’t just inconvenient. / It risked public humiliation. / Crowds were watching. / Other fishermen were nearby. / Everyone could see empty nets. Failure in private is painful. / Failure in public is devastating. / And Jesus tells Simon to go back into the very waters that already told him “no.” Object Lesson #2: The Empty Net Hold up an empty net— “This net represents the places where we already tried: The prayers we prayed. / The efforts we made. / The conversations we had. / And nothing happened.” / Jesus doesn’t ask Simon to fish somewhere new. / He sends him back to the place of disappointment. Why Jesus Does This Because dependence cannot grow where confidence still reigns. / As long as Simon believed success came from his experience, strength, and strategy, he could never learn what it meant to follow Jesus. Jesus isn’t testing Simon’s fishing ability. He’s testing his trust. The Miracle Happens Suddenly—and Overwhelmingly “And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.” (Luke 5:6–7, NLT) Notice how Luke tells the story. / No buildup. / No explanation. / Just sudden abundance. The same water. The same nets. The same fishermen. But a completely different outcome. Biblical Pattern: God Often Works This Way This isn’t the first time God waited until human effort was exhausted.

• Abraham and Sarah waited decades before Isaac was born (Genesis 21).
• Moses reached the end of himself before God parted the sea (Exodus 14).
• Gideon’s army was reduced until victory could only be God’s doing (Judges 7).
• Paul learned that strength is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God delights in waiting until there is no confusion about the source of success. Modern Analogy: The Resume, the Relationship, the Diagnosis This is the moment when:

• You already sent the resume—and got silence.
• You already tried to fix the relationship—and failed.
• You already prayed for healing—and nothing changed.

And Jesus says, “Try again. Not because you know how—but because I said so.” This is not recklessness. This is obedience.     Why the Nets Nearly Break The abundance is intentional—and dangerous.  Jesus gives more than they can manage. The boats sink low. The nets strain. Help is required. Because discipleship was never meant to be a solo endeavor. The miracle forces community, humility, and reliance. Summary of Main Point 2 Jesus often calls us to obey Him in the very place where we already failed—not to shame us, but to teach us dependence. He waits until the effort is exhausted, so that success can only be attributed to His power. Obedience, even when tired and confused, opens the door for divine surprise. Main Point 3: When Success Reveals Our Unworthiness, and God’s Grace (Luke 5:8–10) The Most Unexpected Reaction to Success “When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, ‘Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.’” (Luke 5:8, NLT) This is not the reaction we expect. / If this were our story, we imagine shouting, laughing, hugging one another, and celebrating the best fishing day of our lives. / But Simon doesn’t celebrate. / He collapses. / The miracle doesn’t inflate his ego—it crushes it. / Because this was no lucky break. / No coincidence. / No sudden change in fishing conditions. / Simon knew exactly what this meant. Simon Realizes Who Is in His Boat Just moments earlier, Jesus was “Master.” A respected teacher. A miracle-working rabbi.  Now Simon uses a different word. “Lord.”  Not courtesy. Not politeness. Worship. Simon recognizes what Isaiah recognized centuries earlier: “My eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.” (Isaiah 6:5, NLT) This is what happens when holiness collides with humanity. Ancient Perspective: Fear in the Presence of God In the Jewish worldview, sin and holiness cannot coexist. To encounter God unprepared was terrifying.

• Nadab and Abihu died offering strange fire (Leviticus 10).
• Uzzah died touching the Ark (2 Samuel 6).
• Manoah feared death after seeing the angel of the Lord (Judges 13:22).

Simon isn’t being dramatic—he’s being logical. / If Jesus is truly from God, then Simon believes he is in danger.