The Deep Waters Way | Episode 11: Encountering Holiness: Revealed, Refined, Released

Episode 11 closes the loop on a promise made ten weeks earlier, finishing the Luke 5 passage that opened the series. Where Episode 1 focused on Jesus’ command to Peter to put out into the deep and let down the nets for a catch, this episode picks up with the astonishing results of that obedience—a haul so massive it nearly sinks two large fishing vessels—and the profound internal crisis it triggers in Peter. Rather than celebrating the miracle as the climax, the teaching highlights Peter’s collapse into fear and confession as the true turning point. Reading this scene alongside Isaiah 6, the episode shows how an encounter with God’s unveiled holiness exposes a person completely, yet leads not to destruction but to cleansing, comfort, and commission.

The core message explores the radical nature of God’s holiness—His “Kadosh”—which reveals our brokenness not to condemn us, but to refine us. Both Peter and Isaiah move through the same pattern: overwhelming revelation of divine otherness, honest confession, purifying encounter, and joyful sending. Jesus’ response to Peter (“Stop being afraid”) functions like the altar coal in Isaiah’s vision—real cleansing that realigns reality. The episode connects this to the broader biblical pattern (seen in Abraham) of being blessed in order to be a blessing, reframing “catching men” as rescue: pulling people alive from chaos into life in Christ. The day that began with boats full of men and no fish ends with boats full of fish and no men, as the fishermen leave everything to follow Jesus.

Core Takeaways

• Blessing Can Provoke Terror: A miraculous catch produces genuine existential fear in Peter rather than simple joy, exposing the gap between God’s holiness and human sinfulness.
• Kadosh as Radical Otherness: Holiness at its root means “to cut” or “separate,” describing God’s perfect distinctiveness from our broken world rather than merely a moral standard.
• Comfort That Cleanses: Jesus’ μὴ φοβοῦ (“Stop being afraid”) is present-tense reassurance that purifies like the altar coal—neither condemning Peter nor minimizing his sin.
• Cleansing Leads to Commission: Purification is never the endpoint; in both Isaiah and Peter’s stories, it is immediately followed by a sending into God’s mission.
• From Spiritual Deafness to Hearing: Loud, self-focused declarations of unworthiness drown out God’s voice; only surrender to His refining presence allows us to hear His purpose.

Depth of Insight

• The Prophetic Call for All: This is not merely Peter’s story but a pattern for every believer as part of God’s kingdom of priests. The encounter mirrors Isaiah 6 in structure and outcome.
• Scale of the Miracle: First-century Galilean boats like Peter’s (roughly 30 feet long, crewed with hired servants, capable of holding 1.5–2 tons) make the catch staggering—over four thousand pounds that threatened to swamp both vessels.
• Not the First Meeting: Peter had encountered Jesus earlier (John 1 and likely the wedding at Cana), yet this moment still produced holy terror because it revealed God’s glory in power.
• What Jesus Does Not Say: Equally important is Jesus’ refusal to condemn or offer excuses—He addresses the sin directly while extending grace that transforms.
• Rescue, Not Capture: The Greek term for “catching men” means to take alive. Jesus inverts the enemy’s imagery of trapping people, calling Peter (and us) to pull the drowning into freedom.

Featured Scripture These passages are explicitly cited within the episode:

• Luke 5:6–11 — The primary text: the overwhelming catch, Peter’s confession, and Jesus’ response.
• Isaiah 6:1–8 — The parallel prophetic call and throne-room vision.
• 2 Corinthians 1:4 — Comfort received from God is meant to be passed on to others.

Theological Connections

• Luke 5:1–5 — The earlier half of the encounter (Jesus’ command to put out into the deep) covered in Episode 1.
• John 1:35–42 & John 2:1–11 — Peter’s prior meetings with Jesus.
• Mark 1:20 — Hired servants illustrate the scale of the operation.
• Exodus 3:1–6, 19:6, 33:20 — Burning bush, kingdom of priests, and the danger of seeing God’s face.
• Hebrews 12:29 / Malachi 3:2 — God as refining/consuming fire.
• Luke 6:38 / Psalm 23:5 — Pressed-down, overflowing blessing.
• Mark 4:35–41, 5:1–20, 6:45–52 — Future events (storm, demoniac, walking on water) still ahead for Peter.
• John 4:1–26 — Contrast with the Samaritan woman’s recognition of Jesus.
• Luke 15:17 — The Prodigal Son coming to himself.
• Leviticus 11:44–45 / 1 Peter 1:15–16 — The call to be holy.
• 1 Kings 19:11–13 — The still small voice after the fire.
• Genesis 12:1–3 — Blessed in order to be a blessing.
• 2 Timothy 2:26 — Inverted imagery of being taken captive.

Scholarly Context & Commentary

• The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016. Primary translation used.
• Etymology of Kadosh: Hebrew root meaning “to cut” or “to separate,” tracing its shift from generic ancient usage to the defining character of the God of Abraham (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon).
• Galilean Fishing Archaeology: Analysis of first-century vessels and the dramatic scale of the catch. See the “Sea of Galilee Boat”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Galilee_Boat.
• Greek Insight: Mē phobou carries the force of “stop being afraid” right now, offering immediate comfort in the midst of present terror.

We take them captive and lead them out to true freedom in Christ. This is the transformation of our intellectual knowledge into real living faith that acts upon what we've heard.

The Deep Waters Way. Where scripture, theology and transformation meet.

Welcome once again to the Deep Waters Way. Thank you for joining me on this continuing journey of faith.

Our series on New Beginnings is coming to a close with one episode left to go after this one. However, while the series may be ending, the show definitely is not.

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Now it's time to slip the moorings and head for the deep waters. Have you ever encountered something so utterly beyond your experience that it terrified you? What about an encounter that completely upended your life?

Or have you ever had an encounter that had far reaching ramifications beyond what you could possibly conceive of at the time? That's what we're looking at today.

An encounter that completely changed not just one person's life, but it was instrumental in changing countless lives since then. Today's episode really serves as a bookend to episode one.

There we looked at Luke 5:1-5 and I said then that we would look at the remainder of that passage later. Well, believe it or not, later's here.

It has been 10 weeks since that first episode and we've looked at several examples of new beginnings, transformation and encounters with Jesus. Today, though, we're going back to that first passage to finish looking at that particular encounter with Jesus.

One of the most striking things about this passage is its similarity to Isaiah 6:1-8.

There we see Isaiah's call to prophetic ministry, and in many ways this passage in Luke shares that same prophetic call motif, which may sound scary when you realize that this isn't just Peter's call, it is a call for all believers. But remember, we are called to be a kingdom of priests, so a prophetic calling is not out of line. And we'll look more at that in a moment.

But first, let me catch you up.

In the passage, when we first looked at Luke 5, we saw Jesus getting into Peter's boat and asking Peter to put out a little from shore so that he could teach the crowd that was pressing in on him. This not only served to give Jesus some room, but it also allowed him to use the lake and the shoreline as a natural amphitheater.

The critical verse there, and the one that I said was part of the driving force behind this podcast, comes after Jesus has finished teaching and he tells Peter to put out into the deep and let down the nets for a catch.

Peter objects at first, but then he agrees because Jesus has said to. What you have to understand here is this is not the first time Peter has encountered Jesus.

That event is actually recorded for us in John 1, and it is entirely likely that Peter is one of the disciples mentioned as going to the wedding in Galilee with Jesus. That small detail makes Jesus being nearby and then commandeering Peter's boat a lot more understandable.

And it fits as well with Peter calling Jesus Master in verse five. So now that you're caught up, let's look at verses 6 through 11.

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. So Peter and presumably Andrew put out from land and let down their nets. And Luke tells us they caught so many fish in the nets they began to break.

And once they get the nets in, both boats actually start to sink. Bear in mind, these are not tiny little fishing boats. These are not the 10 to 14 foot flat bottom boats we usually see or think about.

In fact, the closest modern example of the size of Peter's boat would be a small center console offshore fishing boat. We're talking something somewhere around 30ft long, 8 to 9ft wide and about 5ft high. It had room for four people to row.

It could also be propelled by sail and it could hold nearly 15 people, or based on size and estimates, roughly 1 1/2 to 2 tons of fish. So when Luke tells us both boats began to sink as a result of pulling the near breaking nets in, we're talking about a massive catch.

It would have been close to, if not more than 4,000 pounds of fish all flipping and flopping knee deep, filling the middle of those two boats. And notice as well, it isn't just Peter and Andrew trying to pull this off. These boats were so large, they required a crew.

Mark's gospel actually tells us that these families employed hired servants. So picture the scene.

Peter, Andrew and their hired hands are desperately straining against the nets, screaming across the water to James and John to bring the other boat before they all go under. And what results isn't just a blessing. We're talking pressed down, shaken together, cup running over in their laps, levels of blessing.

Peter has suddenly gone from "we caught nothing" to an incredible, literally miraculous catch. And Peter responds in fear. His world has been shattered. This is not at all what he expected. And his cry is one of pure agony.

This isn't a theatrical or falsely pious reaction. This is absolute, honest, existential terror.

At this point in Jesus' ministry, there is still a ways to go before that question in the bottom of a boat after a storm in Mark 4. Not to mention the pigs, the demoniac, the healings, the walking on water, and the declaration of Jesus' divinity that comes later in that same boat.

No, Peter is not yet at the point that he knows who this really is before him, but he knows enough to know this is not just a good teacher. This is recognition that this is a man of God.

And if the Samaritan woman's "sir, I can see you are a prophet" was a bit understated, Peter's response is the exact opposite. Peter is filled with the same dread we see from Isaiah.

In Isaiah chapter 6, when he finds himself in the divine throne room in the presence of God himself, Peter recognizes that something miraculous has taken place and that the glory, majesty and holiness of God has been put on display. And anytime in scripture that we find someone encountering the unveiled, manifest presence and holiness of God, they react in fear.

The word we translate holy is the Hebrew word Kadosh, and at its absolute root, it means to cut or to separate. The idea is different.

Before God revealed himself through the scriptures, the ancient world used holy just to describe anything that belonged to a God. It didn't mean good or pure. It just meant not common, separate, different. But the God of Abraham completely hijacked that word.

He began to tie holiness directly to his own character.

And he showed us that his holiness is the definition of his absolute otherness, the radical, beautiful difference between his perfect, pristine nature and our broken, chaotic world. And when that divine differentness suddenly crashes into Peter's boat, the physical blessing turns into a spiritual crisis.

Peter looks at the 4,000 pounds of fish and then he looks at the man standing over them. And he realizes he is completely exposed. And just like Isaiah, he cries out. He recognizes that he doesn't belong anywhere near Jesus.

Fear floods through him and he confesses not just his unworthiness to be in Jesus' presence, but his inability to stand in the presence of the holy God. And notice what Jesus does in response. Not only is Peter's cry reminiscent of Isaiah's, Jesus' response perfectly mirrors what happens in the throne room. He says, do not be afraid.

The Greek is mē phobou. It could accurately be rendered stop being afraid. Or even more literally, no fearing. This isn't some generic command about the future.

Don't be afraid out there. No, this is comfort and reassurance for the present terror that has seized Peter. Stop being afraid. Now let's also look at what Jesus doesn't do.

He doesn't condemn Peter, even though in Peter's sin, he absolutely deserves it. Because of Peter's penitent recognition of his sin, Jesus doesn't pass judgment on him. He doesn't say, yeah, you're right, you're a filthy sinner.

Get out of my sight. Overboard with you. Notice as well, he also doesn't whitewash Peter's life. He doesn't give Peter excuses, oh, you're not so bad, Peter.

You're no different than anyone else. And those are the same non-responses that we see in the throne room in Isaiah 6.

God doesn't condemn Isaiah, but he also doesn't gloss over Isaiah's iniquity. Instead, he sends an angel with a coal from the altar to cleanse Isaiah, to purify him, to refine him, to comfort him.

And that's exactly what Jesus accomplishes in those two words. Mē phobou, do not be afraid.

He effectively applies a coal from the altar to Peter's life and changes Peter's reality in ways a boat full of fish never could. In Exodus, God tells Moses, no one can see his face and live. This is the terror that drives Isaiah. He even says, woe is me, for I have seen the Lord.

Peter, even though he doesn't yet recognize who exactly Jesus is, essentially cries the same thing. I have seen God's glory and I cannot stand in his presence.

This is for both Isaiah and for Peter, a moment of raw vulnerability when, like the prodigal son, each comes to himself. And the reason is because of God's differentness, because of his holiness. Mortal sinful man cannot stand in the presence of the holy God.

We assume God's holiness must destroy us, and in our fallenness it should. But Hebrews, Malachi and Exodus all work together to tell us God is a refining fire, like the burning bush in the wilderness.

When we surrender to God's presence in our lives, his fire does not consume us. It refines us, transforms us, purifies us. Not just in a legal, forensic sense, but in a total realignment of reality.

He changes our character and makes us like Him. He makes us holy just as he is holy. There's another similarity here with Isaiah 6 that I want to make sure you see.

God doesn't stop with purifying Isaiah's lips. He opens his ears. In Isaiah's unclean state, all he can see and hear is the uncleanness of his lips.

But in the silence of the refining fire, suddenly he hears God ask whom he should send. And Isaiah immediately volunteers. In his transformation, not only have his lips been cleansed, his reality has been so changed that his heart aligns with God's and the focus suddenly becomes telling everyone what God has planned and decreed. Granted, much of what follows in Isaiah is judgment against Israel for its sin.

But there is also a message of hope, restoration and a new thing to be done by God, unlike anything done before. And we see that same pattern echoing down to Peter as Jesus continues to speak.

Because just as God didn't stop with cleansing, but followed it with commission, so Jesus does with Peter. And no, you're not imagining it. We've seen this before in the Samaritan woman and the Gadarene demoniac.

After the cleansing comes a sending. Jesus says to Peter, from now on, you will be catching men. Peter's whole life has been changed. No longer is it about hauling in fish in a net. It's about proclaiming the goodness of God.

But it starts in that moment of surrender and subsequent transformation. Our loud, frantic declarations of our own unworthiness of our uncleanness function like spiritual deafness.

As long as we stay wrapped up in ourselves and focused on us, we can never hear that still small voice of God whispering, shalom, be muzzled. No fearing over us.

It is only when we surrender to the cleansing, transforming, refining fire of God's presence that we begin to hear God's quietly spoken purpose. And the irony is, it has been there all along. But it is only in the silencing of our fear that we begin to hear clearly.

Just as with Abraham being blessed by God, it is not just for ourselves that we are brought to repentance and salvation. It always comes with an outward purpose.

God told Abraham he would be blessed and that through him all nations would be blessed. In short, he would be blessed in order to be a blessing.

And you and I aren't brought to salvation and transformed by grace for ourselves. Instead, it is that we might be witnesses to all God has done in our lives.

That in the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:4, we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. We'll talk more about that commissioning and sending in the next episode. But let's look back at where we've been.

We've seen Jesus issue a call to put out to the deep.

We've talked about transformation and conformity, about healing, and then the muzzling, taming and trampling of chaos, about names and identity, restoration, worship and foundations. And it all comes to this point.

A fisherman kneeling in a boat, being told to no longer be afraid, that he has a purpose in life greater than what he's chosen for himself. That purpose isn't just for Peter.

It's for all to whom the Savior is revealed, who surrender their lives to God's refining fire and are released from their fear and into the world to catch men. When Jesus says catching men, the word he uses doesn't mean trapping them in a net to die. It literally means to capture alive, to take captive.

Later, Paul uses that exact same word in an opposite imagery to show how the enemy traps people. And Jesus is telling Peter, you used to pull fish out of the water to end their lives.

From now on, you're going to pull drowning men out of the chaos to give them life.

That is the purpose to which he calls us, to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God in such a way that people hear the truth and experience the peace and presence of God in their lives. We take them captive and lead them out to true freedom in Christ.

This is the transformation of our intellectual knowledge into real, living faith that acts upon what we've heard, and we see it exemplified in the final verse of this passage. And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. The morning started with boats full of men, but no fish.

The day ended with boats full of fish, but no men, because they recognized the presence of God and their own need, felt his refining fire and were released to do his work to no longer catch fish but men for the glory of God and the filling of his kingdom. Thank you for joining me today. If this episode has spoken to you in any way, please share it with someone you know who needs to hear it.

And then find me on Facebook and help me grow a community of like-minded believers who want to experience the deeper waters of faith.

Now it's time to slip the moorings and head for the deep waters.

The Deep Waters Way. Where scripture, theology and transformation meet.