Reflection offered by Protodeacon Michael Schlaack on the 1st Sunday of Luke
In our Gospel lesson this morning we hear Simon making a profound statement that, if we really give ourselves over to an honest assessment, should cause us to question the condition of our lives as well: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Simon’s statement should provoke in each of us a question that may require some level of reflection. That is, are we ever worthy enough to be in the presence of a righteous and holy God?
In St. Luke’s recounting of the calling of the first four Apostles, Simon is confronted with a dilemma: Should he obey this itinerant preacher and throw his fish net back into the water, or should he just continue on with his life? At this point in the Gospels, there is nothing to indicate that Simon fully understood the divinity of Jesus; he did not know him to be his Lord and Savior, the Son of God. It was obvious that this teacher could certainly draw a crowd: The account says that Jesus sat in Simon’s boat and asked to be rowed further from shore so that Jesus could continue His teaching of the crowd. But once He stopped teaching Jesus then told Simon to do something that did not seem to make much sense at the time: “Launch out into the deep and let down your net for a catch” (v. 4). Notice the directness and certainty of Jesus’ words. He wasn’t asking, He was telling. Also notice that Jesus was not putting any timeline or conditions on Simon; He simply told Him what to do and what to expect. Jesus did not say that they were going to try to catch fish; He told Simon that he would.
Most of us have experienced a situation where we are ready to leave our place of work and go home, then the boss calls us back for one more little assignment. Our workplace is already cleared; we organize our tasks for the next day, grab our coat and head out to the door. Our only thoughts now involve fighting traffic and getting home in one piece. Maybe we are already thinking about all the little chores that we need to do when we get home. Needless to say, the last thing on our mind is to go back at work. And so it was with Simon. He and his friends—Andrew, James and John—had been fishing all night with nothing to show for the efforts except for the usual aching muscles and dirty nets. They were ready to call it a day. The next thing he knows Simon is told to row back out to deep water and throw his net into the sea.
When we come to this point in the story we often only think about the immediate, obvious results: Simon obeys Jesus, throws in his net and hauls in a great catch of fish. But something more important to focus on is not the fact that Simon caught a huge load of fish—that is really secondary to the story. Simon’s doubt, his obedience and then his success are really a setup for the main point of this portion of the story. When Simon sees the results of his obedience, he is overwhelmed by what he has experienced. Simon was surely at a crossroads in his understanding of the true nature of Jesus. How easy would it have been for Simon to see Jesus as an object to be exploited? Surely a man who can choose the perfect fishing spot would be valuable to a small fishing business. Why not take advantage of this talent and make a little money?
By God’s grace, however, Simon was able to see beyond the immediate results of his obedience. For so many people today God becomes a genie in a bottle, someone to call upon when things are bad and then discard after the three wishes have been granted. Often, as in the case of the “prosperity theology” that has been infecting the airwaves and bookshelves of this nation, our material success is seen as being directly proportional to how much God loves us. If we believe hard enough, God “blesses” us with wealth, power and fame. It could have been quite easy for Simon to fall for the same delusion, believing that he was worthy of the great blessing. He could have come to expect nothing less from a God Who existed simply for Simon’s own benefit. Instead he saw the miracle for its intended purpose: to drive him to deeper state of humility.
It is important to understand that Simon’s exclamation, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord”, was not a rejection of Christ. When confronted with a miracle, Simon understood that he was in the presence of an awesome God, one who had the power over the seas. His statement was an expression of deep humility. Simon’s reaction can be contrasted to the response Jesus receive from the people of the Gadarenes after He cured the demon possessed man (Luke 8:26-39). In that situation the people asked Jesus to depart from their area, not because of their humility but because they were afraid of what they saw when the demons left the man and entered the pigs. There was no rejoicing and praising God by the people in that town; the miraculous healing did not cause them to reflect on their own sinfulness but rather on the loss of their livestock and the fear of someone powerful enough to drive out demons. Where was their thankfulness for the healing of their fellow human being? Was not the salvation of one human being worth the lives of a herd of swine? According to the people of the Gadarenes the price of healing was too fearful for them to accept, so they rejected Jesus and their chance at salvation.
Our reaction to the grace and blessings of God will follow a similar pattern. There are those of us who, regardless of the evidence, will still reject Christ. Like the people of the Gadarenes we will force Jesus out of our lives either because of fear, ignorance or pride. No matter the strength of the evidence provided, we can never completely accept the fact that there is a loving God Who desires that all people come to Him and be saved. Although the remedy may seem harsh at the time, as with all good treatment it is meant ultimately for our healing. We only need to make sure that our pride does not get in the way of Christ’s holy work in our life.
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk wrote: “When pride retreats from a man, humility begins to dwell in him, and the more pride is diminished, so much more does humility grow. The one gives way to the other as to its opposite. Darkness departs and light appears. Pride is darkness, but humility is light.” As Christians we are called to be men and women of the light, and the only way we can truly shine is by putting away our pride so that humility may become the fuel for that internal light. May we live in the glory of a loving God, remembering our own unworthiness while never ceasing to live a life of thanksgiving that is only possible when we cultivate a humble and loving attitude toward God and our neighbors.
So let us again ask the question: “Are we ever worthy enough to be in the presence of a righteous and holy God?” The true answer would be “no,” but thankfully God is not looking for people who come to him already perfected. He is willing to work with us, to help us to become truly human as He always intended us to be. When we put our pride aside and let humility dwell in our hearts, then we will be completely open to the transforming power of God’s merciful love.