Say, "Yes"

This devotional considers Luke 5:1-11.

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

This morning, I just want to say, “Amen” because the passage speaks so loudly. But I want to highlight Peter’s yeses. In this account, we can see three ways Peter said, “yes”—three levels of obedience.

The first way Peter said “yes” was to put out from shore a little. Peter allowed Jesus to use his boat, that is, the main tool of his livelihood, to do his (Jesus’) work of teaching. He said “yes” even when it didn’t seem to have anything much to do with him. It was just proximity and circumstance.

The second way Peter said “yes” was to put out into deep water. Now, it had everything to do with him. He called Jesus “Master” and obeyed because by his own mastery of his fishing trade he had caught nothing. We know what happened there.

The third way Peter said “yes” was to leave everything and follow Jesus. He gave Jesus not just room on his boat, but all the room in his heart and life. What an example Peter has set for us. And it didn’t take years. This was three progressive and significant yeses in one day that changed his life—and ours—forever. 

Imagine what Jesus can do with our yeses today. Imagine the impact for generations to come. I pray we all look for where the Lord is working today and join him.

Amen.