We
are living in the land of the Giants!
Scripture Luke 5:1-11
In 2011 the New York Giants were just a
handful of days from the Week 16 game against the New York Jets, with the
Giants stuck at 7-7 and their season fast slipping away. Losers of four of
their previous five games, it seemed as if the Giants were destined to finish
second or even third in the NFC East. But then...
Giant Paul Gonzalez took the stand at
the team’s weekly chapel service and, before roughly two dozen players and
coaches, began to challenge the players on and off the field where their
motivation lies.
Gonzalez, a teacher in Union City, N.J.,
had spoken to the team several other times, but on this occasion he challenged
the players spiritually and hit them with their responsibilities as husbands
and fathers. But what surprisingly stuck was his challenge to them not just off
the field but on it as well. When Gonzalez asked those gathered if they were
"all in," his two words resonated in a way he didn’t see
coming.
A spiritual challenge would ignite a
Super Bowl run and make believers of this Giants team in the rest of the NFL.
"I really had no
idea; I was just glad I could hopefully encourage them on that night in
December. It really exemplifies that when individuals join together and totally
commit themselves to a common goal amazing results are possible and people will
take notice--which I think is exactly what they are doing against all the odds.
They are looking 'All In."
Giants chaplain George McGovern said
that chapel attendance usually hovers in the mid-20s and that there has been no
rush of new converts to fill the pews since Gonzalez’s service and the team’s
improbable playoff push. But the challenge from the pulpit clearly spurred
something in the way the Giants played.
Before the Jets game in his pregame speech,
Giants defensive end Justin Tuck co-signed what Gonzalez said to the team,
using the "All In" phrase in his speech. The Giants beat the
Jets on Christmas Eve and the "All In" tag was used publicly
by Tuck in his postgame remarks.
The next week, 80,000 white towels (SLIDE towel)
filled MetLife Stadium with Gonzalez’s words emblazoned on each one. The Giants won again with the crowd waving the "All In" towels as the players left the field, having clinched the division.
"The phrase can
be applied in many ways and some players carried it over to their professional
lives and determined to be 'All In' when it comes to competing on the field.
"The phrase has taken on a more immediate meaning and is now centered on
the players’ efforts on the field and among each other. But for those men who
were at chapel that night, the echo still reminds them of the initial
application."
It was a winning bet by Gonzalez, who
said he felt "led by God" to deliver this particular chapel
message to the team. Towards the end of the 20-minute service, he handed those
in attendance a poker chip to tie together the "All In" mantra
firmly.
"I gave them a
poker chip, and silver sharpies. I then asked them to initial one side, and
think about what God is calling them to be 'All In' about. Maybe it is
being 'All In' as a man of God, father, or brother, or teammate, or all
of those," Gonzalez said. "I let them keep the chip and challenged
them to put it in a place they could remember it, to remind themselves that
they are 'All In.'"
And some of those blue Giants are likely keeping that chip next to a Super Bowl ring.
Luke 5:1-11
One day as Jesus was standing
by the Lake of Gennesaret,
Kinneret is a city situated on the northwestern shore
of the Sea of Galilee, mentioned in both the OT and NT. Older Bible
translations spell the name Kinnereth or Chinnereth. In time the name became Ginosar and Gennesaret. The remains of the city have been
excavated at a site now called Tel
Kinrot in Modern Hebrew. Due to this city's
prominence, the lake (or the "Sea of Galilee") for long
periods of history, was known as the Sea of Gennesaret. As other places around
the lake rose to prominence, the name of the lake also changed to Lake Tiberias,
and eventually as the Sea of Galilee.
To understand its size.
Lake Erie (smallest of the great lakes by volume) is 241 miles long and 57
miles wide. The Sea of Galilee (the largest freshwater lake in Israel) is 13
miles long and 8 miles wide.
One day as Jesus was standing by
the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and
listening to the word of God,
What were the people
doing? Crowding around Jesus and listening to the word of God.
What was Jesus doing? He was preaching & teaching the
word of God with a lot of people, not just around him, but crowding around him
(the Mike McClellen effect). (only time I experienced that kind of crowd was at
the Ohio State fair waiting to see Sony & Cher). How many of you would be
uncomfortable in that situation? As a boss, a teacher, a preacher, a sales
person?
Apparently, it bothered
Jesus as well who did not look for an escape but needed a solution to this
problem,
One day as Jesus was standing by
the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to
the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the
fishermen,
What
does that tell us about those boats? Two things - they were boats that were
used in the business of fishing. He could tell by the way it was crafted or by
the things that were on the boats. Secondly, we learn that no one is on these
boats - "left there by the fisherman" indicates that they were
beached with no one on the boats. Where were the fisherman and why did Jesus
take note of these boats while he was doing something important like preaching
the word of God?
Jesus saw at the
water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing
their nets.
He
knew that because nearby he saw the fishermen who were cleaning their nets.
Whenever fishermen would come in from fishing they would clean their nets and
fix or mend them if they had any tears in them. This was important as these
fisherman only had two tools to earn their entire livelihood - a boat and nets.
Jesus saw the care they were taking to be able to have a good business.
3 He got into one of
the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
If
you were standing near your boat (which is your livelihood) and someone you
never met got into your boat, how would you respond? "Hey buddy, what are
you doing in there? Get out of my boat!" Peter was not a shy man and would
have possibly thrown someone like that out of his boat or maybe cut off his
ear. But he didn't, which let's us know that at this point, he knows who Jesus
is and has already met him.
In
the boat, Jesus asked Simon to put out a little from
shore.
Peter
got in the boat with Jesus, just the two of them and he did what Jesus asked - he
put out a little from shore.
Then Jesus sat down and
taught the people from the boat.
I
love Jesus' creativity; he created the first floating pulpit. I am also
thinking this coming summer, church should be held on the water front at Maumee
Bay State park and I will pull up in my boat and preach from there.
After
his benediction, Jesus turned his attention from the many to just one - one who
was becoming a disciple. Discipleship rarely happens in large groups, it
happens one on one or in small groups. Because of the wording in a moment, I
believe that Andrew and possibly a few others who work with them got in the
boat as well. The text will also give us clues that the other boat that was
there also got boarded by their fishing partners, James, John, their father
Zebedee, and others who worked with them.
4 When Jesus had
finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out
into deep water, and let down the nets for a
catch."
What
were they previously doing when Jesus showed up? Cleaning and mending their
nets - so they could go home. What were they doing before that? Fishing - all
night!
5 Simon answered,
"Master, (again,
that title lets us know that Simon and Jesus had not only had conversations,
but that Simon was already a disciple - which is why he does what Jesus asks.) we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything.
But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
So
far, Peter has had his employment interrupted, been asked to do a small favor
that mostly required time and a small use of his personal property, now he has
been asked to work when it is past time to be off work and knowing it is the
wrong time and wrong place to go fishing - but in every instance, even when he
doesn't want to do it, he still does all that Jesus asks of him. He has the
makings of a great disciple.
What
would have happened is he had not done what Jesus asked? In each case he would
have missed out on tremendous blessings.
"Put out into deep
water, and let down the nets for a catch."
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish
that their nets (those nets they had just
cleaned and mended) began to break.
7 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. Do
you have any idea how many fish you would need to have in a boat for it to
begin to sink - let alone enough for that to happen to two boats. And all this
after a night of catching 0 fish and going out now at the wrong time and in the
wrong place - but the key is that it was done in obedience to the right person.
8 When Simon Peter saw
this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go
away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 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.
Though
Jesus turn his focus from the many to the one, even the few who were present
were blessed by observing and participating in what happened.
Then Jesus said to Simon,
"Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men."
Now
look at what happens to Simon, Andrew, James, and John.
11 So they pulled their
boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
From that very moment for the rest of their lives, they were now ALL IN with Jesus. They didn't become perfect, they didn't do everything right, they even failed Jesus directly at times, but there is no doubt that this group of young men were now ALL IN for the kingdom of God as disciples of Jesus. When it says the "LEFT EVERYTHING" that means not only their business, family and business partners, they also left the greatest catch of fish anyone had ever seen (worth a lot of money and free publicity). Apparently, the idea of following Jesus to fish for people was a far greater possibility than the best part of their life's long work - fishing.
Salvation happens at a point in
time - even if you came to faith over time - there was a moment that Jesus
became real to you. Discipleship is different - it is completely over time.
When Jesus says work out your salvation - that has everything to do with being
an ALL IN disciple. ALL IN doesn't mean you go from 0-90 in 5 seconds in your
spiritual life. Look at how well Luke
crafts his wording of what Jesus did with Simon Peter in this story:
Put out a
little from shore is all we do at church.
Put out into
the deep is all we do outside of the church.
Matthew 25:23 (The Living Bible) "'Good work,' his master said. 'You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over this small amount, so now I will give you much more.'"
The sermon began talking about the NY
giants - Heavens giants are Christian who decidedly live a life that is ALL IN
for Jesus! Always remembering how much Jesus was, is, and will always be ALL IN
for you. When more of us grow indiscipleship, we will al be living in the land
of the Giants.
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