Inconveniences Are Good
- 10 February 2019 |
- Published in Letters from a Pastor to His People
Dear Parishioners,
This is a beautiful Gospel scene. There is a lot to unpack, a lot upon which to reflect. One thing immediately comes to my mind is inconvenience. Jesus does not mind inconveniencing people.
First, the crowd. The crowd is "pressing in on Jesus." They obviously want to be close to Jesus—to hear him more clearly and perhaps even touch him. Jesus leaves the throng and continues his lessons from a boat in the lake. 'Where are you going, Lord? Don't leave us!'
Second, the fishermen. They had just finished their long day of labor. They had secured their boats, were washing their nets, and ready to go home for the day. They must have thought, when Jesus chose their two boats, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" The day's not over yet, fisherman. They drag back the clean nets, unhinge the boat, and set off into the lake, as if it was morning already for the next day of work.
Third, the fishermen, part 2. Not only are the workers back out on the lake when they thought they were finished for the day, they are now instructed to throw the nets back in to resume their fishing. Not only was this laborious, it was emotionally draining. They were already demoralized, having caught nothing for the day. Being told to try fishing again must have been hard to swallow. It's like a father insisting to his boy to continue hitting the golf ball when he just can't get it right. 'Can't we just try again another day?' No!