I am a Jesus pusher!!! In Luke’s account, Jesus gives a strong focus to the actual content of being fishers of men. The entire statement is: “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men” (Luke 5:10). Guilt is an awful condition that imprisons the spirit of our being until we accomplish nothing. It creates a fear within the individual. This fear proclaims that the individual is inadequate. Peter just experienced a moment of revelation. All this time he had relied on his self-sourcing. This principle of life controlled every aspect of his living. Even his fishing business was dependent on his personal ability. In this moment of time, he saw the extreme lack and inability of self-sourcing in comparison to the wonder of what Jesus could do through him. It was illustrated to him through the one ability he could not question, his fishing. They had toiled all night and caught nothing (Luke 5:5).
Jesus calls Peter to return to fishing. Peter was the fisherman, not Jesus. What Jesus asked was against all of Peter’s self-sourcing. In obedience, Peter discovered a resource far beyond his self-sourcing. Their net was so full it was breaking. Peter embraced his guilt. He immediately asked Jesus to leave. The sinfulness of his nature could not tolerate the purity of the flow of Spirit-sourcing. Jesus began His call with, “Do not be afraid,” (Luke 5:10). Keep responding Peter. The Spirit-sourcing takes him to a whole new level of living. The answer is not in a “departing Jesus” but an “embraced Jesus.” Don’t be frightened from responding to Jesus! I am a Jesus pusher!!!