Reading Plan: 

Luke 5:1-14  

Pedestal or Platform?  

Author: Ben Wade 

Before Luke 5, the heading in my Bible says, “Jesus Provides a Miraculous Catch of Fish.” Awesome! If you haven’t already, take some time to read Luke 5:1-14, then come on back. We will spend the next few paragraphs sharing a couple of takeaways.  

The first thing that I notice is that Jesus shows up to Simon at his place of work.  

“He saw at water's edge two boats, left there by fisherman, 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.” Luke 5:2-3  

Is your work your pedestal? Or is it a platform for Jesus?  

We see in these two verses, that Simon allowed his work, fishing, and the tools of his work, a boat, to be used as a platform for Jesus. Verse 1 tells us that Jesus was standing by the lake and people were crowded around Him listening. Then we see Jesus move to the boat, leave the shore, and begin teaching from there. I wonder how many more people were able to hear the teaching of Jesus because Simon was obedient and allowed his work to be used as a platform?  

How do you view your work? Is it a pedestal that helps you get to the next rung on the ladder? Or is your work a platform for Jesus to use? 

This passage is so cool. Let’s keep reading. In verse 4, Jesus finishes speaking and then instructs Simon on his next move at work, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”  

Don’t miss this really significant verse (v.5) where Simon says, “because you say so, I will let down my nets ."

Simon listened to Jesus, then he did His work.  

Yesterday, we were challenged to begin each day with prayer and scripture. That devotion begins with attention. Simon allowed his work to be a platform for Jesus, and he listened to Jesus before he did his work. Are you allowing Jesus to guide your boat? To guide you at work?  

I’ll let you read the rest, but remember the heading in my Bible, “Jesus Provides a Miraculous Catch of Fish”? Jesus provides a miraculous catch of fish! Simon’s response? He falls at Jesus' feet. The catch was so large and miraculous that their nets began to break! Then, don’t miss this, they had to bring in their partners from the other boat to help them, and the catch was so large the boats began to sink! 

Simon's obedience not only affected him but his partners as well!  

Verse 10 tells us that Simon's partners were James and John. Didn’t we read scripture from the book of John yesterday? Peter invited John to help him with the catch, and God used both of these men to spread the gospel to every corner of the world. Never underestimate the impact of obedience! 

Reflection:

Prayer: God, thank You for the opportunities that You have given us as it relates to our work. May we use our work as a platform for You! Guide our steps, and help us listen to You each day as we do our work. Amen.  

Family Application: Fishers of Men  

Author: Jana Whittington 

• Today we will be reading from Luke 5:1-14. Our story begins with Jesus preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Lots of people were there to listen to Him! It was super crowded, so Jesus stepped into a fishing boat that was on the edge of the water. He asked the boat’s owner, Simon, to push the boat out into the water. Jesus sat down and taught the people from there. When Jesus finished teaching, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon hadn’t had any luck but he let down his nets because Jesus said to! 
• This time when Simon pulled his nets out of the water, they were full of fish! So full that the nets began to tear! They had to call for help from another boat. Soon, both boats were so full of fish that they were on the verge of sinking!
• When Simon saw what Jesus did, he fell to his knees before Jesus. Simon’s fishing partners, James and John, were also amazed. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you’ll fish for people.” And as soon as they reached the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus!
• This passage is important because we see Jesus work a miracle and teach his disciples what their lives will look like as fishers of people. What does it mean to be a fisher of people? It means that they will be the ones to go out and tell others about Jesus. Just as they brought fish into their boats, they would be bringing people to know and have a relationship with God. Jesus wants us to be fishers of people too. He wants us to tell others about Jesus so they can know, love, and follow Him as well!
• Prayer: God, we love You! Help us to be faithful fishers of people and to tell others about You! We want to bring others to have a relationship with You! Thank You for Your love! In Jesus’ name, Amen.