Because you say so

There is a moment in Luke 5, when Jesus finishes preaching and gets into Simon Peter's boat and tells him to go to deep water. He then tells him to cast his nets. Peter, the fishing expert, tells Jesus that they just spent all night and caught nothing. He tells Jesus that they worked really hard, used all their expertise and caught nothing. I can hear the fatigue and frustration in Peter's voice. I can sense the anger bubbling under the surface. I can sense the angry stares of his crew, the aching muscles and empty stomachs.



But I also see in the same verse that Peter says to Jesus, "because you say so, I will." I see him toss aside logic, experience, knowledge, and listen to Jesus. I see him act on his belief that Jesus is trustworthy, that he is good, that he is the authority. In this case, this obedience results in a miracle. They catch so many fish that the nets tear and the boats almost sink. But it is not the result that validates Peter's obedience. Peter obeys, not because of the result, but because it is Jesus that makes the request. Cause, I'm guessing that Peter isn't expecting to catch anything. He is expecting to come up empty handed again. He's expecting, at least to himself, to be able to say, "I told you so."

This is important because if we don't obey Jesus just because he's Jesus then we won't do what he says in chapter 6. He goes on and on about loving enemies, giving to those who take from you, lending without expectation of repayment, blessing those who curse you. He tells us to live a merciful life, not just to those who like us, are kind to us, do good to us. He tells us that our distinctiveness as children of the Most High is that we love, bless and extend mercy without exception. That is a tall order. That is more difficult than going fishing on an empty stomach and with sore muscles.

Jesus, today I will answer your call by saying, "because you say so I will." Today I will set aside my rights, my preferences, my expertise, my pride and submit to your authority, in every place, in every circumstance, on every topic. I don't blindly follow you. I have seen your goodness, your trustworthiness, your power and majesty and because you say so I will.