Fear Not, Disciples!

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:10a-11

Do not be afraid. Fear not! Those words might be a bit familiar to you from Scripture. We’ve heard them three times already in Luke’s Gospel – when the angel speaks to Zechariah, telling him of John the Baptist’s birth; when the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary to tell her she will bear the Son of God; and when the angels announce good news to the shepherds in the fields on the night of Jesus’ birth.
And now we hear Jesus say those words to Simon, who will soon be nicknamed Peter, when Simon recognizes that he is in the presence of holiness. His awareness of his short-comings and his sinfulness cause him to fall on his face, because as any faithful Jew would have known, you can’t see the face of God and live.

Fear not! Don’t be afraid. Luke goes on to relate that Jesus says this to his followers at least three more times. And the phrase appears throughout the Bible – Old Testament and New – sixty-seven times in total. And in nearly every case, we hear these words from God, or Jesus, or an angel or a prophet, or a leader reminding the people of God’s purpose and providential care.

Don’t be afraid. Fear not! Jesus says this to Simon as part of Simon’s call to join Jesus in his mission. Each of the four Gospel writers portray the call of the disciples (and particularly the core group who later get named apostles) a bit differently. Here in Luke’s Gospel Jesus has been building up to this moment.

He had already met Simon when he healed Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever after he had visited the synagogue in Capernaum. And then he commandeered Simon’s boat as a floating podium from which to teach the crowd of people on the shore. Simon, and James and John would have surely heard that teaching along with the others.

Then Jesus challenges Simon to trust him, and God’s provision, by putting back out on the Sea of Galilee in daylight (not the usual time for commercial fisherman) after a fruitless night’s work. The catch is so great that help is needed to haul in the teeming nets.

It is then that Simon becomes overwhelmed with his own unworthiness in the presence of such an obviously God-given miracle; in the sight of such a holy presence. "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Simon is not announcing a list of specific things he has done wrong, and for which he needs to repent and seek forgiveness. Instead, he his acknowledging the great gap between his condition as a human being and the presence of God which surely resides in Jesus.

And Jesus doesn’t say anything about Simon’s sin or forgiving him (though he certainly does talk about sin and forgiveness frequently). Not does he say, “Never mind, you’re fine as you are”.

Instead, Jesus has bigger fish to fry, you might say. What’s important in this moment is the mission and ministry to which Jesus is calling him. Simon’s sense of inadequacy was an opening to hear and receive Jesus’ commission. "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."

And when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. Simon, and James and John answered the call to follow Jesus, to learn from him, to become disciples and fellow workers in announcing the Good News of God’s reign, God’s kingdom breaking into human reality, in their midst, even now. That’s what Jesus meant when he said that these brand-new disciples would be catching or fishing for people. They were to be the ones who were to help to cast the net of Jesus’ message abroad, and to draw people to him, in the same way they used their nets to draw in a night’s fishing.

Jesus was right to tell Simon not to be afraid. The road and the mission ahead of them was filled with challenges and dangers of all kinds; and we know that when the going got really rough and the tensions mounted, there were some disciples who turned back, some who would not take the risk to continue to follow Jesus. Including Simon Peter, who denied even knowing Christ three times right before his crucifixion. Jesus was right to tell him to fear not.

What about us? We are all here because we are Jesus’ disciples. We may think that term is only for people who are particularly holy, or spiritual, or just for those folks in the Bible. But it’s not. By virtue of our baptism, by virtue of our faith – however strong or shaky it may be – we are a community of disciples. And as a community of disciples, we are learning together how to see Jesus more clearly, to love him more dearly, to follow him more nearly, day by day - as the old prayer goes.

And being disciples means that we, too, are called to proclaim the mercy and grace of God we’ve found in Christ, and the hope of God’s loving-kindness for the world he has made.

But that is extra challenging these days. Society at large has become very skittish when they hear the word Christian, because that word now conveys to many people hatefulness instead of love; judgmentalism rather than mercy; condemnation in place of forgiveness; control instead of mutuality and compassion; disdain and denigration rather than respect; and rage in place of gladness and joy. Why in the world would anyone want to be part of that? I don’t blame skeptics for not wanting to give Christianity a look.

And yet the world so badly needs to hear words and see deeds of goodness and love, forgiveness and mutual regard, and hop, and understand that that these all come from Christ. And we Episcopal Christians have never been very good or comfortable about speaking of our faith to others – or even amongst ourselves. We’re hesitant; we’re a bit fearful. I get it!

But our words and our witness are needed in the world now – even if we plant seeds in the dark, rather than catching fish in the day. This is not a time for us to turn back or cede the definition of “Christian” to those who abuse and misrepresent the name of Christ.

Jesus calls us, and he tells us, Fear not! For I am with you, even to the end of the age.

Let us pray.
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. ~ Prayer of St. Francis

Victoria Geer McGrath
All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Millington, NJ
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
February 9, 2025