Put Out Into The Deep…

Put Out Into The Deep…

When we are separated from God He always knows. God sees our heart not our flesh. God sees who we are, not who we think we are. When we sit in the church pew, God knows who is sitting there. God knows if we are plugged into the Word or if we are waiting to get to Cracker Barrel or the game or the yard work or whatever is keeping us from Him and His Word. He knows it.

Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. ~John 5:1-3 NASB95

Not sure how much clearer the teaching can be. The “masses”, the “multitudes”, the “crowd” are all the people sitting in the pews that can’t even reach Jesus Christ. He, Jesus, has made doesn’t know them. Are these people at this place for the “bread and fish”? Did they come down to see the “rock star” and be in awe of what He is doing for others? Did they follow Jesus to the lake to be in the company of people being baptized, being healed or for some other reasons?

Jesus knows they are not there to follow Him, follow His teachings, follow His Word – Jesus knows this as He ask Simon [who would be Peter], “to put out a little way from the land“. This is a great illustration of the masses being separated from Jesus. It’s the same as when Jesus and the Disciples left the Mount after the greatest sermon the world has ever known was delivered. Not one named person followed after Jesus when He completed the Sermon on the Mount – not one named person followed. The “multitudes” followed, but for what purpose? None of them were named, became disciples.

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ~John 5:4 NASB95

We must find our identity in Christ, just as Peter. We must follow His Word, His teachings and do our best to honor, glorify and praise the greatest commandment. As we become stronger in His word, His commandment, the closer to Him we move. As we move closer, He reciprocates. Jesus then ask “to put out a little way from the land”. Jesus moves closer and touches our heart, our soul and takes us deeper and deeper where the Truth lives, where the Way is can be followed and Life is rich.

Either the Scripture is the divine Word of God teaching us how to live and how to be a reflection of Him, or it’s nothing more than a historical account of events.