Eccentric Viewing | Luke 5:1-11

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Thanks to Chloe for sharing your story.

We love Chloe.

And thanks for sharing your story For your encounter with Jesus.

We really appreciate that.

Well, good morning, I'm Jeff, and it's so good to have you here.

Thanks for doing the scooch early in the service.

We appreciate that too.

Let me remind you there's two other services at 8.30 and 11.30, okay, so welcome to those of you online and those of you out on the deck in the concourse and in here.

We're glad you're here today.

As I have gotten older, I have come to a greater and greater appreciation of eye doctors.

I appreciate the career path they have chosen to help people protect their eyesight and see clearly as clearly as they can.

The field consists of opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists and I'm going to try not to say ophthalmologists again.

In our time together I have benefited from doctors.

I doctor since I was five, when I started wearing glasses.

I distinctly recall sitting in the back of my first grade classroom, miss Bonnywell's class at Lutheville Elementary School, and Miss Bonnywell writing on the blackboard.

A blackboard was a reusable writing surface made of slate stone on which text or drawings were made with a stick of calcium sulfate.

But I can remember Miss Bonnywell writing on the board and turning to the guy next to me and saying what is she writing?

I can't see it.

And I told her that at recess.

She told my mom and that afternoon I was at the eye doctors and sporting some really cool looking glasses, let me tell you, in 1966, they were awesome.

But I see my eye doctors regularly, consistently, and I really appreciate them and we have some great eye doctors here and if you are in that field, we want you to know how much we appreciate what you do.

These are professionals, highly educated and they use terms like emetropia and hyperopia and macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa and vitreous humor and eccentric viewing and eccentric viewing when I heard that term one time I said I've got to find out what that is.

But aren't you glad they have to know all those terms?

And we don't.

But eccentric viewing I read on it a good bit this week and I'll probably be corrected by eye doctors.

But here's what I came up with and I tried to simplify it.

It's basically somebody who has diminished eyesight when they're looking directly at an object, like a face.

If they're looking directly at it they're having a difficult time seeing it, but if they look around it, that helps them to see it, the eye and the brain starts to do some things together, and so they have to look around an object rather than directly at an object in order to see it.

Does that make sense?

So that's called eccentric viewing not looking directly at an object, but off to the side while still paying attention to the object.

And we're going to see a bit of eccentric viewing today.

Pardon the pun, we're going to see this in our text today.

We're going to be in Luke's Gospel, but eccentric viewing was taking place with some soon-to-be disciples, specifically one by the name of Simon Peter.

So once you remember eccentric viewing not being able well, when you're looking directly at an object, you're not able to see it, but other things are coming into play where that object is able to be viewed.

Put onto that thought.

Let's move from literal viewing to a figurative ability to see.

There are times in life where when we can't see the most important things because we are in a figurative fog of source, something more important, more missional is out there, but because we're fogged in, we can't see it and we can't see where we're going and we failed to move forward Because we're in this fog in life.

Let me give you an example.

When I say the word Fido, fido what do you first think about?

I would guess, for most of us, you're thinking of what A dog, fido?

I have never in my life met a dog named Fido, have you?

I haven't, but do you think Fido?

Oh yeah, that's a dog.

I never met one, but don't think dog, think of this.

Let me give you another example of what Fido is, what it stands for.

Fido, in this instance I wanna share with you, is a military acronym that was used among Allied bomber command during World War II and it means fog intensive disposal of Fido, fog intensive disposal of.

Now, only the military can come up with these acronyms.

Right, but in England all too often during World War II, bombers couldn't take off because of their weather and the fog that sets in so often there.

And, more dangerously, upon returning from bombing missions over Germany, the Allied bombers couldn't land because of the fog.

It wasn't there when they took off, but it was there when they came back and in those cases the fog would be so thick they couldn't land their airplanes.

The pilots would put their planes on a certain heading.

They knew where they were over land and they got to a certain elevation and then the entire air crew would parachute out of the airplane.

It would continue to fly until eventually it crashed out into the sea, and with bombing raids taking place with several hundred aircraft, you can imagine.

A significant number of bombers were lost that way, and something had to be done.

And so Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the petroleum warfare department to develop a way of dispersing it, and the result was FIDO, this network of pipes where they would burn gasoline on either side of the runway and the heat that it created would dissipate the fog.

I've got a picture.

It's a little bit hard to see, but I think maybe you can make it out enough there.

They would have to burn gasoline at a rate of 100,000 gallons an hour, but that would produce enough heat to sufficiently lift the fog and enable the air crews to take off and land safely when poor visibility due to fog would have otherwise made it impossible.

And during the last three years of the war 43-45, they estimate 2,500 aircraft landed safely in foggy conditions thanks to FIDO and saving the lives of almost 10,000 air crew.

Accentric, viewing, looking, but not really able to see FIDO addressing fog that had rolled in and halted mission operations, both things, when we think about it, we grapple with in our own spiritual lives.

There are times things fog over for us spiritually.

There are times when we are not able to see what the Lord may want us to see in that moment.

So this morning we're going to take a look where I think both of these are at play.

It's Luke, chapter 5, verses 1-11.

Luke 5:1–11

Luke 5, 1-11.

So I invite you to turn your Bible there with me, or whatever you're looking at the Scripture on, maybe your phone, or something like that Luke 5, 1-11.

And we'll just walk through this and see what the Holy Spirit wants to teach us today.

Now, it happened that while the crowd was pressing around him and listening to the word of God, he, that's Jesus was standing by the lake of Ganeserit that's another word for the sea of Galilee 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.

Our story today revolves around a man named Simon.

We know him perhaps better as Peter, but Simon Peter and his encounter with Jesus Christ.

Simon fished for a living.

This was his work, this was his revenue stream, this was what kept the bills paid.

He lived along the shoreline of the sea of Galilee, also known as Ganeserit.

We meet Simon in Luke, chapter 4, but here in Luke, chapter 5, he's the center of the story.

Luke 4 · chapter mention Luke 5 · chapter mention

We run across him.

After he's been out all night fishing, the boats have been pulled into shore.

They have now been in the process of washing their nets, putting everything away.

He's probably going to go home and get some sleep and then he'll go at it again later that evening.

But let's pretend just for a minute.

This is a movie script and you've got the movie script in your hand and it might read something like this, and we would get to scene one and we would be told that Jesus is walking along the shore of the sea of Galilee teaching, and that we're not sure.

We're not sure exactly what he was teaching, but he was always teaching and talking about the kingdom of God.

So that's a safe assumption.

And the people, and think multitude and think masses of people crowding around him, listening to him, hanging on every word he said because, as Mark tells us in the Gospel of Mark, they were amazed at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one having authority and not one of the scribes.

And in the Greek language that Luke wrote in, you get this picture of Jesus feeling almost claustrophobic and the language that Luke uses is because they were pressing around to hear him.

That's scene one.

And pressing around have you ever been on a crowded bus or a crowded subway, train or something like that where you literally can't move?

That's the scenario.

They're just pressing in on Jesus.

That's scene one.

Now we go to scene two.

Notice who's not pressing around.

It's Simon, peter.

Notice who isn't anxious to hear every word that comes from the Savior's lips.

He's the one the entire passage is about, simon, and he's not even in the story yet.

And in the movie script notes I think it might reach something like this Jesus is being pressed on heavily by the masses.

Peter isn't oblivious to it all, but appears disinterested.

He's focused on the task of cleaning his nets.

So Simon, by his actions at this point, seems unwilling to say hey, you know what I have got to hear what this man is saying.

I mean, look at what is going on here.

This is crazy.

I don't want to miss out on this.

I've got to hear what this man is talking about.

But he doesn't do that.

And I have to admit I find that a little bit odd, because in chapter four of Luke, when we first meet Simon Peter, jesus has already visited his home and miraculously healed his mother, peter's mother-in-law.

Now, maybe that's why Peter didn't want to go hang out with Jesus.

Maybe he was upset about that.

I don't know, scriptures don't say that.

But Peter's just there head down cleaning the nets, seemingly preoccupied.

All this other stuff is going on around him.

He's focused on the task at hand.

Does that feel familiar to you that sometimes in your life too, all the stuff around Jesus is going on and you're hearing stories like Chloe's and you're hearing people oh, this is what God's doing.

And you're like, yeah, well, I got this other stuff.

That's kind of driving me right now Preoccupied, disinterested, distracted.

Perhaps Peter could even hear what Jesus was saying, but he wasn't listening.

I was in a conversation this week with a friend and we were talking about people who hear but don't listen.

You know anyone like that.

Some of you didn't even hear me just then.

So so what's that Peter's kind of fogged in the fog is all around and he's not even aware of it.

And if you would be extremely honest with yourself right now and you say, hey, you know what that?

Yeah, that does sort of describe me every now and then, or maybe that kind of describes me right now.

Let me give you a heads up here, because that's exactly where Peter was at when he encountered Jesus Christ.

Peter's just living his life, trying to be a good man, trying to be a good husband.

Perhaps he had some children we don't know that for sure, but we know he was married, he had a solid job, and Jesus is about to alter everything.

He's not really interested, though, in what Jesus is saying, but then something happens, and Jesus commandeers his boat Verse three again.

He got into one of the boats, which was Simons so there were multiple boats along the shoreline.

He gets into his and asked him to put out a little way from the land, and he sat down and began teaching people from the boat.

Just so you have some sense of this boat, let me show you a picture of an unearthed first century sea of Galilee boat that most believe would have been almost identical to the one that Simon owned, and this next slide is a faithful reproduction of actually what that boat looked like.

That gives you an idea.

It's 27 feet long, seven and a half feet wide.

Peter made his living off of that boat exactly like that.

And Jesus says hey, let me turn this into a floating pulpit for a while and let me teach the people and get a little bit of breathing room here.

Verse four when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.

Simon answered and said master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as you say and let down the nets.

Please understand, simon is not a disciple yet.

He's a fisherman.

He's not following Jesus at this point.

Maybe he maybe, since he'd seen Jesus heal his mother-in-law.

Well, maybe I ought to do what the man says.

But does it feel to you that Jesus is kind of a little pushy here?

It's like someone from church today who you've never met, jumping in your car as you're leaving and telling you hey, run me down the Publix.

What's going on out of here, man, can you put yourself into Peter's exhausted sandals?

You know, I just finished washing the nets.

I'm tired.

It's been a long night.

My back is sore, my hands hurt.

I put away the tools.

Why didn't Jesus get?

And one of these other boats?

What do you have to get in mind for you can feel that frustration, can't you?

You know frustration, and in our world sometimes it sounds like I just washed those, I just cooked a whole delicious meal and you're still hungry.

How many times do I have to tell you to clean your room?

Honey?

Will you take out the trash?

Honey?

Will you take out the trash Honey, I need you to take the trash.

Trash needs to go out.

Fine, I'll just do it myself.

So we kind of get where Peter's coming from.

Don't we Look again at what he says, though, at the end of verse, in verse five Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as you say and let down the nets.

Bible commentator David Guzzi writes this about that verse.

He says this the particular ancient Greek word Luke used for master is unique to Luke's gospel.

The word has the idea as commander, leader, perhaps even boss, and with that title Simon showed he was willing to take orders from Jesus.

Even though I think and that ends the quote even though I wonder if he's not thinking along the lines of I don't get this, I don't agree.

This is going to be a colossal waste of time.

I just washed the nets.

Now he wants me to put them out in the water again.

I'm going to have to do all this all over again.

This is costing me time.

Time is money, and now you're cutting into my nap time.

I'm tired, not to mention the fact that when I go back to shore, I'm going to have to get made fun of by all my fishermen buddies for doing this.

Jesus, you might know carpentry and you might know religion, but you sure don't know anything about fishing.

Did you catch, though, what Peter said?

But I will do as you say, boss.

Maybe all that Peter's really hoping for is, at the end of all this, they get back to shore and he can look at Jesus and say I told you so.

But right now he says I will do as you say.

And in those six monosyllables, peter's life was completely changed I will do as you say.

Those same six words could change the trajectory of your life as well.

See, we have got to come to the place where we say I don't get it, but I will do as you say.

We must follow him, even when it doesn't make sense to us.

And when you do that, you will have a story to tell for the rest of your life.

You will tell people.

That was the fork in the road.

That was the pivotal moment where I said I will do as you say, back to God.

That was the pivotal moment that redirected where I walked, redirected the way I lived and redirected the course of my life.

I will do as you say Now.

He said those words, but Peter's still in a fog.

He's still in the eccentric viewing face.

He's looking right at Jesus, but he's not really seeing Jesus for who he is Not yet.

But, to his credit, I will do as you say.

It's reluctant obedience, but it's obedience.

See, this is the moment of truth in his whole life.

And I want you to understand this moment of truth was not built around a moment of clarity for Simon Peter, but it was a step of faith and it changed the trajectory of his life.

In the fog he took a step of faith Even when he was yet to clearly see Jesus for who he is.

He took a step of faith.

If he says no, here, we never read a story.

If he says no here, he doesn't become a disciple.

If he says no here, he walks away, grieving like the rich young ruler we met a couple of weeks ago.

Do you remember?

Luke told us he was.

He walked away grieving because he couldn't bring himself to give up the stuff he loves so much.

But Peter's response was different.

His was a step of faith in the fog.

I will do as you say Read verses six and seven.

When they had done this, so they've let the nets down, they enclosed a great quantity of fish and their nets began to break.

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them.

And they came and filled both of the boats so that they began to sink.

Peter's having a day, isn't he?

We meet him cleaning the nets, disinterested in the hubbub surrounding this new teacher.

Now those same nets are about to be torn apart and he still doesn't see Jesus for who he is yet.

And I wonder if at some point in Peter's mind round the thought thanks a lot, jesus.

These were pretty good nets.

Before you blessed me, some people were never happy, right, which is the way Jesus often works, by the way, when he gets in your boat.

Things cannot remain the same and sometimes his blessings will wreak havoc in our lives for a while.

But it's all good.

See, everyone loves change until it happens to them.

And then a shout for help brought their partners in the other boat and both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

I mean, can you imagine all those fish just flopping around everywhere?

The boats are now starting to sink.

Until you saw the boat low water line there.

It's starting to go down.

There's something here I think we better not miss friends.

If we are unwilling to do the ridiculous, we will never see the miraculous.

You guys right, this is ridiculous.

Go back out.

We've done this all night.

We didn't catch one fish.

Now you're telling me to go in the middle of the day, and now we've done it.

And now the boat.

This is ridiculous.

But if you're unwilling to do the ridiculous, you'll never see the miraculous.

If we're unwilling to let the nets down after we wash them because we sense God to follow him in this, if we aren't willing to do at times what feels ridiculous, what appears ridiculous, we will never see God do the miraculous.

Verse eight but when Simon Peter saw that so saw what the boats filled with fish, that they began to sink.

When he saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet saying go away from me, lord, for I am a sinful man.

For amazement has seized him and all his companions because of the catch which they had taken.

And so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

And Jesus said to Simon do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.

When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Peter sees the blessing after the obedience, and I've taught you this for 25 years blessing always follows obedience right.

And he falls on his face.

And just picture it in that boat, 27 feet long, seven and a half feet wide, live fish flopping all over the place and I wonder he probably ended up having to kneel on fish.

But he kneels at the feet of Jesus and he turns his boat-laden sinking boat or fish-laden sinking boat into an altar.

Go away from me, lord, for I am a sinful man.

Peter's eccentric viewing suddenly cleared up.

The fog had lifted.

Jesus turned those phyto flames on and the fog dissipates.

Depart from me, lord.

Not master, not boss, lord, I am a sinful man and note his first response is in gratitude.

What is it?

It's repentance.

It's repentance.

Peter recognized Jesus for who he was, and then he recognized himself for who he was.

I'm a sinful man.

I depart, not because, but, lord, I know you cannot be in my presence, but there Jesus was right in his presence.

You know, the prophet Isaiah had a similar experience with God.

In a vision, he said they were calling out to each other holy, holy, holy the Lord of heaven's armies.

The whole earth is filled with his glory.

Their voices shook the temple to its foundations and the entire building was filled with smoke.

Then he said it's all over.

I am doomed, for I am a what Sinful man.

I have filthy lips and I live among a people with filthy lips.

It happened to Habakkuk.

Just upon hearing about the works of Almighty Jehovah God, habakkuk writes I trembled inside when I heard this.

My lips quivered with fear, my legs gave way beneath me and I shook in terror.

I don't have time to read it.

But the apostle John.

He beheld a vision of Jesus and he saw eyes like flames of fire and feet like polished bronze.

He held seven stars in one hand and a double-edged sword came from his mouth and he said his face was like the sun of all of its brilliance.

Here's what John says.

And when I saw him, I fell to his feet as if I were dead.

He laid his right hand on me, john said and said do not be afraid, I'm the first and the last.

Listen, jesus is in your homeboy.

He's not the big guy in the sky, he's the Lord, god Almighty.

And when you and I meet him, we fall at his feet.

What do those accounts have in common?

Whenever we see God clearly, we start to see ourselves accurately.

Have you been at that point in your own life with Jesus?

Have you had an encounter with Jesus when you saw him for who he is and yourself as who you are?

Here's my question for you today, and we'll close.

Is there anything you're resisting that you sense God calling you into?

You sense the pull and the push, but you have not now, not yet not ready, or this is ridiculous.

You'll never see the miraculous if you're not ready to embrace the ridiculous sometimes.

Maybe it's a relationship with him, maybe it's a step of faith he's calling you to, maybe it's to answer a call on your life.

See, jesus moved Peter away from being in control of his life to surrendering to Christ.

From self-condemnation I'm a sinful man, to confession, you are Lord.

And from the rational, hey Jesus, I don't understand this.

I need to understand it.

I've got a planet.

This makes no sense.

He moved him from that to the miraculous.

Can you imagine meeting Peter a year later?

How did you, how did you and Jesus cross paths?

Oh, you got a few minutes.

I can't, you know, believe this story.

And Peter went the rest of his life saying I never expected him to do that.

And what's the ultimate response?

Not only of him but some of the other guys who became disciples.

They left everything and followed him.

It all hinges on those six monosyllables, for you, for me and for Simon.

I will do as you say.

Can you say that to him?

I will do as you say.

I hope so.

If not, get before him, telling him that Maybe it's for the first time, or maybe it's in an area of your life where you've been, you know, having some eccentric viewing.

It's been foggy.

Let him lift the fog today.

Let him clear up your vision.

Tell him I will do as you say.

You'll never regret it.

Let's pray, lord Jesus, just me personally.

I'll say it.

I will do as you say, and I'm sure many, many, many others we're saying that to you right now.

Lord, I'll do as you say.

Thank you for the authenticity of this story, the realness that we sense in Simon's own life because we see it in ours.

So, thank you for the way that you work in us, taking us to things that this doesn't make sense.

Well, don't worry about it.

I got something great planned for you.

And this is the same man that you looked to a couple years later said upon your testimony of faith, I'm going to build my church Incredible.

So, lord, use us.

May we all be at a position, at a spot, at a place where we say I will do as you say.

Through Christ we pray.

God's people said Amen.