When the Disciples Skunked

by Tad Lindley

They had fished all night, and they had caught nothing. They skunked. They were probably thinking, “Man, I could have stayed home and slept, but now the sun is rising and I have wasted an entire night fishing!”

Low boat

They rowed up to the beach and were cleaning their nets, talking with other fishermen about how many they caught. Our modern nets are made with nylon, and they do not need as much care as the old nets did. Every time they fished back then, they had to wash their nets, mend them, and dry them. This is what they were doing when a huge crowd came down to the seashore. Simon (who later became Peter) saw a man separate from the crowd and get into his boat.

A stranger got in his boat!

Peter walked over to his boat, and the man told him to grab his net and row out from the shore. It turned out that the stranger was Jesus and he was simply looking for a microphone to preach with. Finding none, he preached from the boat, to the crowd on the beach which is even better than a microphone, because sound carries so well over calm water. Put yourself in Peter’s position, he has fished for 12 hours, and was almost done with his nets and ready to sleep. Then Jesus shows up, charters Peter’s boat, and starts preaching.

I’ll tell you why that’s a dumb idea

When Jesus got done preaching, instead of telling Peter to go home and get some rest, he told Peter, Launch out into the deep and let your nets down for a catch. (The whole story is found in Luke 5:1-11). Peter didn’t want to be rude, but he did want to be able to say, “I told you so!” Therefore, he informed Jesus that he had just gotten done fishing all night and they had caught nothing. “Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net,” he tells Jesus.

Instant highliner

As soon as the net hit the water, it began to sink! And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net tore. And they beckoned unto their partners which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them, And they came and filled both the ships so that it began to sink. (5:6-7) Peter had just witnessed a miracle take place. He went from a failed fisherman to the top boat for that night!

The key to Peter’s miracle catch

I have underlined the key to Peter’s miracle catch in the following verse: And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. (Luke 5:5) The key to the miracle was, “nevertheless.” That word means: I do not believe that this is going to work, but I am setting my doubts aside and will do what you’re asking anyway. And because Peter was willing to obey Jesus, Jesus was able to work a miracle for Peter. How many of us have been so close to a miracle, but instead of saying, “Nevertheless,” we said, “NEVER!” Instead of obeying God, we refused him.

Are you skunking in life?

Perhaps you find yourself feeling like you are toiling away in life and not getting anywhere. You close your eyes at night, but there is no rest. You ask yourself, “Is this all there is to life?” You are tired of being a zero, and wonder if you should end it all. I am coming to you in the Delta Discovery right now to tell you that in order for a miracle to happen in your life, you must come up against situations over which you are powerless. And then you must obey God! And being made perfect, Jesus became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. (Hebrews 5:9) If you are getting skunked in life, you need to obey him.

Obey Acts 2:38

I remember coming up against the most difficult circumstances of my adult life and reaching out to God for help. I was reading, I was praying. I was trying to live right, but I was coming up empty. Can I be honest with you? I did not think that the Bible would work for me. Much in the same way that Peter did not think that setting the net one more time would produce any fish. Something had to break within me until I said, “I don’t think that I can be saved, nevertheless, according to the Bible, I will do what it says.” I obeyed Acts 2:38, I repented, I was baptized in Jesus’ name, and some months later I received the promise of the Holy Ghost. To be clear, it is Jesus that did the miracle, but without my obedience, it never would have happened. This is why the book of James clearly tells us, Faith without works is dead. (James 2:17)

If your life is empty, I urge you to search the scriptures and to obey the words of God in your life. Tell me all of your excuses for that not working, but then say, “Nevertheless,” and obey.

Reverend Tad Lindley is a minister at the United Pentecostal Church in Bethel, Alaska.

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