Fishing tips and stormy weather
When it comes to movies, I’m a huge fan. I enjoy going to the theaters to see the next latest and greatest flick. The atmosphere, work, and thought process that encompass movies catches my attention and makes it one of my favorite past times. The movies I appreciate most are the ones that develop a story and characters who although they find themselves in a fantastical or unrealistic situation (I mean its a movie afterall) react in such a way that is true to human nature. In other words, I could see myself doing the same thing IF I were there too.
When I read accounts in the Bible of past events I always seem to find my mind wondering, “How would this look on the big screen? or Who would I cast as this character?” Two such accounts that jump to mind are found in Luke 5 and Matthew 8. In Luke 5 we see Jesus finishing a sermon, asks Simon (Peter) to head back out onto the lake of Gennesaret and let down the nets another time to catch fish. Reluctantly, Peter does so and they end up having to get help from another boat because the nets had caught so many fish! In Matthew 8 we find Jesus is sleeping on a boat while traveling with the disciples and a storm kicks up. So much so, the other men fear for their lives and desperately wake up Jesus in panic exclaiming, “Save us Lord!” Jesus calms the storm with using only his words.
Now IF I were there in either situation, I’d be ecstatic. High fives and chest bumps all around. Picture the volleyball scene from Top Gun. But is that what happens? Interestingly in both of these accounts the men around Jesus aren’t so jovial. Hit play on the Blu Ray player and you’ll see that Peter falls to his knees after seeing all the fish caught saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” And after the storm is calmed, the disciples ask each other, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?”
Their reactions give us insight into how powerful and awesome Jesus really is. I know that sounds cliche to a lot of people out there and you may have heard that before regarding Jesus. In a moment when I would be celebrating, the men who experienced these two accounts were taken aback and awe struck. The reaction we read from the men on the boat in a form of a question even appears to have the connotation that they thought Jesus is “not from around here.” They seem to imply that Jesus may have had a lot more in common with E.T. than we think….okay that picture just cracks me up every time…
