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At Your Word I Will - Luke 5:5
At Your Word I Will - Luke 5:5
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:5
Jesus is Lord. Disciples are servants. As servants, we are called to obedience. Obedience is NOT a ‘dirty word’, rather, it is the very heart of discipleship. Many people, unfortunately, have a wrong concept of all of this. As long as they understand and agree with the teaching of Jesus, they will obey, BUT, when something doesn’t ‘make sense’ and they don’t agree, they refuse to obey.
Note here the dilemma Peter faced. What the Lord asked of him did NOT make sense. Jesus was NOT a fisherman, Peter was. Peter made his living by knowing when and where to fish. Yet, here is Jesus telling him how to fish.
If we obey ONLY when we agree with the teaching, we are not ‘obeying’ but doing OUR will. It matters not what the teaching of Jesus is, He is Lord or not! In fact, it was Jesus who said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? (Luke 6:46).
Peter didn’t always live up to this standard! After confessing that Jesus is the Christ of God, Jesus explained what the plan was: I will be delivered, killed, and rise again the third day (cp. Luke 9:19-22). I don’t know exactly what aspect of that didn’t sit well with Peter, but Peter disagreed with at least part of this. What then? Did he submit quietly saying “at your word I will…”? NO! Rather, Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” (Matt. 16:22). Rebuke the Lord? Correct Jesus?
It is precisely when we disagree with Jesus that we find our discipleship tested. Is this teaching politically incorrect? Will obeying this teaching bring me into physical danger? Will submission cost me money? Does this offend my sense of fairness? Jesus is Lord.
Let us learn to say “at your word I will…” – and then do.
Hugh DeLong
