2008. 8. 31 Rev. Kim, Young Bong

John's Gospel 'Words of Life' (107)
"Life for Winning Souls"
John 21:1-14

1.

Are you familiar with this situation? You know, the one in which a person begins with a noble goal, but by forgetting that original goal, he becomes corrupted, full of disgrace and wickedness. An example would be a person who begins working for the welfare of the people with a desire to help the poor, but by forgetting that goal in the process, later uses those same poor people purely for profit. It’s also the same case whereby a missionary goes to a far away place that has been beyond the reach of the gospel, to save people’s souls, but end up forgetting his purpose, with the missionary work becoming a pretext for the acquisition of wealth.

In today’s reading in the gospel of John 21:1-14, we can see another case of forgetting one’s original goals and hopes. It is the story of Simon Peter.

Simon’s first meeting with Jesus is recounted in detail in the gospel of Luke, chapter 5. On that day, Simon, a veteran fisherman, had spent the whole night fishing without success, and with a bitter taste in his mouth, he returned to the beach. Squinting his eyes at the sunlight rising in the east, hungry and tired, he gathered his nets. He planned to go home, take a nap, and come out again in the afternoon.

Then, an unknown young man walked to the beach. After a while, a whole crowd gathered. The young man came to Simon and asked if he could ride his boat. When told that he could do so, the young man asked that the boat be taken a bit off the shore. Simon took the boat out so that it was barely out of reach of the crowd. And so the young man, using the boat as a stage, began to preach. In order to keep the boat steady, Simon held onto the rudder and listened. Without knowing, Simon also became entranced by the young man. Both in words and in the manner of preaching, the young man did not appear ordinary.

Following the sermon, the young man approached Simon. After looking steadily into Simon’s eyes, he said, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch” (Verse 4). As if he was under a spell, Simon felt carried by that young man’s words, and paddled the oars. On one hand, he thought, “What am I doing? Don’t I know that it is useless to throw the nets in deep water at this late hour?” Despite these thoughts, the hands that held the oars did not stop. He went into the deep water and threw the nets. After a while, he touched the nets without expectations. At that moment, Simon was completely surprised at what he felt in his hands. The whole night he had not seen one fish, but now the nets were so full that it was difficult to lift them.

This is how Simon Peter met Jesus. Having felt that God had sought him through that young man, Peter was afraid and said, “Lord, go away from me, for I am a sinful man!” (Verse 8). Then, that young man held Simon’s shoulders gently, looked deeply into his eyes and said, “Do not be afraid. From now, you will be a fisher of men” (Verse 11).

2.

From then on, for a period of about 3 years, Simon suffered and rejoiced together with Jesus, experiencing miracles and learning the words of truth. Among Jesus’ disciples, Simon proved to be the most promising. Jesus confided in him and as a symbol of that confidence, Jesus gives him the name that means, “Rock.” In Hebrew, it was “Cephas;” in Greek, it was “Peter.” Peter was called to be a ‘fisher of men;’ it appeared to be a good beginning to the holy task of saving souls.

However, in the presence of the High Priest Caiphas, that rock was shattered. Peter, who said that he did not fear even death if it is with Jesus, not only denied his own true identity but also cursed Jesus. Upon hearing the rooster crow far away, he ran away, wept bitterly and hid himself. Meanwhile, Jesus died alone on the cross. The path Peter started as he received the call to be a ‘fisher of men,’ ended in despair. He did not know what to do. The same was true for the other disciples.

On the third day following Jesus’ death, Mary, also a follower of Jesus, came to look for Peter with a preoccupied air, declaring that the body of Jesus had disappeared. Upon arriving at the burial site with John, Peter saw that the body of Jesus had indeed disappeared, just as Mary had told him. There, Peter fell into a deeper despair and returned to his hiding place. He feared those Jews who not only killed Jesus on the cross but also defamed His body, so he hid with the other disciples behind locked doors.

That evening, the resurrected Jesus appeared to Peter and the other disciples who were trembling in fear. After proving that He was the one who had died on the cross, Jesus gave the disciples peace, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the courage to share the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. After a week, Jesus appeared again to give them comfort, courage, and power. By then, we might have expected that Peter and the disciples would have regained their faith and composure.

However, our reading of John, chapter 21 demonstrates that these expectations are in vain. Peter, who met the resurrected Jesus twice and received the gift of the Holy Spirit, left Jerusalem and returned to his hometown of Galilee. Other disciples from Galilee also went with him. Having returned to his hometown, Peter said to his fellow disciples, “I am going fishing” (verse 3). Perhaps this sentence can also be translated, “I guess I will just go fishing.”

We can read Peter’s heart in his bitter words, “I guess I will just go fishing,” spoken in a dark and depressed mood, with an attitude of resignation, looking at the horizon with sad eyes. After having left Jesus, there appeared to be nothing to do but to fish for his livelihood. Having given up his dream of being a ‘fisher of men,’ he could see no other alternative than to return to his old life and to find satisfaction there.

3.

On the first night of going back to life as a fisherman, Simon and the disciples tried until the morning but catch nothing. Just because he was laid off from his work for three years it wouldn’t mean he had lost his skill as a fisherman completely; he wondered how this could be! At dawn, they came back to shore, eyes sunken and spirits crushed. The foreboding that life in the future was likely to be quite tough is eating into their hearts. They arrived at the shore, shivering, and paddling in the glum morning air.

As they were nearing the shore, there was a man standing alone at some distance. The mysterious man asked the fishermen in a loud voice, “Have you caught anything?” They answered, “No way. We tried in vain all night long.” Then, that man said something strange, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some (Verse 6).” At the man’s remark, the fishermen who were busy working hesitate for a moment, “Who is this person saying such thing?” Their pride as fishermen was slowly creeping up. Strangely, however, they found their hands already casting the net on the right side of the boat, as directed by the man, as if they were under certain spell.

After a while, the disciples were astounded to feel the weight of the net. A great multitude of fish was caught in the net. It was full of large fish, one hundred and fifty three. At that moment, Peter was reminded of what happened three years ago. Peter was struck with awe as Jesus embraced him and said, “Do not fear. I will make you a fisher of men.” The man standing at the shore was none other than the resurrected Jesus, the very man who called upon him to become a fisher of men three years ago. Peter plunged into the water right away and rushed to Jesus.

Through this incident, the resurrected Jesus called to Peter once more. One more time Jesus called to Peter, who would “just kill time fishing,” the Peter who thought, “I’m sick and tired of everything ? Kingdom of God, salvation, or the Gospel. I’m just so tired. If I can live from hand to mouth everyday, that’s enough.” Jesus beckoned Peter to encourage him once again to live with courage as a fisher of men, telling him that nothing has changed since three years ago, from when He appeared in the flesh until now, when He has resurrected and appears in a different form. Through this, Peter finally regained his forgotten vocation, his forgotten calling from Jesus, and the goal of his life.

4.

As we meditate on this story today, we should challenge ourselves with some serious questions. “What am I fishing in my life? What am I living to fish for? What have I caught in my life so far?” On a small scale, these questions can be about our jobs. But in a larger sense, these can be about our goals in life or the meaning of life.

Before he met Jesus, catching a lot of fish was Peter’s goal in life. He might have wanted to be called ‘the best among the fishers of Lake Galilee.’ Before he met Jesus, Matthew the tax collector set his goal in life as fishing money. He must have dreamed of soon being promoted to “chief tax collector,” with the recognition of the Roman authorities. Before he met Jesus, Paul lived to earn people’s recognition. He wanted to be recognized as the best when it comes to the knowledge of law and the passion for abiding by it.

How about us? What is our goal in life? Is it fishing money? Is it fishing success? Is it fame? Is it being recognized? Is it your children’s success? If it is none of these, are you just living, satisfied with making ends meet day after day, without any goal or mission - like Simon Peter who said, “I’m just going fishing”? Do you think it is enough if you can live your life as it is, without any major hardship? ‘The meaning of life,’ ‘vocation,’ or ‘goal,’ do all these words sound so alien to you?

Our situations must be different from person to person. Nevertheless, there is one thing in common in all of us. It’s the fact that Jesus wants to call upon all of us to become fishers of men. Fishing people means saving people. It means saving souls that are dying, separated from God, without knowing God. It is not us who save them. The Holy Spirit does the work. All we have to do is assist these dead souls so they can meet God through Jesus Christ. The meaning of ‘living as a fisher of men’ means living with such yearning that we want everyone we meet to know Jesus Christ and to meet God.

Listening to this, if any of you perhaps says, “No, it applies only to pastors or missionaries. How can lay people like us become fishers of men?” then you have a serious misconception. No, it doesn’t mean that. What He said, “I will make you fishers of men” does not mean “I will make you pastors” or “I will call upon you to be missionaries.” What He said means that He expects this from any of us who is a believer. He is not asking us to change our job, but our goal in life. He is asking us to have a greater goal in life.

Would there be anything else to make our lives more meaningful and rewarding, and to make us so grateful for being alive, as fishing people? Through what I do, someone who didn’t know God gets to know Him and grows in Him. The shadow of death is lifted from his face and the light of life is glowing now! How grateful and heartwarming it is to observe such a change! The ministry is difficult and overwhelming at times, but focusing on this, I can serve with happiness. Leading a cell group meeting or teaching at Sunday school can be hard at times, but we can devote ourselves, enduring everything because of the joy of fishing people. When observing such a change by sharing our faith and walking a spiritual walk with someone, we experience that our life, which seemed totally insignificant before, begins to have an eternal meaning.

5.

The reason Jesus calls us to save souls is above all to lead us to discover and live the life of true happiness and worth that is everlasting. Jesus calls us so that we can change the barren and empty life, the life that is still empty at the end of the day, just like Peter’s empty boat after a long night’s work, no matter how much money we make, how much we succeed in expanding our business, nor how much we seek pleasure spending money like water.

Fishing men is commonly called “evangelism”. It is called evangelism in the sense that the way of salvation is delivered. Many people think that evangelism is God’s command. This is in fact true. Missionary work is God’s command. However, it is not a command that is forced upon us. It is not a command to constrain or suppress us.

Rather, it is a command to provide us with the sense of worth and happiness. It is not an order that we are forced to follow, rather a command that we voluntarily do with joy and happiness. This is so because it is to convey the happiness, peace, and life that we have already obtained.

A true believer should not forget the call to save souls. If we already believe in Jesus Christ, have been presented with a new life within Him and have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and have become a new person, saving souls should be an exciting thing. It is not just a calling belonging to pastors or missionaries, but is a sacred calling for anyone that confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. It should be our desire, happiness, and pride to save as many souls as possible through our lives, our jobs, and everything we do in our everyday lives.

My statement that we should make saving souls our purpose in life does not mean that we should neglect our daily tasks and preach the gospel to everyone we meet. When opening up a new business, some say, “I would like to use this business for evangelism.”

Its intention is good, but if the owner neglects service to the customer and concentrates only on evangelizing, he or she is committing a huge mistake. Who would want to go to such a place?

If we would like to save souls through our business, we should first provide the best service possible. But, we should provide the best service not solely for the purpose of evangelism. We should prepare the best products and greet the customer with kindness and welcome, as if we are serving the Lord who is disguised as a customer.

Hence, even if the customer does not purchase anything, the customer should want to come back to the place and want to meet the owner. After that, we should go a step further. This means that we should start extending our interest to our customers’ souls.

A fisher of men meets another person with sincerity, becomes a true friend to him, and tries to read the other’s mind within the relationship. He gives prayerful attention in order to see the other’s soul. He seeks whether he could save anybody from death by delivering his faith. He carefully listens to the hidden cry camouflaged behind a dull facial expression.

He searches around to see whether anyone is sending a signal for help, struggling in the stream of death. When he meets such a person, he comes closer, offers his hand, shares a cup of tea, and shares the blessing that he has received. This is what it means to be a fisher of men.

6.

Last summer, elder Kim Jeonghwan, who attends the Manassas Campus, shared his faith during the summer retreat. He is a retired surgeon, and he shared how his attitude toward patients changed after he met Jesus. He had often performed surgery in the emergency clinic during nights, and most patients that came in then were gangsters, homeless people, or prostitutes. Because these people usually did not carry insurance, even when he worked through the night tolerating unspeakable situations, he was oftentimes not paid. Elder Kim said that, before he met Jesus, he couldn’t help feeling irritated while performing surgeries on such patients.

But when he accepted Jesus as Lord, he realized that this attitude was wrong. So, after repenting, he began to treat these patients with care and joy. Moreover, because he was saved, he came to sympathize and to have compassion on those that did not know Jesus, who lived as if throwing away their lives. He began to see not only their physical wounds, but also their souls. He became a friend to them, and counseled and later introduced them to the Jesus Christ that he believed in.

Elder Kim has many letters that he received from patients who were treated not only for their physical wounds but also their souls. I’d like to share one of these letters with you. This is a letter from Glenda, who was a prostitute that had come to the emergency room in the middle of night, after being stabbed.

Dear Dr. Kim, how are you? I still appreciate everything. Because I am a born-again Christian, I am just getting my life back together from emotional complications from the INCIDENT. I’ve been in and out of treatment centers. I wasn’t able before to go through this because I wasn’t in the RIGHT STATE of MIND. I haven’t forgotten about you. I’m recovering from a life on the street. The LORD is keeping me today even though I haven’t had an income since then. I will stop by to let you know how I’m doing. May God bless you!

If Elder Kim had evangelized while being negligent about treatment, he wouldn’t have gotten this result. Rather, he might have been sued. Elder Kim gave his best care in treating the patient, and became a friend to her. Elder Kim not only treated her physically, but also looked into her spirit. Through his medical profession Elder Kim did not try to fish money but rather souls. Because of this, Elder Kim saved many souls. That gave him a satisfaction and joy that could not be compared to that given through success as a physician.

7.

WDo not think that this is possible only for certain professions. This is not true. There are so many even among pastors that strive for other things rather than striving to fish souls. Do you know how many among those who are sent as missionaries run around to fish other things rather than people? There are so many doctors and lawyers who live hectic lives to fish money rather than souls. Those that live such lives may, at the end of their lives, exclaim: “How pitiful am I! I did not catch anything!”

What kind of job you have is not the issue. It is your attitude. We need to be a person truly caught by Jesus and live a true life within Him. When we experience this, we become eager for others to live the same way. Treating others with this eagerness, looking not only at their outside appearances but also their insides, and wanting to solve their inner problems, this will lead us to catch souls.

I am reminded of what Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians. Thinking of those who were given new lives through his service, dedication, and effort, Apostle Paul says, “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.” (Thessalonians1, 2:19-20)

How about us? What is our hope, our joy, the crown that we take pride in? Indeed, how much do we have that could be laid down in front of Jesus? There is nothing that could make our lives in this world more worthy that makes us blessed as we reach God’s kingdom, as a life of fishing souls. So, please don’t forget this calling. Let us always keep this holy calling in mind. And let us devote ourselves to save even one more person with the power given by Jesus. Jesus will be with us.

Lord, by calling Peter
You made him a fisher of men.
When he forgot his calling
You came again to revive this calling
Give us this same grace.
Let our lives,
Our jobs,
Our everything
Be used for fishing men
For this
Let us first become thoroughly held in Your hand.
Amen.