Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Sunday, February 3, 2013 Read – Luke 5:1-11 Careful readers of Luke’s gospel may have noticed that so far in Luke’s story Jesus has not called any followers. In Mark’s story, which Luke was using as his guide, the very first thing Jesus did was to call four disciples – Peter, Andrew, James and John (Mark 1:16-20). The story in Mark is remarkable because these four follow Jesus immediately even though Jesus has not done anything that would warrant becoming his disciple. Mark has done that partly to convey the message that Jesus is in control – people do not choose to become followers of Jesus, Jesus chooses them! We can’t help asking why Luke chose to tell the story in a different way. Why did he omit Mark’s wonderful story of the calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John? That story is never told in Luke’s gospel! Could it be that Luke was embarrassed that Jesus would have called disciples before he had done anything? Does the story sound so unrealistic that Luke abandons it? Likely this is not the reason for Luke’s omission. More likely is the fact that Luke had at his disposal another tidbit of tradition about a great catch of fish. Such a story shows up in the ending of John’s gospel, after the resurrection when Jesus meets his disciples again at the Sea of Galilee – disciples who have gone back to fishing in John’s story (John 21:1-14). Perhaps Matthew also knew a story of a great catch of fish although his parable is much shorter and has most of the images missing (Matthew 13:47-50). We need to remember that Luke has told us of others who have “handed on to us from the beginning the reports of eyewitnesses” (Luke 1:2). Perhaps Mark did not have this story at his disposal or maybe he chose to leave it out of his gospel. But this story is far too rich for Luke to leave behind – so he uses it in place of Mark’s briefer account. We can be thankful that Luke “saved” it and made it a part of his gospel. And the story has profound meaning and connection to the call of OT people to boot. This is not just a great story – it is a story that lifts the call of disciples to a new height. We need to recall the story of the call of Isaiah. In Isaiah 6 we hear the story of Isaiah entering the Temple and being greeted by the cherubim who sing of the Holy God. Isaiah is overwhelmed by the experience and cries out, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5). Here Peter encounters Jesus in the great catch of fish and he has a similar reaction – “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). The connection between Peter and Isaiah is too great to miss! In his own subtle way Luke has connected the first follower of Jesus with his favorite OT prophet! The results of the story are as amazing as they were in Mark – perhaps even more amazing. As readers we are left to imagine a boatload of “stinking fish” left to rot in the boats at the sea shore by fishermen who “left everything and followed him!” (Luke 5:11). And, by the way, James and John, the sons of Zebedee are part of the story just as they were in Mark – only Andrew is missing. We will notices as Luke’s gospel continues that, like Mark, these three – Peter, James, and John – will form an inner circle of the Twelve – perhaps that inner circle is already established in this tidbit of tradition that Peter uses. The call of these first disciples has interrupted Luke’s use of Mark’s story. Luke is ready now to return to Mark and continue the flow of that story.