Please Stay

Luke 5:6-8

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All right, we’re back. The amazing catch of fish. Jesus does something surprising. He takes Simon Peter in a boat out to the middle of the lake during the day after a night of fruitless fishing and says cast. And Simon does.

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. (Luke 5:6-7)

And then Peter does something that I think is surprising. Jesus just filled their boats so full of fish. It is just it’s money everywhere. This is their job. Their boats are completely full. You would think that he would jump up and down and say, thank you, Jesus. Yes. But that’s not his reaction, is it?

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8)

Or maybe that is an appropriate reaction from Peter. Appropriate because at that moment he realized once again he was in the presence of the Holy One. He was in the presence of God himself. And he got just a glimpse of His glory. And when he compared himself and his sinful life with God standing in the boat before him, he saw his unworthiness. He saw his sinfulness so clearly. And he fell on his knees and he said, You have to go away from me because a sinful person like me cannot stand in your presence. Go away from me, Jesus. It’s appropriate when we see our sin.

It is also a completely inappropriate thing for him to say to Jesus. The last thing that he should say, the last thing that we should say when we recognize our unworthiness is Jesus, I need you to go away.

No, I need you to draw near. I need you to be with me. Because I know that you are not the reject or of sinners, the punisher of sinners, but the friend of sinners, the one who uses almighty power not to banish or to hurt, but to rescue and to save. The one who cast his net into the depths of hell for you. Who pulled you up and rescued you to be his, to be his follower, to be his holy child, the one who calls you to be in his presence and be his forever. So we don’t need to say, go away from me, Jesus, but stay. Please stay.