A whale could ruin your day

Last night I was sharing with a group of friends the strategy that Jesus used when he met a young businessman. The man was rough around the edges, an outdoor kind of guy, running a blue collar business. He had dirt under his finger nails and smelled of fish and nets and boat. No one got points for hanging around his business. There was no, “I had lunch with the mayor”-factor in meeting with him. Yet Jesus got into his boat. After I shared the story I saw the photo of the whale and the sailboat… and it got me thinking.

For a while Jesus did nothing directly related to the fisherman’s business. He didn’t evaluate his fishing practices to see if they were dolphin free. He didn’t review his books and look at his daily yield. He didn’t give advice on time to market. He was just there.

Then he turned to Simon and said, “Let’s go fishing!” and Simon said to him, “We already tried fishing… and they ain’t biting.” Actually, Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” The rest is history: they caught so many fish that the nets began to break.

It sounds like a cool story, but what happens next is surprising. If you were Simon, wouldn’t you say, “Hey… that was pretty cool. Can you join us tomorrow? You can use our boat for your preaching thing if you get us the miracle catch again.” Simon realizes that something bigger has happened. He doesn’t just have fish in his boat, he is like the South African yachtsmen in this photo that had a whale in their boat. Jesus is not just pulling a party trick, he is demonstrating his authority over nature, and over their business. Their response makes sense.

“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

I find many business owners are the same. They would rather have business as usual than have a new authority in the corporation, a greater force that breaks the rules and causes them to think differently. In a word, they are as scared as these ancient fishermen. Jesus does something amazing: he stars with their present understanding of their work–fishing for fish–and he takes it to a new level.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”

In effect he said, “You already know how to catch things; they happen to be fish. Now I will show you have to catch men. Same job, different customer.” The next part of the story scares today’s businessperson because they draw the wrong conclusion.

So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

The conclusion drawn is that if I open my business to Jesus he will tell me to sell it, pack it up, give it away… “leave everything.” If you read elsewhere, they left the business with their dad and some hired hands. The business did not fold up. Perhaps dad sent them a dividend check every now and then, or some dried fish. Usually Jesus takes our existing business and gives it a bigger purpose. If we get so scared about having a whale in our boat, where is that fear coming from?

What do you want to do with the rest of your life: catch sardines, or have a whale in your boat? Do you want boredom, or a story to tell? Do you occasionally want a little help from Jesus in your business, or do you want to get your business into his business?