Action!
A Christian is someone who stitches their own life story into the story of Jesus Christ.
Luke 5:8-9
When Simon Peter saw [the boats so full of fish], he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all who were with him were astounded at the catch of fish that they had taken…Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”
What was the sin here that Peter was so overcome with feeling about? I don’t think he’s sorry he didn’t believe in Jesus’ fish finding powers. I don’t think it’s that in meeting divinity he’s suddenly ashamed of his own humanity. I think he’s quoting Scripture.
Peter knows Isaiah’s vision of being pulled up to heaven and accosted by angels, and remembers that the next plot point was Isaiah being commissioned for work as a prophet. When Peter recognizes he’s in the presence of the Divine in a similar way, he identifies himself as a sinful man just as Isaiah did and begs Jesus to leave him alone, hoping he’ll make prophecy someone else’s job.
Jesus knows the quotation and shows it by responding in classic angel fashion with, “do not be afraid” … right before laying on Peter the commission he was dreading.
A Christian is someone who stitches their own life story into the story of Jesus Christ. Identify: where in that story are you right now? What happens next? How does it end? What is that story waiting on from you to move forward?
– Kate Davoli