February 6, Epiphany 5C (Luke 5:1–11)
The disciples focused on what they could control: the state of their nets.
A basketball hoop looms tall at the side of our driveway. It has seen many a game of horse played by my husband and sons. To win at horse—making as many shots as possible, thus avoiding spelling horse—requires not only skill but creativity. A player can compound the difficulty of a shot by calling “nothing but net,” which requires the ball to go through the hoop without touching the backboard or rim. When I read Jesus’ recruitment of the fishing disciples, my imagination is caught by nothing but net.
Up to this point in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus has been on his own, a solitary prophet in the Galilean countryside. He has launched a ministry of healing and preaching. Chapter 5 marks his moment to call disciples who will join his team.
Nets play a prominent role. The disciples are cleaning their nets (in Matthew and Mark they are mending them), Jesus asks them to put down their nets in deep water, Simon agrees as an act of faith, and the nets are filled to breaking.
