Luke 5 NLT

I always will compare fishermen to Christians and the reason I say that is because of chapter five. Jesus meets Simon who owns the boat that Jesus decides to go on to preach to the group of people. “When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish’” (Verse 4). Simon was completely stunned with what Jesus just asked of him because the night before, Simon and his men caught nothing. Even with this tiny doubt in his mind, Simon still showed obedience towards Jesus and let the nets down anyways. “And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!” (Verse 6). Immediately after this occurrence, Simon fell to his knees and repented to Jesus. If I was in Simon’s shoes and did not catch any fish before, I would be doubtful about how much fish we would catch the second time too. What I get from this story is that what may seem like the impossible, is possible when Jesus is by your side. Simon could have let his doubt overwhelm him and have him turn away Jesus’ idea of letting down the nets, but he did not. Simon trusted in Jesus and when he did, look where it got him! “…Jesus replied to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!’” (Verse 10). I believe our purpose as Christians is to share the good news of Jesus. From reading verse 10, I believe Jesus was trying to say: now that they saw the miracles He did for them, they should tell others and “fish” for people to also see God’s grace! That is why I always compare fishermen to Christians.

Luke 6 NLT

So I have never talked about the Sabbath on here, but stay tuned for a blog post explaining in depth about what the Sabbath is for a Seventh-Day Adventist, and how the Sabbath is described in the Bible. I plan to post a blog about the Sabbath after this series I am currently doing for the Christmas season (what you are reading right now hehe). Anyways, chapter six mainly consists of the Sabbath and Jesus “breaking” the Sabbath day. Part of the Sabbath day is that it is a day of rest. So that means no working at all. The issue the Pharisees had, and where they tried to twist what Jesus was doing was they saw that Jesus wanted to heal a man with a deformed right hand. Because of the critics that were surrounding Jesus, He brought the man forward and stated: “Then Jesus said to His critics, ‘I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?’” (Verse 9). This passage is the main reason why the doctors that go to my church are still able to work on the Sabbath. Doctors save lives, and if the doctors in my church, or any other church(es) that worship the Sabbath day cannot work, then that can result in deaths that could have been possibly saved. The Sabbath is not a sad day, it is a joyous day. The Sabbath day consists of rest and spending time with the Lord. I always make it a point to thank the doctors in my church because what they do is a beautiful thing. They save lives! Just as Jesus did and still does.

Another passage in chapter six that I would like to point out would be “Love for Enemies”. Fun fact: I actually just finished a paper for my religion class about “Love for Enemies” and comparing it to the word “compassion”. When I was reading the passage, I noticed the last verse: “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate” (Verse 36). In my religion paper, I mentioned the phrase: “you should walk and talk like Jesus”. Jesus was known to be compassionate to everyone…even His enemies! Even the people who did Him wrong, He showed love and compassion for! So don’t you agree we should do the same? Believe me, I know it is hard to show compassion and love towards your enemies, but that is also where forgiveness comes into play. Think about this: you showing compassion and love to your enemies could help them see who Jesus really is and that could help change their hearts for the better. I am not saying you should become friends with them, but treat them with compassion and watch God’s grace be shown to them. I am sure with time of compassion, more people will see Jesus’ light shining off of you and that is one of the greatest ways to witness to others.

Amen.