This morning’s passage from Luke 5:1–11 reminds us that Jesus calls imperfect people to follow Him. Peter, overwhelmed by the miracle of the great catch of fish, falls at Jesus’ feet and confesses his sinfulness. But Jesus doesn’t turn him away—instead, He calls Peter to a new purpose: to fish for people. It’s a beautiful reminder that our flaws don’t disqualify us. Following Jesus may cost us something, but whatever we give up, He uses for His glory. Jesus just asks us to trust Him and take that step.

Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our

Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he’ll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God’s Word.

Click here if you’d like to join our GroupMe and receive this each morning at 7:00 a.m. CST.

Click on the image above or this link to watch today’s video.

You can read today’s passage here.

You can podcast this reflection here. You can subscribe through Spotify or Apple Podcasts as well.

Or, if you’d like to read the transcript of the video, keep reading!

Good morning. It’s good to be with you today as we continue in our time in Luke’s Gospel. Just a reminder—it’s Wednesday. We’ll have Rooted today, tomorrow, and Friday. Then we’ll take a break next week, as I’ll be out of town preaching at a camp meeting in Oxford. I imagine there will be Internet access, but I don’t know how reliable it will be, and I’m unsure what my schedule will look like. I may try to send one or two messages out, but more likely than not, there won’t be Rooted next week.

Looking ahead, barring trips to Hattiesburg to see my daughter or to Cleveland to visit my son at Delta State, I don’t anticipate being away from Madison much the rest of the year. So we’ll be on a steady rhythm with Rooted going forward.

Today we’re reading the story of Jesus calling his first disciples in Luke. We’ll be looking at Luke 5:1–11:

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God. He saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”
When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

There’s a lot of richness in this story worth exploring. First, a small grammatical note: Luke refers to the Sea of Galilee as the “Lake of Gennesaret.” It’s the same body of water—just a different name used interchangeably throughout the Gospels.

What stands out here is the insight we get into Peter’s life. Remember, Luke was not an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry. He carefully researched and compiled this account based on testimony from others. That’s why Luke’s Gospel often includes unique details not found in the other Gospels. It’s also why we read things like, “Mary treasured these things in her heart”—because Luke likely spoke directly to Mary or those who knew her well.

Here, we see a glimpse of Peter’s occupation and perhaps even his social status. Verse 2 mentions two boats. Jesus gets into the one belonging to Simon. Later, in verse 7, Simon signals his partners in the other boat to come help. Verse 10 tells us those partners were James and John, sons of Zebedee. All of this points to the fact that Peter likely operated a small fishing business. He had resources, partnerships, and responsibilities.

And yet, when Jesus calls him, Peter leaves all of that behind. That’s significant. He walks away from his livelihood, his business, and his partnerships. Following Jesus costs him something—and it’s not a small thing.

Following Jesus often does come with a cost. It often asks something hard of us. Sometimes, it may even include suffering. I was reflecting on that with our staff the other day. We were reading a passage where Paul talks about his suffering and how we should be encouraged by it. If we treat Jesus like a genie in the sky who grants wishes, we’re missing the point. The call to follow Jesus is not about ease or convenience—it’s about faithfulness. And faithfulness can be hard.

Peter’s reaction in verse 8 is striking. When he realizes who Jesus is, he falls at his knees and says, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” That moment reminds me of Isaiah’s call, when he says, “Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” In the presence of the holy, our own unworthiness becomes clear.

But Peter’s sinfulness doesn’t disqualify him. Jesus doesn’t say, “You’re right, you’re a mess—move along.” No. Jesus tells him, “Do not be afraid. From now on, you’ll be catching people.” In other words, yes, you’re imperfect. Yes, you’ve got baggage. But I’m still calling you.

That’s such a comfort. One of my favorite little sayings is: “When God called you, He took your stupidity into account.” God knew what He was getting into when He called you. He knew your weakness, your temper, your flaws—and He called you anyway. He isn’t surprised by your failures. He already factored those in.

If God only called the perfect, He wouldn’t call anyone. But He called Peter. He called James. He called John. And they followed Him—and changed the world.

This is a beautiful story of call and response, grace and sacrifice. It reminds us that we don’t have to be perfect to follow Jesus. But following Him might require that we give something up. And whatever we give, He’ll use it for His glory.

Tomorrow, we’ll continue in Luke chapter 5 and read about another one of Jesus’ miracles. Thanks for being with us today. See you in the morning. Have a great day.