by Ramesh Richard

Reading the Bible in its original language as well as in my mother tongue significantly enhances its meaning. Reading in English is similar to watching black-and-white television. Tamil, my early vernacular, is filled with color. The Greek New Testament resembles the clarity of HDTV!

I was recently enlightened by Jesus’ outmaneuvering Peter in his own expertise of catching fish (Luke 5:1-11). After working all night, Peter catches nothing. Then Jesus commands Peter to lower the net on the other side of the boat.

Here the depth of the Greek spiced with a tinge of Tamil offers additional insight:

• Peter knew full well that fishing in the morning would be worse than a futile night of toil.
• He experienced a degree of honest doubt about the fishing competence of the carpenter-turned-religious-leader, but really didn’t want Jesus to fail.
• Peter was increasingly aware of the Lord’s total authority and was willing to trust Him in untested matters.

Consequently we read a mixture of faith and doubt in Peter’s phrase “but because you said so”(v. 5). “Because you said so!” Now there’s a pregnant phrase unpacking at least two tiers of Jesus’ authority:

• Jesus’ authority over natural reality: “In spite of my expertise in fishing and your apparent lack, I will at your word, let down the nets.” Later at the miraculous provision, Peter recognized his sin of unbelief (v. 8).
• Jesus’ authority over personal life: “In spite of my self-awareness and your apparent risks with me, I am willing, simply because you said so, to obey you.” Peter moves from confession of unbelief to   leaving everything and following Jesus into an unknown personal mission.

May I confess too? As part of my spiritual development, often doubting Christ’s expectations of me coupled with Christian leaders who rationalize self-seeking penchants with Bible verses, I sometimes fall into an error—the sin of unbelief.

I am so afraid of selfish presumption disguised as faith that I fall into the opposite transgression of disguising unbelief as wisdom.

The only way to break my proneness to these errors of presumption and unbelief is not to assume, manipulate, or obligate God in any way. When I sense God stirring in my heart to “catch men,” I must first pray through it, seek counsel from His Word and His people, take stock of costs and implications, and follow Him into the unknown of personal mission.

What is unspecified in English is implicit in Greek and explicit in Tamil. There was no delay in following Him. In my heart, I now subscribe to a “because He said so” philosophy of ministry that demands “everything immediately” as a fisher of men.

P.S. Since their unlikely morning catch was too great, Peter urgently motioned others nearby to help him reel them in … and both boats began to sink with success! Yes, I have unbelief in my soul, but in growing appreciation of our Lord’s history with me, I have motioned for many to join us in the catching of souls for eternity. As you will read in these periodical reports, the great catch overwhelms us. Thank you for being part of a human fishing success, sometimes at the risk of your own boat.