The Emptiness of Outrage and the Possibilities of Humility

One summer, our pool filter stopped working.

I tend to notice these things pretty quickly. I’m a detail person to begin with, and the pool is something I take care of. If something isn’t right with our pool, I spot the issue within a day or two. My wife on the other hand doesn’t really care about the pool. She would probably take note of a problem within a month or two.

I checked the system. The pump wasn’t working. Dead. Couldn’t get it to come on. It was a new electronic control panel that had gone blank. I instantly feared we had blown it up somehow. While I hoped it was still under warranty, the dollar signs were flashing before my eyes. Fearing the worst, I called the company that installed the pump and scheduled a service call.

That evening I explained it to my wife. She listened. Kindly, she added, “I guess you checked the circuit breaker.” I made a grimace to signal what a dumb thought that was. I was the one who knew that pool system. What gave her the gall to make such a suggestion? But as I grimaced outwardly, a chill went down my spine inwardly. I hadn’t checked the breaker.

All that evening, I acted chill. The next morning, after she went to work, I checked the breaker. I flipped it off and on. It was a little loose so I gave a it a hard reset. When I sheepishly scooted over to check the pump, a miracle had happened. The power was on. It was cured! But I had to eat crow with my wife for several days.

When people get embarrassed, they often get angry. Outrage is an extension of humiliation. What if, instead of responding with outrage, we learned to respond with humility, as in the case of Simon Peter?

In Luke 5:1-11, Jesus gets into Simon Peter’s business. Jesus says, “Let’s go out to sea and cast the nets.” Simon Peter is a professional fisherman. Not a hobbyist. This is what he does for a living. He knows when the fish can be caught and when they can’t.

Let’s also recall that Jesus is not a fisherman. He may know some casual things about the fishing industry, but this isn’t his area at all.

Jesus is basically asking Simon, who just fished all night and caught nothing, to try again. And to try in the middle of the day, when the fish don’t get caught. Jesus, who knows nothing about catching and selling fish for a living, suddenly wants to get involved in Simon’s business. And he starts out by telling Simon how to do his job. How would you feel at the nerve of this guy?

Simon protests but he respects Jesus. He respects him enough to do what he asks even when he knows it’s foolhardy. “Okay, boss. At your word, we will let down the nets” (5:5).

They cast the nets and catch so many fish that Simon is quickly overwhelmed. He signals to the other boat back on shore, belonging to his partners James and John, to come and help. The two boats are so overloaded with fish that they risk sinking.

Simon’s response demonstrates that this story is not about Jesus showing up Peter. It’s not about catching fish to sell on the shore to area villagers and fishmongers. He could have been embarrassed or angry, but he has eyes to see what happened. This is a real miracle.

Just as they have hauled up the nets, as their boats struggle to stay afloat, before they even try to head back to shore, with James and John looking on, Simon Peter falls on his knees before Jesus. “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (5:8). Not El Jefe like in verse 5. Now it’s Lord. Simon Peter’s eyes have been opened to the reality that Jesus is something or someone greater than he had imagined. Jesus wasn’t clever about fishing. He didn’t have eagle eyes to spot some hidden school of fish. Jesus is Lord. He has just wrought an astonishing miracle.

Simon understands one other thing. He is not worthy to be around someone like Jesus. He may not fully grasp who Jesus is, but he knows full well who he is. He is an undeserving, sinful person. “Go away, Lord.” There is no denying that Simon Peter is a sinner. He’s just trying to make a living. He’s an imperfect person trying to survive.

Jesus has done this because he has new work for Simon Peter. He wants Simon to catch people alive because Jesus wants them to know the amazing goodness of God. Simon Peter is to join this kingdom work.

If we know anything about Jesus, it’s that Jesus doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. Jesus didn’t come to find the goody-two-shoes and call that the church. God didn’t send Jesus to save the saved or heal the well or grant mercy to people who don’t think they need it. He came to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Simon’s worthiness is not an issue. It continues to be a non-issue. Even when Peter denies Jesus three times, he tells Peter, “Once you have repented, strengthen your brothers and sisters.” In other words, it doesn’t matter if you aren’t worthy. Use your forgiveness to bring forgiveness to others. Use your brokenness to redeem the brokenness in others.

We live in a strange day and place where some people want to be angry over their perceived slights and grievances. Let me say this very plainly. This is not the way of Jesus. Nor is this the way of the followers of Jesus.

In Simon Peter, we see the humble stance of a Jesus follower. “Who me? No way, Lord. Not me. I’m a sinner.” He falls on his knees and begs, “Go away from this sinner.” When is the last time you fell on your knees and confessed your sinfulness to the Lord? Instead of demanding what you think you deserve, how about confessing what you don’t deserve? Namely, you don’t deserve the calling of being Jesus’s disciple.

But that’s not where this story ends. And it’s not where your story ends. Jesus says, “I want you to help me catch more people alive.” Who have you caught alive for Jesus? Outrage over so-called rights doesn’t catch people alive. Obsessing over politics doesn’t catch people alive. Too many Christians today are trying to be like traditional fishermen, more obsessed with killing than with catching people alive. Jesus wants the power of God to flow through you, reaching out to sinful, broken, unworthy people, catching them alive so that God can make them whole.

Do you know what Simon, James, and John do at this point? They take their boats back to shore. And then, well, then they leave everything. They leave their livelihood, they leave their fishing equipment, and they leave boats, full of fish. They follow Jesus.