The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 141

11wliuucc~, na,1 so ho hM to take to the Renshore, arnl I.here meet pop11larity a.s best he can. 'l'he pressure of the people is great, o.nd it is to hear the Word of God they h"ve come, A great Prophet, they feel, has risen up among them, and so they are eager to kuow what o.ro the lakst tidings from the Most High. There are two ships tluating nmr; they aro empty, for tho fishennen have returnecl after a fruitless ni;.:ht, and are washing their nets on shore. Into one of the ships he enters, which happens to be Simon's, and he sits down to teach the mighty multitude which rises tier upon tier above him on the land. We have thus prescntecl to us- I. THE GREAT FIBBER OF MEN, (Vera. 1-3.) For out of this boat he is really cnRting bis net to catch men. His word spoken is to draw souls into sympathy and service. 'l.'he art of preaching as thus exercised by Jesus Christ was the fisl,ing for meu. 'fhe miracle of subsequent success was to throw li:,;bt really upon this primary attitude of Jesus. Now, let us consider here: I. The substance qf (Jhrise's preaching. It was doubtless about the kingdom of God, about membership in it, and ab,,ut its prospects in the world. But we must remember besides that he could not, in the very nature of the case, preach the cross. Hence bis preaching was the purest moraUy backed np by a perfect life. So that once, at all events, the preaching of morality got a chance of being most favourably tested. 'l.'he success thereof we shall menrion presently. But Jesus could preach himself ae the Saviour of sinners. And this, indeed, is the sum and substance of all preaching. The people, however, did not understand the full meauing of his message at the time. 2. The success of Ohrisfs preaching. There was interest and excitement. But the result of that day's preaching seems to have been very like the night's fishing on the part of the disciples. Ah! this is what illustrates the wonderful consideration of the Saviour. Some one must prepare the way, some one must do the pioneer work. The Baptist preparrd the way for Jesus, and Jesus prepared the way for the disciples. It is at Pentecost, after t!io Crucifixion, when the full go8pel can Le proclaimed, that the real success begins. 'l'he miracle of the fisl,cs subsec1u, at to the preaching of the Master was the type of the order which the good L,nd has ordained. The "greater works" done by believing disciples are the spiritual miracles which began in such numbers at Pentecost, and which have been happening ever since (John xiv. 12). II. THE MIRACLE OF SUCCESS. (Vers. 4-7.) Our Lord, having reen accommodated in Simon's boat, procee,ls to show his gratitude for the ob!i~ation. II~ tells the fishermen to "launch out into thti deep, and let down your nets for a draught." Simon honestly owns that they have toiled all the night, and taken nothing; still, though appearances are against it, he will at Christ's word let down the net. No sooner has he done so than success comes so overpowering in character that the net breaks. The result is that they have to beckon for the second boat, and both boats are filled, so that they begin to sink. Here, then, is success "exceeding ahundantly above all they can ask or think" (Eph. iii. 20). This is to show them that success waits upon the word of Jesus. It is, of course, mere temporal success-success which in a few moments they are enabled to despise; yet it is success obeying Christ's word. We need not inquire into the nature of the miracle. It was most likely a miracle of lr:nowledge. There are great shoals of fish manifesting themselves in inland lakes just in the way derua11ded by the narrative.1 But Jesus, in giving the direction at the proper moment and secur- ing the draught at the time that the fish were within reach, showed his command of all the circumstances. So that, as Robertson thought, this miracle, more perhaps than all others, shows the personality of God in Christ Jesus. 1 The laws of nature hold on their way, but the Author of them can calculate to a nicety their work in~, and accommo- date himself or his people through their operation. He is King among his own arrange- ments, at home among his own laws. 'l'ho "hierarchy of laws," as they have been called, acknowledge him as High Priest. But we should further uotice how he arra11ges for the discii,les' success rather than for his own. As already intimated, his spiritual success was not great, considering the splendid powers he exercised. As Dersier some- whero remarks, no one ever had eo little proportional success as he. No wonder that Huch a pas~,1ge as Isa. xlix:. 4, "I hl\ve laboured in vain, I have spent my strength 1 Cf. 'l'ristram's 'Natural Historv. or the Dible,' p. 285; also GoJtJI, in loo. 1 'Tho lluwnn R,1oe, and otl.Hir Scri.llons,' p. 127, by Rev. F. W. Robertson.  134 TTIE GOSI'EL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [rn. V. J .....:../1!),