Breaking the Word

And they said to him, "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink."Jesus answered them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days." And he also told them a parable. "No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. (And) no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'"  (Lk5:33-39)

The disciples of Jesus are different and distinct from the disciples of others. Disciples were taught by their masters to practice certain traditions and say their prayers. Each group had its own prayers and moments of prayers. Each group also had its own religious practices particularly the practice of fasting. Because fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are the religious practices.

The disciples of Jesus were, instead, eating and drinking. This could not fall into religious pious activities. Eating and drinking were considered to be civil (social) practices and not religious. The argument was that the disciples of Jesus were not religious in their life of practices. Could we say that Jesus was not founding a religious rather he came to inaugurate the kingdom.

They days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from among them then they will begin to fast. As long as Jesus with them then there is the kingdom. When Jesus disappears from them then there is the religion and the religious practices along with it. Jesus presence is the newness. This newness cannot be merged with the old and the old practices. It is the presence of Jesus that makes the difference.

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. (Lk 5:1-11)

Peter was one of the on-lookers at the first instant. Peter had finishes washing the net and he was getting ready to go home, probably. Peter would have wondered why such a crowd was there at the sea shore. Jesus asked Peter to put out the boat a short distance from the shore. Peter did as he was asked and waited for everything to be over before leaving. For Peter it was a day wasted, because he had not caught any fish that day and now he has to wait for Jesus to finish his speech and he himself was a passive listener.

Peter was challenged by Jesus to put the boat into the deep waters to catch fish. Peter knew that it was going to be a waste of time again. He recorded his reluctance however he was ready to oblige. Peter was wonder struck at the catch. He could not believe his eyes. The Israelites always believed that God had ways which man could not comprehend. (In the case of Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac or Moses feeding the people in the wilderness etc)   

Peter realized his nothingness. He realized his uselessness. He summed up his feeling in the words: "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man". It is at this time that Jesus upholds Peter. Jesus asked him to continue his life but with a different goal in life. Peter wanted to enter into himself and be lost by himself. Jesus threw him back into the people.