In the Bible, in Luke chapter 5, verses 1 to 11, ordinary fishermen were having a normal day when everything changed.
Everything certainly changed for all of us while we were at school one day!
Caleb T. went to high school with me. We weren't really mates, but we were sort of friends. That was a normal relationship back then.
He was certainly one of the many who were involved in sports, just like we all were. There was everything there, from swimming to tennis to football to hockey; you name it, our school was fanatical about urging all of us pupils to get into a sport of any sort.
Caleb T. was into soccer and swimming, and that's probably where he and I met most of all; in the pool. He was a great guy, and we got along ok. Probably not the very best of friends, but we were in a sort of boyish friendship.
We were in Year 9 at the time, maybe around 15 to 16 years old, and it was a co-ed school, just like it is today. Back then it was a tad different in that most girls went to an all-girls high school, and the boys went to an all-boys school. But Cook's Hill High School was unique in lots of ways. It was a co-ed school, and a lot of boys had girlfriends, holding hands at lunchtime and spending time together when they could.
Caleb and Eva were certainly good friends; they spent most of their lunchtimes together and also sat together in the classes that they shared - not that there were many, but they obviously enjoyed those odd lessons.
Jesus was the same with the guys he met who he decided would be his disciples. They were certainly different to him, but Jesus knew just what the future held for them all. He called them to follow him, and he taught them lots of things. He was their friend and teacher, Leader and cohort. Like Caleb and Eva, he was close friends with them, and he also was their teacher.
Jesus was a miracle worker, and on the day he met his disciples for the first time, he performed a miracle: the guys had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. They saw this Jesus person on the beach, and they had a whinge to him about no fish - Jesus told them to put their net down in the deep water, and you will catch fish. So they did, and they certainly did catch fish. Now that was a miracle.
Caleb T. and Eva were at school, enjoying what they could but really enjoying each other's company. Then the Newcastle Show came around. A very special time of the year for us Novocastrians. Caleb got into his good clothes and so did Eva, and he called around to her home and picked her up and together went to the showground.
All seemed well until they came to go home, and Caleb started to walk Eva home to her house. They walked along, and then the conversation took a turn for the worse for Caleb. Eva started to tell him that she was feeling like they should break up. Caleb was astonished! He asked her why, and she apparently told him that her leaving certificate was on the way next year and she felt they needed to concentrate on that rather than on each other.
The fishermen in the Bible passage that we read earlier were astonished at what Jesus did. They were totally amazed and couldn't quite work out what he did and what he meant. But what they did do was what Jesus told them to do, and they went out into the deep water, put down their nets, and caught so many fish they could have sunk their boat.
He dropped her at her house and stumbled home to his place. He was so distraught and so hurt; he couldn't cope at all with what she had just said.
Caleb went into his parents' garage, organised to commit suicide, and he did just that. So sad, really! We were all so shocked on the following Monday when we were all told at a school assembly about what Caleb had done, and we all noticed as well that Eva was not there, and she never ever did come back to the school. How terribly sad.
Why did that happen? Caleb was so distraught that night; he really felt his life was over. You know, when things like that happen, we must keep in mind exactly what Jesus said when the new disciples said to him that he should leave them because we are sinful men, and we don't deserve your help, love, and promises.
If Caleb T. had thought just a little longer, gone to bed that night, maybe even cried his eyes out, he might have reconsidered what he did that night. But after what had happened, he really felt he had no other options.
Yes, just like Peter said to Jesus, we are all sinful people, and none of us really should come to him at all. None of us deserve to come to Jesus Christ and ask his forgiveness, but that is exactly what Jesus said and what he meant when he said to them, " Do not be afraid; come and follow me".
When we follow Jesus, we can be sure that everything Jesus said in the Bible, all the stories that he told, and all the miracles he did just reinforce exactly why Jesus was here on earth. He was here to bring us to a knowledge and love for him. His eternal life was there right from the beginning.
He paid for our sins, and he rose again after his crucifixion and is in heaven preparing a place for those of us who decide to give our lives over to him.
If we decide that we have absolutely nothing to do with God at all, then we will have to pay the price when our life is over. There is a heaven waiting for us if we give our lives to God, but there is also a hell. Where are you in all of this? Have you even considered who Jesus is and why he came to earth at all?
Our lives here on earth can often be so exhausting and so sad, but giving our lives over to God and asking him to lead us and always putting him first in everything changes how we look at life. It puts everything into perspective, knowing that God is there with us and relying totally on him. I still feel sad about my school friend Caleb T. and his family.
Give your life over to God by placing him first in everything you do. Of course, life will still bring its problems and insecurities, but God will always be there for us. It's truly amazing knowing he is right with you in every single thing you do and every single place you go.
God's richest blessings to you, and I hope to see you next time.
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