Deacon Tam Tran

SUBMISSION & OBEDIENCE

Luke 5:1-11

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.

Simon, also known as Peter, was a very experienced fisherman and he made a living in catching fish. He knew very well about the climate, the tide, the location especially where the fish should be, and the time… Yet, after a whole night of hard work, he caught nothing! Simon thought he would have to go through a night without any luck, but in the end, he caught a huge haul of fish. Interestingly, this success was not due to his experience at sea, but due to his willingness to say YES to Jesus – a young carpenter who knew nothing about fishing!

The biblical story clearly shows us that experience is an important key to success, but “say yes to the Lord” is even more important than experience. It can work miracles!

However, the big question that I have is when Peter “say yes to the Lord” did Peter “submit” to the Lord or he just simply “obey” the Lord and would that change the result of the night?

What is the difference between “submission” and “obedience”?

At first glance, the words submission and obedience might seem to be synonyms, but there is a difference between them, and especially as they are used in the Word of God. The actual word “submission” is not used in Scripture, but the word “submit” is used 12 times while the word “obey” the New American Standard Bible uses it 74 times. Both submission and obedience are important, for the words are not only used of mankind, but also are applied to our blessed Lord.

Obedience is about doing what someone in authority tells us to do. It’s an action—either doing something or not doing something—because it is required. Obedience can be done gladly or reluctantly.

Submission, however, is more about the heart than about outward actions. It is an attitude of being willing to accept and follow another’s will. Submission recognizes authority, but it also includes love and a spirit of readiness, not just duty. The difference may be small, but it is very important.

In Scripture, children are told to obey their parents, and servants are told to be obedient to their masters (Eph. 6:1,5). This is in order, for in each case those who are told to obey are under rule, and must do what they are told, even if in some cases the obedience is distasteful and difficult. On the other hand, wives are told to submit to their husbands, and brethren are exhorted to be in an attitude of submitting to one another (Eph. 5:21-22). We have the same expression in 1 Peter 5:5—“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility.”

In submission, we must be humble because humility means we must give up our own will. The late Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan in his book "The Road of Hope" wrote: "Submission is to die to one's own will." It is true. Submission is to die to one's own will. This experience is very true to the spirit of today's Gospel. Before Jesus' suggestion "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch," Saint Peter said yes, the word of acceptance to die to one's own will not be once but perhaps in his heart, he had to repeat it three times.

- The first time: ““Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” When Jesus gave this order, it is in the morning. Professional and past experience showed Saint Peter the water is as clear as a cat’s eye, allowing you to see the shells on the seabed. Therefore, the light makes it difficult for fish to hunt for foods and not to be seen, so the best time to fish is at night. But last night, he did not catch any fish, and now the Lord who knew nothing about fishing grounds and the tides told him to go fishing during the day. This was a really silly suggestion for Peter, but because he “yield to Jesus”. Peter gave up his own will and went fishing in the morning.

- The second time: Although Peter gave up his own will, he was hesitant. Hesitant because Peter had just gone through a hard night, his body was exhausted from struggling with the stormy waves. Hesitant because his stomach was hungry, his eyes were heavy from a sleepless night, he needed a nap to restore his energy. Hesitant because he had just suffered a humiliating defeat, suffered heavy losses, and had not caught a single fish all night. He no longer had the will to fight and no longer had the strength to fight with the oars. Now the Lord told him to go out into the deep water, which meant he had to work hard for a few more hours. But because he “surrender his will”, Peter put his own will aside, accepted the fatigue to go out into the sea once again.

- The third time: “At your word, I will cast the net on the right side of the boat.” Although,this detail is mentioned in the Gospel of John (John 21:6) which happened at different time, it can add to Peter’s frustration. When the Lord told Peter to cast the net on the right side of the boat, Peter must have said to himself that this idea is dangerous and makes no sense. He usually cast the net on the left side of the boat because his boat was arranged with the oarlock and oar on the right side. Casting the net on the right side would get in the way of the oarlock and oar, so it would be easy to tear the net. Yet the Lord kept telling him to cast the net on the right side of the boat, which was the opposite of the way Peter cast the net. Peter must have been very upset, but because he already “submit” to Jesus he was willing to do the conflicting of his own will.

In fact, Peter actually did not just simply “obey” but “submit” to Jesus three times. In terms of material things, the effect of Peter’s submission was two boats so full of fish that they were almost sinking, and had to signal other boats to come and help.

In terms of spirituality which is more important. Submission to God's word actually transformed Peter and he realized that Jesus is the almighty God, and that human nature is weak and unworthy, so he had to exclaim: "Lord, stay away from me, for I am a sinful man."

He also realized that Jesus knew everything he was thinking before he cast his net to catch fish. Therefore, he accepted his weak and lowly status and humbly knelt down and asked Jesus to stay away from him. Then Jesus took advantage of the opportunity and told Peter: "Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching men." Merely “obey” may give Peter the full load of fish but it was through “submission” to God's word that Peter was entrusted with the mission of becoming a fisher of men instead of a fisherman, becoming the helmsman, the captain of the great fishing boat of the Church. Obedience catches fish and submission makes fishers of men.

Submission is not just a Church teaching—it’s an extremely important virtue that touches our everyday lives. Families only stay strong when members listen to and care for one another. We are invited to live with that same spirit of submission. Let’s pray for all members of our family, that when God asks something of us—whether big or small—we may have the courage to say “yes” like Saint Peter. When we do, God’s will shine through us, bringing unity, peace, and abundant blessings into our lives.