Una Go Dey Catch People

Di whole night, di nets dey go down inside di dark water. Di whole night, dem dey come up empty. Now na morning, di fishermen don tire, and one teacher from Nazareth wan tell dem make dem try again.

Jesus dey stand for di shore of di Lake of Gennesaret, di lake wey most of us know as di Sea of Galilee. People dey press am from every side, all of dem want hear di word of God, and space no dey to stand. Two fishing boats dey for di beach, dem pull dem comot from di water. Di owners dey near there, dey wash dem nets after one night wey waste. Jesus enter one of di boats. Na one fisherman wey dem dey call Simon get am. Abeg, you fit push di boat small from di shore? Jesus ask. Simon do am. And Jesus sit down inside di boat, dey teach di crowd from di water.

When e finish to talk, Jesus turn to Simon. Push go di deep water, and let down una nets to catch fish. You fit imagine Simon face. Na im be di fisherman here. E know dis lake. E know say night na di time for fishing, and e just spend di whole night, e no catch anything. Master, e talk, we don work hard di whole night and we no catch anything. Then e stop small. But because you talk am, I go let down di nets.

Dem go out. Di nets go down. And almost immediately di water begin turn. Di nets begin heavy. Then e heavy pass. Fish, fish wey plenty pass anything wey dese men don ever see for one place, dey push enter di net until di ropes begin cut. Simon and im people shout and wave hand to dem partners for di other boat. Come help us! Di second boat come near, and together dem drag di fish enter di boats. Dem fill di two boats. Dem fill dem reach di level wey di boats sit low for water and begin sink.

And Simon, wey stand inside fish wey dey shine like silver reach im knee, suddenly no dey think about fish again. E fall down for Jesus knees. Comot from me, Lord, e talk. I be sinful man. E just see small of who dey sit for im boat, and fear catch am. Everybody wey dey with am dey surprise for di fish wey dem catch, and di same thing for im partners, James and John, di sons of Zebedee. But Jesus no go anywhere. E tell Simon, No fear. From now go, na people you go dey catch.

Dem row back to di shore, di boats heavy and slow. Dem drag dem up for di beach. And then dem do something wey nobody wey dey look go expect. Dem leave everything. Di boats. Di nets. Di biggest catch of dem life, wey dey lie down there for di sand. Dem leave everything, and dem follow Jesus.

We actually know how fishing boat for Galilee for dat time be. For nineteen eighty-six, when rain no fall for long time, di lake water go down, and two brothers from one farm settlement near di shore see di shape of one old wooden boat inside di mud. Archaeologists check am and talk say e reach di time of Jesus. E long like eight metres, almost twenty-seven feet, and dem build am and patch am with plenty different kinds of wood. Na di kind of work boat wey Simon and im partners fit row go out dat morning.

Una go dey catch people. You go find am for Luke chapter five, verse one to eleven. Simon don tire, and e sure say e know pass. But e talk say, because you talk am, I go do am. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Where Jesus dey ask you make you try again, just because e talk am?