Simon, James, and John were business partners. Luke's Gospel tells us of an occasion when they had worked hard—all night, in fact—but human skill, talent, experience, and a strong work ethic had not been productive. Looking at this account in today's business terms, one might say that the fish were their product, the boats were the capital, the sea was the location, Simon was the management, the others were the staff. Theoretically, each of the elements for business success was in place, but the future disciples' business was failing. They had caught no fish. They had done the best they knew how to do, but there were no returns. Perhaps they were fighting depression, stress, and fatigue. What was needed? Retraining? A new product? Modernization? Layoffs? Shutdowns?
Christ Jesus, understanding the divine source and nature of true substance, came onto the scene, discerned the soon-to-be disciples' thought, and directed their action. The Bible tells us: "He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink." Luke 5:4-7.
It is interesting to note that even though the basic elements of the business remained the same —the management, the product, the staff, and the location—the business was a success when the enlightening, saving influence of Christ, Truth, which Jesus embodied, was brought to bear on the situation and effected a change of thought. The difference was seen when the businessmen were willing to put discouragement and human reasoning aside and follow Jesus' instruction to "launch out into the deep"—or in other words, to launch thought out. Out—away from commonly held, fragile, or shallow human reasoning into the pure depths of spiritual thinking. Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy states, "We must look deep into realism instead of accepting only the outward sense of things." Science and Health, p. 129. It is deep, spiritual thinking that is most needed to meet successfully the aggressive threats of financial restriction that would keep us from pursuing worthy aspirations and goals.
