Just Fishin'

“I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus was speaking to some of the men who would become His disciples. This was an apt analogy for them because they were, at the time, fishermen. So they understood the concept, though I’m sure it was odd to them to think of fishing for men. What might they have made of Jesus’ statement?

Well, fishing was something they did every day. They spent the majority of their time doing it. They spent time in preparation – buying and mending nets, maintaining their boats, talking with their comrades about the latest techniques in catching fish. So these men probably understood that Jesus was calling them to a full-time position.

Fishing was second nature to these guys. They’d been at it for their whole lives, in all likelihood. We know John and James for certain were sons of a fisherman. But I wouldn’t be surprised to learn the others were either sons or nephews of fishermen. Or they’d been apprenticed to a fisherman when they were quite young. They’d been fishing all their lives and almost certainly figured they’d be fishing for the rest of their lives. So fishing for men undoubtedly sounded to them like a life-long commission.

These men fished to live. They certainly ate some of the fish they caught, but it was more than that. Fishing was how they made their living. They sold their catches, earning money to purchase supplies and to support their families. Fishing was literally their life. So when Jesus called them to fish for men, they most likely understood that this would become their livelihood – this would be what they did to live.

I wonder, is this how we understand Jesus’ call on our lives to fish for men? Or do we think of it the way most of us think of fishing for fish? A part-time hobby, something to do every now and again for fun, making an occasional nice addition to our diets, but certainly not what we need to do to live.

What do you think of Jesus using the analogy of fishing for evangelism? How’s your fishing been going lately? Share your thoughts by clicking the “comments” link below.