Pastor Tom Johnson, January 22, 2012
Brothers Simon and Andrew and brothers James and John were all fishermen. It was a family business. They probably were not rich. But the fact that they had hired hands is an indication that they were doing very well. When Jesus calls them, he is asking them to do something that goes against good economics, tradition, and the bonds of family. It is a radical call to change vocations. Jesus calls them from fishing for fish to fishing for people. They left a generational family business to follow a poor teacher. They left the familiar water for an unknown path. They left the comfort and security of a good livelihood for the uncertainty of a homeless journey throughout Palestine.
“Follow me,” Jesus says. The best way to learn any trade is to follow a master. Up until this point, James and John have their father Zebedee. Zebedee likely has decades of experience and knowledge of the Sea of Galilee. He may have generations of knowledge if his father before him was a fisherman. The master takes them into unknown waters. They follow him to places where the master believes they’ll find fish. The fish are hidden and inaccessible under the water, but the master knows how to draw near his catch. The master leads them through many hours without a catch. Meanwhile, the master tells stories of adventures and danger. The master reminds them that patience and inactivity are all part of fishing. During a storm, the master shows calm and focus. The master models discipline in mending their nets—hours of preparation for the catch. Mending nets may seem boring and tedious but it is the fruit of faith that believes a catch is coming. The master fisherman helps navigate uncertain water and a hidden world beneath the sea. When they follow the master, they gain confidence and a wealth of knowledge. The master teaches and discloses his secrets. He is blessing and equipping them for success and a productive livelihood.
“Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” The ability and the privilege of catching people grows out of a relationship with the Master fisher, Jesus Christ. It is not just a matter of doing it but entering into family business with God the Father and his beloved Son. Fishing for people happens with the knowledge that we have not just found a lucky fishing hole or have lured people in by our own ingenuity and skill but do so by the power and working of the Holy Spirit. As Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Cor 3:6). Or, as a fisherman might say, “I mended the net, another dropped it, but the Lord brought in the fish.” Jesus is calling us to follow him. He is calling us to trust and accompany him on a journey that is transforming the world person by person. “Follow me,” he says, “and I will make you fish for people.” We can’t make people swim in our direction. Only the Holy Spirit can draw people into the net of his grace. He uses the Word that is cast out to win and gather people in. We are called to follow Jesus. And when we do so, we cannot help but fish for people. It is a natural outflow of our relationship with him.And so Jesus calls us to learn and be transformed by following him. Jesus is a master fisher of human beings. He invites us to follow him so that we can learn to fish for people as skillfully as those professional fishermen fished for fish. “Follow Me, and I will make you fish for people,” he says. Like fishing for fish, fishing for people is better caught than taught. It is much more exciting to follow the master in action than it is to read about it in a book. The stories, his living example, and our relationship with the Master make a far greater impression. Just as fishermen breathe in the air of the sea, so Jesus leads us to breathe in the air of discipleship and the life-breath of the Gospel into our nostrils. Just as fishermen gain confidence in the uncertainty of the waves of the sea, so Jesus builds our confidence in an uncertain world. Just as fishermen learn not to be discouraged by empty nets for hours at a time, so Jesus leads us through the quiet moments of unresponsiveness to the Gospel. Just fishermen gladly sweat and tug on their heavy nets at a large catch, so Jesus gives us the joy and excitement of gathering people into God’s family
God casts the net of his grace through us. He challenges us to cast it out as broadly as possible. He wants us to lure and win people by the positive and affirming message of God. He calls the sinful, the lost, and the broken and he reshapes and molds us to participants and agents of his grace. He wants to gather as many as possible. He wants us to lure people in by the good news of Jesus Christ who forgives, restores, and assures us of eternal life. He makes us winsome. He gives us an attractive message of hope. He calls us to trust and follow him. And he will do the rest. He makes us into fishers of people.
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