For They Were Fishermen

Matthew‬ ‭4:18-19‬

I have been a life long fisherman who from a small child has enjoyed the thrill of the catch. In all my years of fishing however I had never used a cast net, until recently. I have seen others use one to catch bait and small fish and it looked very rewarding, and somewhat simple. As I prepared to cast my net for the first time I realized how wrong I was in my assumptions.

I watched video after video to find out the best technique. After learning the basic principle of how to cast it I walked to the water's edge and confidently gathered my net in my hands, this was going to be great I thought to myself, imagining all the fish I was going to catch. I spun around and released the net just as I had watched in the videos, and as the net touched the water I realized that I needed more work. The net did not open as it spun to its final destination, and landed in a tangled mess that sunk with no hopes of catching any fish. I’m sure the fish were laughing at me as they peered up from their haven of safety.

“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.””‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:18-19‬

As believers we are called to be fishers of men. When Jesus came upon Peter and Andrew it says they were casting their net; for they were fisherman. Our efforts to bring the Gospel to those around us should be an expected behavior. We should be casting our nets in the waters that we find ourselves every day. When people see us they should find us doing the things that fishers of men do; casting our net.

How many opportunities do we pass up by simply not sharing the gospel to those we see every day? Those we interact with on a daily basis should know we are a Christian. They should be able to tell by our lifestyle that we are different, a fisherman. A lot of times they know we are a Christian but wonder what we are doing walking around with a cast net that we never use. We look the part but we don’t actually do the things fishermen do.

One thing I realized when casting my net was that no matter how well I threw it I had no control over what happened after it touched the water. The only thing I had control over was how well I threw it. God gives us the ability to witness and the talent to engage this world with the gospel, but it is God who gives the increase. Each one of us has a great gift from God that has the potential to radically impact the world around us. For some it may be preaching, for some, it may be feeding the homeless, for some it may be writing. Whatever it is that we are doing to reach people, we have to know that it is not our effort or talent alone that will reach those around us, we have to have God’s help.

Many years ago, before I was a Christian, there was a man who would always come by and visit me. He would bring me a plate of food from his church and tell me about Jesus. I took his food but I didn't want his Jesus. He didn't see my conversion, as it happened several years later, but it was his persistent acts of kindness that allowed my heart to become softer towards God. So don't get discouraged that in all your efforts you don't see results right away, just keep casting your net because you have no idea what God is doing under the water.