Fishers of Men

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”.

Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 18-22 

Recently on a picnic by the lake, I observed two little boys, one about seven and the other about three. Their father was close by. All three of them were fishing. Dad had a nice rod and the boys both had children's rods. All of them were casting out into the lake and slowly reeling in their lines. Dad had a nice sideways cast and the boys’ casts mimicked dad's. The younger son usually cast only a few feet out but enthusiastically did so time after time. The older son kept trying to cast further out and of course dad cast out the furthest. Nobody was catching any fish when the smaller boy suddenly announced that he had a fish. Dad hurried over and lo and behold under a bunch of seaweed on the line there was a little fish. It was too small to keep so after holding the fish and touching it all over, the little boy threw it back. Over the next twenty minutes the smallest boy caught two more small fish which he returned reluctantly to the lake. The older boy and dad had switched over to using worms which were on the smaller boy's line. Finally it was time to go home for supper and they dragged their heels for about twenty minutes hoping to catch that last fish.

I was very impressed by the dad teaching his sons how to fish. He showed them how to stand on level rocks at the edge of the lake, how to cast further out, how to put lures or worms on the hook, how to take the fish off the hook, and how to hold the fish, identify it, and return it to the lake. Of course, a picture had to be taken of the fish. Dad remained patient and calm throughout this whole process and it was reflected in the boys patiently waiting to catch a fish. It was obvious the this was a precious time between dad and the sons.

I was reminded of the above Bible verse as well as the song "I Will Make You Fishers of Men" that I had learned at the Presbyterian Church Camp at Okoboji.  Jesus called the fishermen to make them fishers of men. He taught them patiently by using parables. He displayed his love for everyone - both Jews and Gentiles. He talked about God and the kingdom of heaven. He encouraged them to preach the gospel and take risks trying their new skills in healing and caring for others. Even though the disciples frequently did not get it, Jesus did not give up on them. This was a very precious time between Jesus and his followers.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the loving relationship you model between father and son. Thank you that we have the opportunity of sharing that love in our own families. Thank you for those who take the time to teach and learn from each other. Help us remember that Jesus loves us all and we should love one another. Remind us that we are to be fishers of men - sharing the gospel with those around us. Amen.

Nancy Hall