Fishing: Examining our call

By Justin Pruitt

Jesus calls us to be fishers of men, but what does that mean? I like being outdoors and I like fishing, but I’m not a fisherman.

“Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.”Mark 1: 16-20

The church has been helpful with people like me. I’ve heard many sermon illustrations about this passage that have attempted to clarify Jesus’ words here in relation to our personal evangelism. Most interpret Jesus to be saying that we, as His disciples, should grab a good fishing pole and a tackle box with all kinds of bait and then find our perfect spot on the bank of the river or pond to start casting our line to see if any unbeliever will take the bait.But, fish don’t bite often. So, when we find ourselves coming away empty handed and discouraged, we have classes about casting techniques. We have workshops designed to help us know what specific bait to use in different situations. Sometimes it’s not for lack of equipment or training that we don’t reel in a catch, it’s that we aren’t in the right spot at the right time. We just need to find a spot and keep casting because fishing is a sport of patience. So, I cast and wait. Cast. Wait. Cast. Wait. I’ll get a nibble every now and then, but I've only reeled in one or two fish in my lifetime. All in all, I’d say that makes me a pretty terrible fisherman. Jesus said that he would make me a fisher of men and I’m doing everything a fisherman does so shouldn't I be consistently reeling them in by now?Jesus’ view of fishing is different than mine. Simon, Andrew, James and John weren't using poles and tackle boxes. They weren't quietly sitting at their favorite spot on the river waiting for a nibble from a passing trout. They were in a boat on the sea throwing a net. When they weren't on the water they were hard at work repairing nets so that the family business could function. That’s the kind of fishing Jesus wants us to do.Jesus calling us is hard work. It takes many people. Nets are heavy. They need to be cleaned and repaired. It takes a boat to haul the net to sea. It takes knowledge of the sea to net the biggest return. Nets aren't designed to catch a solitary fish. They are designed to catch entire schools.At The Paradox, we want to see our city blanketed with the love of Jesus. We can only do this if we cast nets. Through our City Groups, God is graciously working to make us become fishers of men. In my City Group, Fairmount, we have been slowly becoming a family over the last couple of years. We spend lots of time discussing the work that Jesus has done on our behalf and how the implications of that work affect every aspect of our lives.Since most of us in the Fairmount City Group live in the neighborhood, we can more easily cast a net in Fairmount than in all of our individual workplaces. The net we throw in Fairmount is the community that God is forming in our City Group. In order to cast nets, instead of individual baited lines, we need to have cleaned and mended nets. Through the Spirit’s work, the Word is being formed in our minds to remind us of our standing in Christ. The Spirit binds us together in unity as brothers and sisters in Christ. As a community, we have been cleaned, mended, and woven together into a net that can draw in many broken, unclean and lonely people.Jesus has been slowly making us into fishers of men, and we are excited to be cast out on our neighborhood to pull in a catch greater than anything any of us could pull in on our own. We still need to keep our rod and reel handy for those times when we find ourselves alone at our fishing hole (read: at my office or classroom and a conversation allows me to share the good news of Jesus). As a community, we are most effective if we cast, clean and mend nets together.Are you a part of a Christian community? Do you feel defeated in your lack of evangelism and/or the lack of people believing around you? Think about how Jesus is making you and the others in your community into fishers of men. Ask Him to guide you to a place to cast your net together. Ask Him to mend you and clean you so that you will pull many others into the love and joy that your community knows in Jesus.Justin Pruitt wrote this in response to Pastor Jim Essian's second sermon in The Good King series.