Be like fisherman!

Matthew 4:18-22 

Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. 19 Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." 20 They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed. 21 A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee's sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them, 22 and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father.

Food for thought!

It is interesting to note what kind of men Jesus called. They were not men of great scholarship, or influence, or wealth, or social background. They were not poor, they were simple working people with no great background, and certainly, anyone would have said, with no great future.

It was the ordinary men whom Jesus chose. What Jesus needs is ordinary folk who will give him themselves. He can do anything with people like that. Further these men were fishermen. Why did Jesus choose fishermen. 

(i) A fisherman has patience. He must learn to wait patiently until the fish will take the bait. If he is restless and quick to move he will never make a fisherman. The good fisher of men will have need of patience. We must learn to wait.

(ii) A fisherman has perseverance. He must learn never to be discouraged, but always to try again; he must not be discouraged when nothing seems to happen. He must always be ready to try again.

(iii) A fisherman has courage. He must be ready to risk and to face the fury of the sea and of the gale. Whatever you do in life, you need courage. Whatever course you decide on, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs.

(iv) A fisherman must have an eye for the right moment. The wise fisherman knows well that there are times when it is hopeless to fish. He knows when to cast and when not to cast. The good fisherman chooses his moment. 

(v) He must fit the bait to the fish. One fish will rise to one bait and another to another. Paul said that he became all things to all men if by any chance he might win some. The wise fisherman knows that the same approach will not win all men. He may even have to know and recognize his own limitations. He may have to discover that there are certain spheres in which he himself can work. and others in which he cannot.

(v) The wise fisherman must keep himself out of sight. If he obtrudes his own presence, even his own shadow, the fish will certainly not bite. His aim is to fix men's eyes, not on himself, but on that figure beyond.