Jesus Fished

What Did Jesus Do?

Passing along the Sea of Galilee, Jesus said to them,
“Follow me...”
Mark 1.16-17

I watched a program the other evening about a “sportsman” who had call all kinds of fish, but never a Black Marlin. So, being wealthy, he headed out to sea off the Australian coast in his boat that cost more than my house and, this being television, the cameras naturally captured his landing of a record twelve-foot 735 pound Black Marlin. Amazing! Me, I'm not much of a fisherman. When I drop a line in the water I never had any idea what I might hook, though experience has shown that it is more like to be an old boot than a fish. The Bible records that Jesus would go trolling, or at times cast a net; although it was apostles and disciples, and lost sinners, that the Lord was after rather than Black Marlins and such. But there is no doubt, Jesus fished.

At times the Lord was searching for a very specific catch; His calling of Simon and Andrew, and of James and John, was not at all by accident. There would have been dozens of fishermen along the shore of Galilee, but Jesus, like that sportsman on television, knew what, or rather who, He was going after. The line He cast to “pick up” and land His first disciples wasn't anything fancy, just a compelling “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” and the four were “hooked” for good. Jesus fished.

It wasn't long after that when Jesus cast the same line before Levi, the tax collector—“Follow me”--and immediately apostle number four had been landed. Jesus fished, and He generally caught whoever He was after.

But, like any fisherman, Jesus knew the disappointment of “the big one that got away.” For instance, there was a rich young man who rose to the “bait” of the Kingdom. The Lord worked the man up to the “boat” and, after enjoining him to give away all he owned, for the young many had great possession, Jesus issued the familiar, “Follow me” Unfortunately, this time the “fish” wasn't landed, as the man shook off the Kingdom rather than give up his riches. (See Mark 10.17-22) He didn't always catch everyone, but, determined to haul in all He could, Jesus fished on.

There were occasions when the Lord employed a different technique, casting a wide net, so to speak, to haul in many at once. Take the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). A great crowd followed the Lord up on a mountain, and Jesus cast out a broad net made of many sayings and lessons about the Kingdom of God. And, like the apostles who had been hauled in by line (“Follow me”), the “net” of Christ's authoritative teaching carried the crowd. (Mathew 7.28-29) Jesus fished.

Now, as the Lord said to His first disciples, His desire is for us all to “go and fish for men.” We're not supposed to spend a fortune on landing record Marlins, but we are to commit our talent, our time, and our treasure to bringing others into the Kingdom. Like the Lord, sometimes we may have a particular person, a family member, friend, or perhaps a coworker or neighbor, who we want to go after. Ultimately, we look for the opportunity to use the line, “Follow Him,” even as Jesus once called to each of us, “Follow me.”

Other times our fishing might involve casting a broader net, when we share our testimony with a group, or perhaps speak or preach at a larger gathering. What matters is that, like Jesus, we speak as one with authority, with first-hand knowledge and experience of the glory of the Kingdom and the love of the Father. Will we land every “fish” in the sea, no. But if you are going to land any, you have to keep fishing. That's what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4