Jesus Revealed Himself to Frustrated Fishermen

What Did Jesus Do

Simon Peter said, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.”
…but that night they caught nothing.
John 21.3

Despite the plethora of shows on cable television that let you in on all the sure-fire ways to haul in bodacious bass, bounteous bluefish, cartfuls of catfish, mountains of mackerel, and tons of trout, fishing is not a science. Put two people in the exact same spot, at the exact same time, with the exact same tackle, and the exact same bait, and you’ll have one haul in a beauty while the other angler gets skunked. I don’t care how much the people at Bass Pro Shops try to convince me that if I buy enough of the stuff they’d just love to sell me, that I’ll catch more fish than I ever dreamed of—fishing is 99.9% luck.

Heck, you don’t have to take my word for it, just ask Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James and John, and two other disciples to be named later, just how frustrating fishing can be. And those guys were professionals. I tell you, that boatload of frustrated fishermen were not expecting to haul in any fish after a fruitless night of casting their nets upon the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee). And they certainly could not have anticipated having a seafood breakfast with Jesus, but that’s just what happened when the risen Lord revealed himself to them.

Just how frustrated would the disciples have been? Well, let’s remember, they were men who, before Jesus called them, had made their living from fishing. This meant that angling was much more than an avocation for them. With the exception of the Sabbath, Peter and the others would have been out on the water every day, of every week, of every year, since they had been little more than boys, with nothing but a hoped for net full of fish standing between them and hunger, homelessness, and poverty. To come back empty-handed after a night of fishing wasn’t just frustrating, it was failure which, if prolonged, could have life-threatening consequences for them and all who depended on them for their material support and well-being.

The thing was, Jesus had called all the men in that boat to a new vocation. Having been fishermen all their lives, the Lord had called them to become fishers of men. The consequences of frustration and failure in their new calling can also be life and death for those who, whether they realize it or not, depend on Jesus and his Church for their spiritual support and eternal well-being. But, in contrast to the great amount of luck necessary for one to succeed at the business of catching fish, the disciples, and we, had better believe that Jesus has no intention of leaving anything to chance with the work he has called his disciples to undertake. Whenever anyone, like Peter, declares they are “going fishing,” it is important to note that such a declaration is no guarantee that any fish will actually be caught. But what about when Jesus sends disciples out to haul in men (and women and children) for his kingdom? Can the Lord’s work be frustrating? Yes. But, can the will of God be frustrated, can human “fish” escape once Jesus has determined to “catch” them? No, even if they do prove hard to catch for a time.

I am pretty confident that all of us who have sought to respond to Christ’s call to go “fishing” on his behalf can attest to fact that there are times when we feel frustrated in our efforts for his kingdom. We can sometimes spend days and nights, even weeks, casting our nets before people, so to speak, only to wind up like Peter and the others, catching nothing. And frustration can, and often does, set in. But we need to recall the first three verses of John 21, and have faith that Jesus is anxious to reveal himself to folks frustrated by what seems to be fruitless fishing. Because, when Jesus shows up, he shows out in ways that will surely change our “luck.” Not that luck has anything to do with catching “fish” for the kingdom. Next time you feel frustrated in you efforts at evangelism, remember that Jesus revealed himself to frustrated fishermen, and be on the lookout for what the Lord would show you about being a “fisher of men.”

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4