Fishers of men… Fishers for people
Let’s take a short tip back to the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus called Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.
The first people that Jesus calls to follow and learn from him were in the business of catching and selling of fish.
The Gospel according to Mark tells us that Jesus saw them working and invited them into a life of discipleship with a play on words that described their new vocation in terms of their old one.
“I will make you fishers of men” (fishers for people)… is how he put it.
Like many good communicators, I sense that Jesus knew how to be both light hearted and profoundly serious at the same time.
The fishing metaphor worked for Simon and Andrew… as well as James and John on several levels:
<> It described a change of direction in their own lives, a pivoting away from their old work.
<> It picked up and built off an old image of God seeking out those who are estranged.
<> It introduced the idea that those who are called by God die to an old way of life in favor of life with God.
<> It hinted at the fact that life apart from God is lived in a chaotic abyss.
The fishermen would have gotten all of this intuitively… As, they were as deeply engaged in their vocation as fishermen.
Fishing was what they thought about and what they talked about.
It’s how they spent their days and why they sought sleep at night.
When Jesus calls them fishers of people, he’s building on their deep knowledge born out of years of experience.
I sense that we might also find similar insights for ourselves, if we take the time to study the Gospels and seek connections into their cultural context, but it won’t be intuitive for us.
We’ll have to imagine our way into the things that Simon and his fellows just knew.
But…
You know stuff too.
All of us fill our days with the activities of our various callings.
We are students and teachers, managers of projects and people, we are tradespeople and technicians, cooks and custodians.
We are writers and musicians and artists, scientists and mathematicians, programmers and web-designers.
We are fathers and mothers, sisters, brothers and friends.
Indeed…
We all spend time doing things…
We develop expertise and knowledge that is of great value.
In addition to helping us be good at what we do, it also provides us with ways of looking at life.
Consider this…
Our vocations or seasons of vocations can deepened our insight into the nature of God’s commitment to us and to His creation.
Our journey… our walk in life… can also deepen our understanding of how much God loves us and has been alongside us.
So…
Let’s get back to fishing…
Let’s get back to the vocation or vocations God has laid our for you… Yes… Your vocation… Y’a know… the things you know from doing… Consider… How they provide you with a way to describe the rule and reign of God?
How does your life’s work give you ways of describing the hope that is yours in Jesus?
How does your vocation open doors to shine His light into dim, dark places and souls who desperately must know Him?
And…
For most of us…
It just might have nothing to do with fish and that’s just fine…
So…
How’s your fishing going?
Draw close… He is Near