And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him (Matthew 4:18-22)
This verse can be deceptive. Upon first reading, it seems like Jesus just shows up among these fishermen and they just leave, without very much persuasion at all. This isn’t quite accurate. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were followers of John the Baptist. They knew that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world from John the Baptist. When Jesus comes to call these men into His service, they jump at the opportunity. They leave the vocation into which they had been called, by which they had been providing for their families and doing good works for their neighbors, to enter full-time service to the Lord.
Jesus will make these fishermen fishers of men. But why choose fishermen? These men were certainly not educated men; they were working men. Based on how they react to the things Jesus says and does later, we know that their understanding of Holy Scripture was faulty. Even the scribes, Pharisees, and teachers of the Law understood the prophecies pointed to Jesus; Herod’s religious authorities knew where to look for the birth of the Messiah. They just didn’t believe. Christ chooses these men to enter His service, not because they were rich, educated, or pious, but because He is gracious. He will make them fishers of men. They do not start out that way. The words that St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians come to mind: For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”[1]
Jesus will teach these men, along with the other Apostles, how to fish for men. It doesn’t take as much skill on the fisher’s part as we might expect. While in modern times, we think of fishing with a rod and reel, it was done with a net in ancient times. A round net, weighted on the edges, was cast from a boat into shallow water. Whatever was beneath it as it billowed toward the bottom like a parachute was caught. In order for the net to work it had to spread out properly. In order for it to spread out properly, it had to be thrown properly. Before one could be a successful fisherman, one needed to learn the proper way to cast the net. The net is the means by which fish are caught.
Jesus chooses these men to become His Apostles. They will be taught over the next three years of Jesus earthly ministry how to cast Christ’s net – to proclaim Law and Gospel. They will not be taught how to persuade fish to bite a lure at the end of a line. They are being taught to cast a net. The power of conversion is not in the fisherman, but in his net, the Word of God. There is no other power in the whole world that can bring sinners into Christ’s kingdom.[2] Our pastors cast God’s net each week when they proclaim God’s Holy Word, when they baptize, when they feed us Christ’s body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. And, though we seek to avoid being caught in God’s net because of our sinfulness, He is persistent. He is patient. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.[3] All the time Christ delays His return means more time for His fishers of men to continue casting His net. Let us not despise preaching and His word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.
[1] 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
[2] Albrecht, G. Jerome., and Michael J. Albrecht. Matthew. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1996. P. 58
[3] 2 Peter 3:9
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