I recently decided to take up fishing. I went many times with my dad and brothers while growing up. However, I never got interested in fishing with any kind of consistency or attempting to gain any real skill or knowledge. In the past, my dad did everything. So, I’m having to learn it all for myself.
Now, I’ve realized that fishing is way harder than I thought! When I got all my new gear, I thought I’d be pulling in bass left and right. But, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I can hardly get any bites. And when I finally do, landing the fish is a whole other story. Maybe I’m just bad, but it made think about the kind of fishing that all Christians are meant to do.
In Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus meets Simon Peter and Andrew while they were fishing, and later, James and John, the sons of Zebedee while they were mending their fishing nets. In verse 19, Jesus tells Peter and Andrew, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,” which they immediately did. And James and John would do the same.
All four apostles recognized that Jesus was asking them to go after a much more valuable catch than the fish they’d been seeking. Jesus wanted them to bring Him souls by preaching the gospel of the kingdom (cf. v. 23). But, what does fishing have to do with preaching? As a novice angler, there are a few things that I’ve observed.
First, fishing takes skill. You have to learn many techniques in order to increase your chances of landing a fish. You have to be able to tie different knots and you have to be able to move the bait in the water according to its design. Winning souls also requires skills. You must choose your words wisely. Jesus says, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
Next, fishing also requires knowledge. You need to study in order to know what kind of fish you’re after, what kind of bait attracts them, and what seasons they’re active. Similarly, we must study the Bible to be able to reach people with God’s message. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
Finally, fishing requires patience. You can’t expect to catch a fish on every cast. If you give up too quickly, you will never land a big one! Likewise, we must allow God’s work to develop in HIs time. Paul says in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
If we want to be fishers of men like the apostles, we must work to gain the skills, knowledge and patience necessary.