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Matthew 4: 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus
said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” (NIV)
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Fish don’t jump into the boat.* |
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When I was growing up, my parents had a friend who was what
is known as a "colorful character." I recall that he claimed to be responsible
for bringing mockingbirds into our part of the state – and if he revealed how
that was accomplished it has slipped my mind. Another story involved a large
fish that jumped into his arms as he was sitting in the boat. While neither
tale was impossible, both were improbable.
When Jesus promised to turn his followers into fishers of
men, he didn’t expect us to sit in the boat and wait for the catch of the day
to land in our arms. But neither did he intend for us to be solitary fishermen,
alone and clueless on the riverbank. With his invitation to follow him, there
are some implied expectations:
When
Jesus uttered these words, he spoke to two brothers who were actual fishermen.
I don’t know what went through their minds when they tossed aside their nets –
and their livelihood – and followed Jesus, but I do know, by their actions,
that they stepped out in faith. Because later stories involve water and boats
and fish, we may assume that Peter and Andrew probably returned to their jobs
eventually, if only temporarily. But they didn’t know what the future held –
only who held the future.
You
may be hesitant to follow Jesus into the world of fishing but if you will follow
him in faith, he will take care of the catching. And the future.
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God never asks anything of us he does not equip us to do.* |
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