One thing we know about Jesus is that he had a deep passion for fishing. You may remember how on two different occasions Jesus used just a few small fish to feed thousands. In Matthew 14 he feeds 5000 people. In Matthew 15 he feeds 4000 people. On another occasion Jesus was questioned about paying the two-drachma temple tax. So in Matthew 17:27 (NIV) Jesus tells Peter to go down the lake and throw out a fishing line. He said, "Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."
Some of you might want to take notes since it is income tax time. As we speak, there are men out in the hot water ditch by the power plant fishing for tax money. Don’t knock them! They are deeply dedicated, Bible-believing men!
Jesus calls his disciples. Seven of the twelve were fishermen!
Of course, one my favorite fishing stories is found in Luke 5:1-10. That was when Jesus called his first disciples. Several of his first followers, seven of the twelve, were commercial fishermen! That says it all right there!
In Luke 5:1-10 (NIV) we read, "One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch.' Simon answered, 'Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.' When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!' For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners."
That Jesus sure knew how to bring them in! No one could out-fish Jesus! He’s the kind of partner you want in one of those fishing derbies they have down at the lake. You could tell people you caught a boat-load of fish, only not be lying. Or better yet you could tell people, "I just saved a boat-load of money on eternal life insurance."
Jesus was fishing passionately for men who could influence other men's eternal destinies.
Jesus loved fishing. But just what type of fishing was he passionate about? Notice what Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 5:10-11 (NIV), "Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.' So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." In Matthew’s account, over in Matthew 4:19 (NIV) Jesus says it this way. " 'Come, follow me', Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' "
Jesus was asking these men to influence and redirect men’s eternal destinies. I always found it curious that Jesus chose fishermen to be in his inner circle of leaders. Fishermen in Jesus’ day weren’t your typical twenty-first century soft male. They didn’t fluff their hair in the mirror, shave their legs, wear designer jeans, or sit around sipping hot tea in an air-conditioned hut. These were rugged individualists. They were adventurous outdoorsmen who were mostly uneducated. They were grunts. They were as tough as nails. They were full of testosterone. They had dirt under their fingernails and in their blood. You didn’t spend the kind of hours they did under the hot sun, or in extreme weather conditions hoisting and dragging water-logged nets all day and night without it building some strength and character. These were real men!
But why was Jesus interested in using them to redirect men’s eternal destinies? I believe the answer rests mostly in their chosen occupation; fishing. There are eerie similarities between human nature with all its idiosyncrasies and fishing. Because they were effective fishermen, they could also be effective shapers of destiny. They were ahead of the learning curve. They could apply some of the same principles they employed in fishing for fish to the job of fishing for men.
The principle of preparation.
Fishermen generally do not take the risk of being under-prepared and fishermen generally do not take the risk of being over-prepared. There is a certain science to fishing. Sure, anyone can get lucky, but skilled fishermen don’t typically rely on luck to get a catch. They methodically study the species of fish they want to catch. They research. They read. They practice. They take notes. They spend time listening and watching other fishermen. They go to seminars. I love the quote in the video clip where the guy says, "I need three more years to begin thinking like a fish."
If you look at a skilled fisherman’s tackle and gear, he is fully equipped with everything he might need for every possible scenario imaginable. He doesn’t want to be caught in a situation for which he is under-prepared. I remember a few years ago fishing along the shoreline for bass. It was late in the evening and I was just messing around. I threw my line in the water hoping for a tiny strike, but instead, some powerful creature took my line and went straight out into the deep water. Bass never do that. I didn’t have a bass on my line. For several minutes I wrestled with this goliath fish. I would get him close to shore and he would keep powering out into the deep water. After I don’t know how long, I got him close enough to the bank to see what I was dealing with. It was a fish the size of my dog, if not a little bigger! I wasn’t prepared to catch that kind of fish. I didn’t have a net! Luckily, there was a man nearby who had a net and together we weighed this fish; a nineteen pound carp!
When you fish you never know what you are going to encounter. That’s part of the thrill. But you have to be prepared. Sometimes while you are fishing for one species, the opportunity to catch another species arises. Sometimes you catch a stick or log, get into a snag, break your line, or have a reel go bad. Sometimes you may wind up with some big ugly snapping turtle on your line.
Of course there is the other side. You can be over-prepared. There are some guys who are so busy trying to get the right equipment together that they never get around to fishing. You can spend your entire life in a Bass Pro Shop or at Walmart and never get outdoors. This brings us to a second principle.
The principle of proximity.
In addition to being prepared, a fisherman must have a willingness to go fishing. Right now, I have everything I need in this boat to begin catching fish. It is important to be prepared. But I’m not going to catch anything here, not in this building. In that video clip the fisherman waded out into the river out to where the fish were. He was willing to step into the current and even be swept up into the current, all for the thrill of the catch.
Last year I sped across the lake in my boat after a heavy rain. The lake water was muddy from the run-off, but I didn’t think much about it. I settled into a cove along with a half-dozen other fishermen and did my thing. I kept trying to make conversation with other fishermen, but they kept looking at me funny. I finished up, went back to the docks, and got more funny looks. It wasn’t until I got in my jeep and looked in the mirror that I noticed my face was completely black except where my sun-glasses and hat had been. The muddy water had splashed onto my face as I went across the lake. I was pretty cool!
Fishermen understand that if you're going to fish, you're going to get dirty. If you are going to catch fish, you're going to smell like a fish. There is no way around it. Fishermen do whatever it takes and suffer whatever cost to get in proximity of the fish. They’ll walk through dense brush to get to that perfect spot. They will wade out into uncertain waters. They will suffer ticks, chiggers, and mosquitos. They will brave the elements including rain, snow, ice, heat, cold, wind, waves, and poison ivy. Again, they do whatever it takes to be where the fish are. But even at this, they know not to get too close to fish. Fish need their space. They cannot be spooked. They cannot be stressed out and over-pressured or else they prematurely close down. Fishermen close the gap while maintaining the proper distance from fish. It's a fine line!
The principle of persistence.
There is a funny thing about fish. They are just as fickle as human beings. Fish are also temperamental. There are seasons when fish are hungry. They’ll bite on virtually anything. There are seasons where they are lethargic and apathetic. They are affected by the weather, temperature, depth of water, color of water, position of the sun or moon, direction of wind, barometric pressure, color of lure, the presentation of the lure, the size of the lure, the motion and action of a lure, the luminance of a lure, the speed of a lure, and the depth of a lure. You name it!
You've really got to be patient in order to fish, which is why so many people hate fishing. The professional fishermen spend hours upon hours fishing. They will fish the same spot a hundred different ways, varying their technique and presentation until they get a hit. They never give up. Their dedication is unrivaled. Me, I’m an impatient fishermen. Those fish have about five or ten minutes to show interest or else I’m off to another part of the lake. I don’t fish for more than two to three hours at a time.
Excuses for not fishing.
Now I know most of you could care less about fishing. I’ve heard about every explanation that can be offered. I don’t have any desire to go fishing. I don’t know how to fish, nor do I want to understand how fish think. I have much better things to do. That is not of interest to me. I think fishing is disgusting. I don’t want to get dirty. I don’t want to smell like fish. It is boring. It’s a waste of time. It is cruel to try and catch a fish. Leave them alone. Those hooks are too sharp. I may get hooked myself. I don’t have any fishing gear. I don’t want to waste the money. I don’t like being outdoors. I’m afraid of water. I can’t swim. I don’t want to rock the boat. I don’t have the patience. I don’t have time. I’m too busy at work and at home. The nets are too heavy. I don’t know what people will think. It is just for men.
Don’t you see that this is precisely what is wrong with the church? When I read Luke5 this week I noticed something I never noticed before. Jesus is standing by the lake teaching the crowds. People are soaking up the word of God like a sponge. They're hungry. They're attentive. If he were to choose his disciples, you would think he would choose from among the crowd standing on the shore, listening to his preaching.
But he doesn’t choose from the crowd. He walks over to where some grungy old, smelly fishermen are cleaning their nets after a rather exhausting and unproductive day of fishing. And wouldn’t you know it,he chooses those with a passion for fishing to be among his inner circle. They became his inner core of leaders who would revolutionize our world. Jesus chose men who intuitively knew the importance of preparation, proximity, and perseverance. These would be the qualities necessary in those who might seek to redirect the eternal destiny of others.
The importance of preparation, proximity, and perseverance when fishing for men.
So what are the implications of all this fishing stuff for the church? Obviously, we need to prepare ourselves to fish for men. The truth is that we don’t like to fish. We often don’t care enough to know or understand the unchurched and unsaved people of our world. We don’t equip ourselves with God’s word. We don’t have the equipment and haven’t honed our skills to catch men with the good news of Christ.
Or we go to the other extreme. We spend so much time talking about fishing for men and preparing to fish for men that we over-prepare ourselves while never really intending to go out and do it. We remain paralyzed, afraid to take risks, and afraid to face the uncertain.
Another obvious point is that we need to gain proximity to those who do not know Jesus Christ. Jesus spent time in the temple and in religious buildings, but he also went fishing. He got into people’s homes. He ate with tax collectors and sinners. He spoke with prostitutes. He reached out to the unclean. He embraced those who were rejected by the religious elitists. He loved the unlovable. He rubbed shoulders with dirty fishermen. He waded out into the current of our godless, secular culture.
Our problem is that we don’t want to smell like fish. We don’t want to venture out of our comfort zone to weather the elements. We don’t want mud on our faces. We don’t want to be in the presence of alcohol, or sin, or anything unclean. We don’t want cigarette smoke blown in our faces. We don’t want to be around cussing and filthy language. We don’t want ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, and needy people sucking away our precious time and life. The only fish we like are those that are already cleaned, neatly packaged, freshly breaded, and delivered to the doorstep of our church. This is no good.
A last obvious point is that we need to be persistent fishers of men. Fishing for men is a time-consuming, people-intensive task that requires patience. People typically do not change overnight. We cannot microwave evangelism and outreach. There is no such thing as fast-food discipleship. There is no guarantee of instant success. Jesus is looking for persistence and dedication in the task of redirecting men’s destinies. He is looking for men and women who have passion like his, who love their fellow men enough to go on daily fishing expeditions.
It's great to gather and worship together. Let's not forget to get dirty and go fishing.