Pay attention to the details

Fishermen in the time of Christ used a variety of methods to catch fish. One way was with a line and hook, which has to hurt the mouth of a fish. Another was a spear, perhaps like a harpoon, which was also difficult for the fish.

They also used a dragnet that was long and often stretched between two boats which were then rowed in a circle to trap the fish. This produced less injury to the fish, yet didn’t guarantee the quality of the catch. The net caught everything.

Another method was a casting net. It was circular with lead sinkers around the edge. The fishermen waded into the water and threw the net into fish feeding in the shallows. They drew up the net to secure the catch. It is this net that was being used when Jesus called two of His disciples.

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. (Matthew 4:18-20)

I’m always amazed at the details in the Bible. Had they been using a hook and line, or a spear, or a big dragnet, the parallel between fishing for fish and fishing for me would have been inappropriate. God does not want me to “hook” people, or throw harpoons at them. Christians have been accused of doing both.

God isn’t asked me to throw a big dragnet either. I couldn’t do it by myself anyway, but a vast campaign that gathers everyone into a trap isn’t what outreach is about. Instead, I’m to take the gospel to those in the shallows around me, to people who are close, those I care about and can show the love of Christ by wading into the water with them.

Some fishermen can cast a large net this way. I think of Dr. Billy Graham. He cares about people, can identify with their struggles, and has reached thousands through large rallies and meetings. I’m not that kind of fisherman. My net isn’t very big and my ability to toss it into the water is rather weak, at least in comparison, but there are people in my life that would never set feet in a crusade venue. They are interested in Christianity, but want to see Christian living close up and personal, not on a television screen. They want to ask questions of a face they know personally, not one that belongs to what they would call a celebrity.

As neat as that detail is in this passage, the key is not so much the net used, but those two little words, “Follow me.” Whatever God gives me to use is only an aid. The success of reaching those who are lost with the gospel is not a method but in doing what Jesus asks, and as the passage says of Peter and Andrew, doing it immediately.