Gone Fishing

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him. (Mark 1:14-20)

In 1966 Scottish minister William Barclay wrote the book “Fishers of Men.”   To fish for men and women, a preacher must have the following approach according to Barclay: “…It is certainly not true that preaching should always be evangelistically and emotionally demanding conversion; but it is true that preaching must always be preaching for a verdict.  It must be either explicitly or implicitly saying to a man [or a woman], ‘Choose you this day whom you will serve…Preaching must therefore be a challenge to the will to accept Jesus Christ, to witness to the fact that we have accepted Him, and to set upon His way.  It may well be that there ought to be in our preaching far more room for decision than there normally is.”

Our Gospel testifies to Barclay’s conclusion.  Simon and Andrew decided to leave their nets to follow Jesus.  James and John decided to stop mending their nets and to leave their father Zebedee and the hired men to follow Jesus.

Have we decided to be fishers of men and women?  Our behavior serves as nets catching others by what we say and do.  I always hope my preaching seeks a verdict and acts as a net not needing to be mended.

Deacon David Pierce