“Going Fishing?”
Isaiah 9:1-4 Matthew 4:12-22
Isaiah told us the great light would come. Matthew told us that it had come in Jesus. The great light will continue to come to us and to others as we fish for people as did Peter, Andrew, James and John.
Isaiah was telling the people of Zebulun and Naphtali that their tribes would be led out of the darkness by the great light that was the savior to come. They had been conquered by the Assyrians. They were in the darkness of conquest because they had chosen to make their own way rather than glory in God. Though they didn’t deserve it…Isaiah told them…that through God’s grace…the savior would come to them…come to them in the form of a child.
Matthew told the Greeks reading his Gospel that the great light had come in the form of Jesus…a child grown into a man who began his ministry near Capernaum. In fact…Jesus began his ministry in the area near Zebulun and Naphtali. Part of Matthew’s argument that Jesus was the messiah was that he ministered in this area just as Isaiah had prophesied.
That’s the short version of the big picture. A savior for the world is prophesied. A savior for the world appears and begins a ministry. But what about the small picture? What about individuals like you…me…and our neighbors? What about those who have chosen their own way instead of the way of God? What about those who are in the darkness of hunger…poverty…illness…addiction…fear…
abuse…some form of imprisonment…ignorance of the local language…ignorance of the love and salvation of Jesus Christ? What about them? They surround us.
For them…the darkness is overcome by the light brought by fishers of people…like Andrew, Peter, James and John. But…those great men have gone from the world stage. I guess we’ve got to rely on God or someone else to bring the light. Right? It’s not my job. Right? I have heard that said.
Actually…they and Jesus…are relying on you and me to be fishers of people. Think about that for a moment. When Jesus entered Peter’s life…the life of an ordinary fisherman…Peter became a new person with new goals and priorities. He did not become a perfect person…however…and he never stopped being Simon Peter. You and I might wonder from time to time just what Jesus saw in Simon that made him give this potential disciple a new name that day…the “rock”. Impulsive Peter certainly didn’t act rock solid much of the time. But Jesus was looking for real people.
Jesus is still looking for real people. He chose people who could be changed by his love. Then, He sent them out to show and tell others that His love and acceptance were available to anyone…even to those who often fail. We may wonder what Jesus sees in us when He calls us to follow him. Yet, we say “I’m no one with special skills and power,” even though we know Jesus accepted Peter. We also know that despite his failures…Peter went on to do great things for God.
Does Jesus expect us to be like Peter and become the rock on which he builds his church? In all likelihood there’s no one here today who will take on the job of starting a new church. However… Jesus does expect us to be the light for others in darkness…to be fishers of people…people who are in our lives now…or could very easily be in our lives tomorrow. The only person who might qualify to not be a fisher of people is the hermit who lives alone in the cave in the woods…yet it is to that person also that Jesus wants us to become a light.
So…to whom can you become that light? When you visit a friend or loved one in a hospital or nursing home…do you pray with that person? Do you include in your prayer others in the room…family…other visitors…room mates…professional care givers? Do you take others with you when visiting someone who is shut-in?
As you walk the sidewalks around our community…places where you shop…and have coffee with friends…do you look strangers and friend alike in the eyes…and greet them with love though it might be much easier to ignore them and move on. Don’t move on.
I sat down next to a woman at a meeting in downtown Greenville awhile ago. We could have just as easily kept our eyes forward…ignored each other…and waited for the speaker to come forward. Instead…we introduced ourselves…chatted for a bit…and she brought light to my life…telling me that she was in a transition in her work life and that she was considering becoming a missionary. I hope I brought a little bit of light to her life by encouraging her to give that serious consideration. She told me that many people had challenged her thinking…including her adult children and her husband.
Maybe there’s a relative or acquaintance who you think has taken a wrong turn in their life…an addiction…dropping out of school…quitting work…losing work…on the outs with their spouse…pregnant but not married. You are upset enough with the turn that person has taken that you want to walk away from them. Don’t do that.
Instead…show them the love that Christ shows you…not the judgment that the world might show them. Listen to what they are saying…the words they are using…and the words they are not using…their body language. Be with them…as Christ is with you.
When someone is different from you in some way that’s apparent…it’s easy to ridicule and exclude them. Don’t do that. Instead you might “walk a mile in their shoes”…not just by imagining what they might be experiencing but by experiencing it with them…in reality…or at least… in conversation with them.
What does it take to be a fisher of people? First…you’ve got to get out of the boat you’re in and follow Jesus. Accept Jesus as authority over all of your life. Use Him as your example. Practice the characteristics of the four fishermen who joined Jesus that day.
Be patient. The fisherman must wait patiently until the fish will take the bait. If you are restless…quick to move…and want immediate results…you’ll never succeed in the business or sport of fishing. As a fisher of people you will find that it is rare that you will see immediate results. God…using a number of fishers on earth…worked on me for many years.
Persevere. The successful fisher is never discouraged…and always tries again. I have a friend who at 92 years old went to Lake Greenwood regularly to fish. On more than one occasion he told me of absolutely unsuccessful trips…but each time he also told me when he was going back. It was usually within a couple days. The fisher of people must never be discouraged…must be ready to try again.
Have courage. There was an old Greek man who prayed for the protection of the gods because…he said…”my boat is so small and the sea is so large.” The person going to fish must be ready to risk the ways of the lake…stream…or sea. The fisher of people must be aware that there is always danger in telling people the truth of love…the truth of life…and the truth of Christ.
Be on the alert for the right moment. The wise fisherman knows there are times when it is hopeless and useless to go fishing. He knows when to cast the line or net and when not to do so. The fisher of people knows the same. There are times when people will welcome the truth and times when hearing the truth will increase their opposition. I once worked with a pastoral counselor through three sessions with a patient. In those sessions the counselor asked questions…took notes…and let the patient talk. In those three sessions it was clear that some of what the patient was saying was not true.
Between the sessions the counselor told me that he knew what was happening…but that the time was not right. In the fourth session…the patient said something…the counselor straightened up and gently but with authority said, “That’s bull…” followed by another four-letter syllable. The patient was honest with the counselor and himself from that point on. The need for counseling ended shortly after that.
Fit the bait to the fish. One type of fish will rise to one bait and another to a different bait. Paul said he became all things to all men so that he might win some. The wise fisher of people recognizes this also. That fisher goes to people in places outside the comfort of church and home and may be involved in activities or with people that are not their style…but that fisher of people is able to work with those people in those places effectively without compromising their Christianity…in fact building their Christianity by reaching out. Conversely…the wise fisher of people knows where they cannot be effective. Does an 80 year old person who knows nothing about computers have an opportunity to be effective in a cyber-café? Perhaps not. But…that same 80 year old person can be effective in a local coffee shop…grocery store…doctor’s waiting room…a neighbor’s living room…at someone’s kitchen table.
A good fisher keeps out of sight…is subtle. Becoming obvious to the fish in some way might cause the fish to scurry away. In the same way a good fisher of people is invisible…that is…the conversation and activity is not about the fisher of people…but about the love and great light of Jesus Christ and the person with whom we’re interacting. Don’t beat them with memorized Scripture or judgment. Catch them with love.
Isaiah said great light would come to remove the darkness.
Matthew confirmed that it did.
Jesus invited Andrew, Peter, James and John to follow him to become fishers of people.
They followed. Jackson Grove United Methodist Church today and the lives of Christians around the world show they succeeded.
Jesus invites us to become fishers of people, also.
The great light of the Son is shining.
The lake is full.
Let’s go fishing!