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Fishers of Men



I have always been fascinated by the miracle Jesus performed when He called Simon, James, and John as His first disciples. These three men owned a fishing business together, and when Jesus approached them one morning they had just finished a night of futile fishing. They had worked unto the point of exhaustion without so much as a nibble (a feeling I know a little something about). Jesus told the crew to push out into the deep and throw their nets out one more time. 

 

Simon, who Jesus later nicknamed Peter, did this for a living. He knew at the Sea of Galilee you fish in the shallow end during the night, but Jesus told him to fish in the deep end in the morning. Peter may have been thinking that Jesus should stick to carpentry and leave the fishing to him. He had even begun the process of washing his nets. If they weren’t cleaned and dried, they would rot and break. His body had to be ready for bed, but he replied, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets (Luke 5:5).”

 

Peter trusted Jesus and dropped his net one more time. The result was not just one boat, but two boats filled with fish, even to the point where they were about to sink. That miracle not only demonstrated the power of Jesus, it served as a foreshadowing of what these fishermen would do if they would continue to trust and obey. 

 

“And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him (v.10-11).” Jesus turned fishermen into fishers of men. These disciples would soon be bringing people to faith in Jesus, and that is what we have been called to do as well. 

 

Following Jesus isn’t always easy

But it pays off in the end;

If you’ve fished all night without a bite

Drop your nets in again.

 

Push your boat out into the deep

It doesn’t matter what you think—

The fish you’ll take will cause your nets to break

And your boats begin to sink.

 

What if we had this kind of faith

For whatever the Lord will say?

We surrender all to answer the call

And all of His words obey.

 

This isn’t about just catching fish

But reaching all mankind;

We’ll see lost men give their lives to Him

One soul at a time.

 

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