The Encourager
“Becoming Fishers of Men - Jeff Curtis”
Becoming Fishers of Men
By Jeff Curtis
In Luke 5, Jesus called certain men to become His apostles. The apostles were Jesus’ followers who were given special responsibilities and endowed with miraculous powers. They had a unique role to play in the establishment, organization, and guidance of the early church – a role that doesn’t need to be duplicated today. The apostles, in other words, had no successors. Nevertheless, what they did in fishing for men and women is something that others in the first century did and something that must continue until Christ returns. So, we need to learn from their experiences what becoming fishers of men requires today.
“Am I the person Jesus can use?” Becoming fishers of men starts with being the kind of people Jesus can use to spread His Gospel. In Luke 5:1-2, we’re introduced to the fishermen Jesus called to follow Him.
Why did Jesus call these particular men? Did He see something special in them? Some would say “no.” They would say that the only difference between the apostles and other disciples is that apostles answered Jesus’ call affirmatively; others refused to respond to His summons.
This viewpoint is flawed. Throughout the Bible, when God had a certain work to do, He chose a particular person to do it, not just anyone who happened to volunteer for the job. For example, He chose Saul of Tarsus to be an apostle to the Gentiles because Saul (later called Paul) had the right combination of qualities to do what Christ wanted him to do. We can then assume that the other apostles also had qualities that Jesus saw and that He wanted them to use as His apostles.
The people of Jesus’ own day probably didn’t understand why Jesus chose these fishermen. They were working men, evidently rough men, maybe even loud and boisterous, and perhaps quick-tempered. Even so, Jesus must have seen in them something others couldn’t see. He looked beneath their rough exterior. He didn’t know only the present, but also their potential. He viewed them not as they were, but also as who they could become.
In addition, their very occupation hinted that these were men who could do the job that needed to be done. They were fishermen. That tells us that they were healthy, vigorous, and strong physically. They worked hard for their living and would be dependable. Being fishermen probably meant that they had a measure of patience in their work that would come handy when they began the task of bringing people to Christ.
“Am I acquainted with Jesus?” Becoming fishers of men requires being acquainted with Jesus. According to Luke 5:3, Jesus got into Simon’s boat “and ask him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.” Did Jesus know Peter and the others before this time? Matthew, Mark and Luke give us no hint the He did. However, John 1:29-42 seems to indicate that Andrew and Peter had begun to follow Jesus not long after His baptism by John in Judea. Apparently, these men already knew Jesus and had been traveling with Him and listening to His teachings since that time. They had returned with Him to Galilee from Judea to continue with their jobs. There Jesus issued His official call – this time, not just to be followers, but full-time disciples (or learners). Probably, when Jesus entered Simon’s boat, He was using the boat of one who He already knew well.
To fish for men and women on Christ’s behalf, we must first be well-acquainted with Hi. Although some perceive Peter and John as “uneducated and untrained men,” that is not the end of the statement in Acts 4:13. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
They had “been with Jesus!” To be useful workers for Christ, we must have “been with Jesus.” No one can truly be a fisher of men for Christ until he first submits to Christ.
