Gone Fishing

Gone Fishing

“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Mark 1:17 NASB

Follow Me. Those were two words spoken so often by our Lord. He came upon a group of fishermen who were engrossed in their lifetime fishing business, looked them squarely in the eyes, and called them to put away their nets and follow Him on a life-transforming journey. In Capernaum, Jesus saw a Jew taking up tax money for the Roman oppressors. Again, He spoke those two simple words, and Matthew put down his money pouch and followed after Him. Over and over in the Gospels we hear this simple call. When we heed Jesus’ call today and become His followers, we then become interested in what He is interested in. Jesus revealed to us that He had “come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). The truth is, if we are genuinely following Jesus, we are also fishing.

It has always been of peculiar interest to me that, when it came time to pick His team, whom He would train and then send out with a commission to reach entire nations, Jesus picked rough, callous-handed men who had spent their lives in the fishing business. He did not go to the institutions of higher learning looking for the best and the brightest. He did not go to the halls of government looking for those with gifted persuasive powers. He did not go to the yeshivas and pick those most knowledgeable in the Torah. He went to Galilee, to a bunch of ragtag fishermen, and called them to follow Him with the promise that He would make them become “fishers of men.” Why them? Why fishermen?

My family and I lived on the Atlantic coast for fifteen years among many people whose livelihoods were related to fishing. On occasion I would take a seaplane from Fort Lauderdale to the little island of Bimini in search of the elusive bonefish of the Bimini flats, pound for pound the greatest sport fish anywhere. My guide was always the legendary “Bonefish Sam” Ellis. He was old even then, but he could still spot a dorsal fin from a football field away. We would fish all day under the blistering island sun. Once, while on my way home, flying back toward the sunset, I wrote down a few words in my journal to describe this seasoned legend of the flats. It dawned on me that what I saw in Bonefish Sam is what Jesus is looking for in His followers today. And these traits are at the very heart of why He called fishermen to follow Him.

A REAL FISHERMAN IS POSITIVE

As we left the dock, Sam would always exclaim something to the effect of, “Today is the day! There is a world-record bonefish out there just waiting for us to catch him!” He was so positive that by the time we got to the fishing location, I was so pumped up I was already thinking about where I would place my mounted world-record catch. This attitude is characteristic of all real fishermen. A real fisherman is always just one cast away from landing the big one.

And this is the type of person Jesus calls to follow Him. He is after those who are positive, those who see an answer in every problem, not those who look for problems in every answer. A real fisherman is positive.

A REAL FISHERMAN IS PERSISTENT

Bonefish Sam was persistency personified! By noon one day, we had been blistered by the sun, battered by the waves, and, to top it off, had not seen the first bonefish. I was ready to go back to the dock, sit under the cool of a palm tree, and enjoy a good lunch. Not Sam Ellis! Winston Churchill must have learned his famous “never give up” philosophy from Bonefish Sam. We kept at it through the noon hour and into the late afternoon until we landed a big one.

This is exactly the type of person the Lord Jesus knew it would take to transform the world. He goes after those who are not simply positive but persistent. He calls folks who have a “never give up” attitude, who keep on keeping on, regardless of the circumstances or situation. A real fisherman is persistent.

A REAL FISHERMAN IS PATIENT

On the flight back that night, the word patient quickly came to mind. I jotted it down. Sam was never in a hurry. He revealed to me that day that my own impatience would keep me from ever becoming a true fisherman. I also noted that, being patient, he was willing to try different methods. If one bait was not working, he put on another. He was not locked into just one way of doing his thing. Flexibility was his password, and in the end it paid off handsomely.

Jesus knew when He called those fishermen to follow Him that one of their common characteristics was patience. They could not have spent their lives at this trade without it. He knew that those who followed Him would have to be patient in future times when the situation would appear hopeless. Jesus is still looking for men and women who are not locked into one way of doing things. He desires us to be willing to try different methods as we fish for the souls of men. Jesus knows that a real fisherman is patient.

A REAL FISHERMAN IS PASSIONATE

As the little seaplane’s tires screeched and bounced down the home runway, I hurriedly wrote down one more word—passionate. Earlier that afternoon, we had fought a large bonefish for almost half an hour. Finally, when it was within ten feet of the boat and a few hours from the taxidermist, it jumped out of the water, spit the hook in our direction, and swam away. Sam had a fisherman’s fit. I learned that day that a real fisherman is passionate. He hates to lose one!

This is the type of person Jesus wants on His team. He is still calling passionate people to follow Him. He longs for His followers to, like Bonefish Sam, always hate to lose one.

I often think of Bonefish Sam Ellis when recruiting men and women to become a part of my team. I want people around me like that crusty old fisherman of the Bimini flats. Learning from our Lord, I try to look for those who are positive, persistent, patient, and passionate.

As you memorize this verse, meditate on the wonder that the Lord Jesus still uses ordinary people like you and me to do extraordinary things for His glory. Be positive; start looking for an answer in every problem. Be persistent; never give up. Be patient; try some different methods. And be passionate; always hate to lose one! Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”