Fish And Bait

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Matthew 4:19

Did you ever go fishing in your elementary school classroom? You may think I’m telling you a fish tale, but I really did fish in my classroom.

We all looked forward to a learning game our teacher played with us. She put different-colored construction paper fish in a bowl. Each “fish” had a word or math problem written on one side, with a paper clip attached. Our fishing poles were straws with magnets tied to the end of strings. Of course, we all fished for the ones with easy problems on them!

My brother, Bubba, is an avid fisherman of real fish—he’s even designed a special lure. I also enjoy being on the water and would probably like fishing if I didn’t have to bait the hook or take the fish off when I caught it.

In order to fish successfully, you need fish and bait. The same is true in this scene from Jesus’ life. People are the fish, and Jesus is the bait! Several of Christ’s disciples were fishermen by trade, so I think Jesus in His wisdom knew just the right analogy to use to make that important connection for them.

Jesus is calling all of us in Christ to do the same: follow Him and fish for people! Oh, how I love that Jesus says “follow” first. Our first focus is to stay connected and close to Him so we can learn His methods for reaching out to people. He is the one who actually “catches” the hearts of people who have become hungry for Him. We just get to go fishing! With Jesus, it is always fun—and the net results are all His.

Follow Jesus and watch for opportunities to go fishing with Him.