Follow Me and I Will Make You Fishers of Men

Wednesday afternoon, January 30, 2008

This is what Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, as they were casting their net into the sea, fishing for sea bass or speckled trout or whatever might have been swimming, in the hopes of bringing in a huge haul to help feed their families: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Hmmm, say what now? Surely, this thought passed through their minds: “Do you mean that you want us to leave our vocation, to stop doing the ONLY thing we know how to do to earning a living, in order to follow you and begin doing something about which we know nothing?” Even if it didn’t, it should have! I mean, it is one thing go be bi-vocational (have something else to depend upon, in case this new venture fails!), but it something else to altogether leave a sure thing in order to pursue some pipe dream.

Regardless of my opinions and feelings, this was their response: “And they immediately left their nets, and followed Him” (vs. 20). There was none of that, “Let me first tell my family goodbye” or “Let me first bury my father” or “Let me first get my bills paid” or “Let me first put my boat in dry dock”—none of that; instead, they immediately left their nets and, obviously, their vocation and stepped in line to follow Him and to become fishers of men (I doubt that they had any idea, as to what that meant!), a journey that launch them into a career that would carry them much farther down the road of life, than they ever dreamed. Even so, to my knowledge, they never looked back, wishing they could return to “fishing for fish,” as Israel looked back, wishing they could return to the “garlics and leeks and onions” of Egypt. Yes, Peter was impetuous and he did color outside the lines a few times, but he was committed to the journey and to the leader of the journey. John was too clingy, and he, too, colored outside the lines on occasion, but he, too, was committed to the journey and to the leader of the journey.

You see, most of us struggle with this passage because it is so difficult for us to imagine how these men managed to leave everything and follow Jesus, especially with such haste; however, it is even more difficult for us to imagine how we would follow their example, should the call come. Well, just for the record—YOU AND I HAVE BEEN CALLED TO THE SAME CALLING!

Realizing the dangers of paraphrasing Scripture, please allow me to take the risk and suggest that Jesus could have said this (who knows, maybe He did!): Follow me because I have something better for you to do with your life—something much better—something that will profoundly affect your life and the lives of those that come after you, and that “something” is this: I will teach you how to be My witnesses not only at home, but also to the ends of the earth.

Regardless of your or my vocation, Jesus has something better for us to do with our lives than to spend them trying to earn a living! Hold on and don’t run away! Earning a living is a good and Godly thing—a necessary thing—however, there is more, so much more, but, unfortunately, most of us get so involved in and dependent upon “catching our own fish” that we never even realize that He has something better for us to do—something much better.

His call is simple, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men,” and there is no higher calling, and, I might add, you probably won’t even have to abandon your vocation in order to obey!