Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Matthew 4:18-20 (NASB)
I like to fish, but it is my sister’s passion. For her, there is no better shopping than going into a bait shop or sports shop and looking at all the lures, sinkers, rods and reels, bobbers, and of course the bait. My sister is the consummate fisherwoman, and the model for the characteristics of a good fisherperson.
I was thinking about fishing and my sister when Jesus’ calling of Peter and Andrew popped into mind. Here were two brothers who didn’t just fish for fun, but it was their profession. Jesus knew their hearts before He even called them. Then, He met them exactly where they were at. What I mean is, Jesus didn’t go up to Peter and Andrew and ask them if they wanted to be evangelists of the one true God. No, Jesus asked them if they wanted to be fishers of people. He got their attention and they followed Him immediately.
So what characteristics did Jesus see in these two men that He knew they would be good fishers of people? Let’s take a look at characteristics of a good fisherperson:
- Patience: This is an absolute must. Fish bite when they are hungry and that’s it. I’ve watched a fish swim all around my bait and then swim off with nary a nibble. However, my sister put her line down after I gave up and caught that fish. She was patient and didn’t give up.
The same needs to be true if you are witnessing to someone. You can tell someone about the Good News and the first several times they are just not interested. This is when we need to pray for God to soften his/her heart so that they are willing to hear the word of God. We need to become a friend and be there when God moves in this person’s heart and then obey God when He calls us to lead this person into salvation. We do not need to beat our friend over the head with a Bible, but rather be patient and let God do the work through us. -
Love of water: You can’t fish from your sofa (video fishing doesn’t count). A great fisherperson is intimate with water. Jesus is our living water. In order to talk with people about Him, we need to be close to Him. As any close relationship, this means talking and listening to Him every day. Jesus said, “… If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water John 7:37-38.”
After Jesus returned to Heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent as a helper for us. Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit here. The Holy Spirit will guide us when we are witnessing to people. He will give us the words to say. We have to remember, when a person accepts Christ as their Savior, it isn’t us doing the work. Rather it is the Holy Spirit within us who has given us the words to speak to a person’s soul. Only He can know what someone needs to accept Him. -
Willingness to get dirty: Fishing is not a clean sport. If you are using live bait like worms, you need to put the worm on the hook, which is pretty gooky (technical term here). Then you get slimy when you take the fish off the hook. Of course, there is the smell – fishy. But it’s all worth it when you land that keeper.
Guiding others to accept Jesus as their Savior is not usually nice and tidy. We need to get involved in messy lives and let others see our messy lives. Our witness comes into play when others see how we handle our messiness. We get to lean on Jesus and be comforted by Him. We don’t have to be anxious or angry when life isn’t fair because we know the God is in control and He will take care of us. It is our attitudes and actions that speak God’s care. When others see how we handle adversity, it often opens the door for them to ask about the source of our peace – Jesus. -
Goes to where the fish are: My sister and I live on a rather large lake that is really deep in places. This means you can’t fish for certain types, like bass or perch just anywhere. You have to take your boat to where these type of fish hang out.
The same goes for spreading the Gospel. We need to go where God tells us to go. He is the only one who knows where the harvest is, that is, if that is the job he is giving you. Sometime He sends us to plant, sometimes to water, sometimes to prune and at other times to reap the harvest.
The important thing here is to go where God tells us to go. This could be your neighborhood, the inner city, a small country town or overseas. It’s also important to know the population God is sending you to, that is, adults, the homeless, small children, middle school aged-children, high schoolers or college-aged, young singles, single-agains, middle-aged or seniors. Be open to where and to whom God is sending you to. -
Keeps watch of surroundings: Just because I feel like fishing doesn’t mean the time is good for fishing. If the weather doesn’t cooperate that day, for example, it’s really windy and there is a small craft advisory for the lake, then fishing on the boat is out of the question. Similarly, we need to watch the current. The direction of the current often determines where we fish. Experience has shown us that according to the weather and current is where we will fish, and for what type of fish.
The same is true when we are spreading the Gospel. We need to pay close attention to the Holy Spirit. We may want to witness to a particular person, but only the Spirit knows when the time is right. Perhaps the Spirit is telling you to lift up that person in prayer first. Trust Him to open your mouth and fill it with what that person needs at the right time.
Or maybe, God is sending you to a particular culture that never crossed your mind. Listen to Him and obey. Your fishing experience will be beyond your wildest dreams.
I do have a word of caution here. Don’t get discouraged if you are following the Holy Spirit’s leading, you witness to someone, and they don’t respond by accepting Jesus as his/her Savior. Keep praying for that person. It could be, that your job was not to harvest, but to plant. I say again, don’t get discouraged! This is where a fisherperson’s patience is needed. -
Knows the right gear/bait/lure: I was brought up fishing with my father and my grandma. They taught me how to bait a hook, and how to set the line when a fish is biting. They taught me what bait to use for what we were fishing for. They were my teachers, encouragers, and experience-builders. Sure, I guess you could learn fishing basics from a book, but only hands-on fishing teaches you the feel of a fish on your line. Only experience teaches you what to do to land that wily bass that has taken you through the weeds and under the wood at the bottom of the lake.
If you are just beginning to spread the Gospel, honestly, you probably will be very uncomfortable. It is really good to start with a mentor first. You will need opportunity to speak to others. Don’t force anyone to listen to you, but again, listen to the Holy Spirit for His opportunity for you. After all, we are just the fishing pole and bait for God to do the actual catching. God is the one who knows the exact person and time to use for witnessing to whom He calls. -
A sense of adventure: An aspect of enjoying fishing is enjoying the unknown. When you drop your line into the lake, you really never know what you are going to catch. My sister and I have caught crawdads climbing up our poles, wood, weeds, anchors, trees, and each other-oops. It is a time to spend stress free. The real fun is reveling in the unknown on a beautiful lake, enjoying each other’s company and God’s creation.
Spreading the Gospel is much the same. A lot of time, pressure is put on Believers to bring people into the church. However, that is not our job. Our job is to be used of God as He has planned for us. We are to be the fishing pole, the net, the bait, the boat or the bobber. Allow God to work through you and enjoy the ride. God will bring you to places and people you can’t even imagine. His plan for your life is never a life of boredom and stress. Rather, He loves creating adventure and bringing us along.
To be a successful fisherperson, we need to develop the characteristics of a good fisherperson. That is, we need to surround ourselves with fisherpersons, go fishing, study fishing and enjoy time fishing. The same is true for being a successful fisher of men. We need to surround ourselves with Believers who learn from the Master and continually develop the characteristics of a loving God. We need to listen to His Holy Spirit and take action when we are told what to do. We need to be surrounded by God’s adventure for our lives. When we are, life is like a fishing trip – filled with unexpected raucous fun and unexplainable peace.
Photo Credit: Sheppard, M. August 4, 2014. https://blog.nwf.org/2014/08/women-and-fly-fishing/.
