18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Matthew 4:18-22
One of my most treasured memories as a young boy was the yearly trips to Lake Hope State Park in Southern Ohio. We would spend a week renting a cabin, fishing in the lake and seeing the local sights. My favorite thing to do would be fishing in the lake for bluegill and trying to catch more than my dad. Now the difficult part about fishing for bluegill is finding where there are. Lake Hope was pretty big and we were constantly walking around the Lake trying to find where the fish were. Once we did we would stay there until the fish stopped biting and then we would move on to the next area. Part of fishing is going where the fish are.
Is it not the same with us? Jesus when calling the first disciples from the shore of Lake Gennesaret, says to Simon Peter, Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people. Not only had Jesus “caught” Simon Peter from a boat after the miracle catch of fish, Jesus calls Simon to follow him and to “catch” other people. But Simon Peter isn’t going to catch people fishing the Lake. In order to catch people, he needs to go where the people are. So Simon leaves everything behind and follows Jesus.
Much to Simon Peter’s surprise, Jesus once again starts fishing for people. Jesus “catches” a leper of all people. Jesus “catches” a paralytic confined to a mat. Jesus still fishing for people even “catches” Levi, a tax-collector, and all of Levi’s friends who Levi invites over to be “caught” by Jesus. Jesus a “fisher” of people goes where the people are who need to be caught.
What do you think was going through the head and heart of good old Simon Peter sitting in the house of Levi, the tax-collector surrounded by all of Levi’s unsavory friends and accomplices? His thoughts, while not written in the text, could be possibly something along the lines of this, “Why are you trying to catch these people and why did you lead us of all places here?” “Of all the people in the countryside to “catch” why did Jesus insist on these people?” “Why couldn’t he try and “catch” Mike the Mayor and drag us to his house for a party?” “No, he has to drag us to the house of Levi and his sinful friends.”
Both Simon and we, both disciples of Jesus, need to be reminded of what kind of people need to be “caught” by Jesus. Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Jesus came to catch sinners and Jesus calls his disciples to help catch sinners. But how can we disciples catch sinners if we never go fishing for them where they are? Can we catch people in our living rooms? Can we catch people in the safety of our tall-steepled church buildings? Can we catch people if the only people we are around are those previously “caught?” A fisherman goes where the fish are, Jesus goes where the sinners are, but Today’s disciples stay at home behind the walls of their church buildings and wonder why they have no caught no people!
Rest assured each of our towns have Levi’s in them. Rest assured each of our towns have both lepers and paralytics. Rest assured that Jesus Christ in the power of his Spirit is also in our towns already fishing for them. But, Jesus also wants us to be his body fishing with his Spirit to “catch” those who need him. But the question then becomes, are we fishing where the fish are? Are we around and with the people who need Jesus or are we somewhere else doing something else entirely?
My brothers and sisters in Christ, if we are called to fish for people, we are never going to catch anyone unless we go outside the walls and fish for them. They are not going to jump into the boat on their own, they are not going “catch” themselves; we are the ones who must lower the nets in order to “catch” them. Therefore let us be truly fishers of people, even if we must go where the Levi’s of the world are and eat with those people, whoever those people might be. Rest assured, Jesus is already there “fishing,” why aren’t we?
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