Fishing for Men and Women

I’ve often wondered about Christ’s suggestion that we should be “fishers of men” (and women, too, of course).

Reason is, I’m a fisher, and “fishing” can often be rather brutal on the target. As beautiful and enticing as the bait or lure may appear, the hook is rather sharp and usually effectively permanent.

Of course we need to acknowledge that “fishing” has changed somewhat from what it was two millennia ago. In Christ’s time, large nets were used as the primary means by which fish were harvested.

Once a school was located (without an electronic fish-finder, interestingly), a net was thrown out, and the fish were gathered onto the shore or into a boat, sometimes even threatening the vessel’s capacity.

What has always caused me wonder is thinking about how we are to carry out this directive with regard to people. How do we locate possible “prey”? Will our targets respond in unison as a school of fish does? What is the modern equivalent of the large, casting nets? And are we to “herd” unsuspecting victims into the kingdom?

Admittedly, the questions are rhetorical. Of course reason tells us that our Lord’s imperative was allegorical rather than literal. And I've so far not even acknowledged a critical ingredient in Christ's proposition.

"Follow me", he urged, "and I will make you fishers of men". If we are true followers of Christ, then we'll likely be living our lives in ways that the Gospel will be seen as being appealing -- or at the least something worth exploring.

I’ll probably reflect on this again sometime when I’m out fishing. Maybe it would be even better if I invited someone along who might be interested in engaging.