Fishers Of Men (January 22, 2017).

FISHERS OF MEN

Text: Matthew 4:12-23

Paul Harvey once said, “We’ve drifted away from being fishers of men to being keepers of the aquarium.” (Roy B. Zuck. ed. The Speaker’s Quote Book . Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1997, p. 134). Is he right? Have we become keepers of the aquarium instead of the fishers of men that we were called to be? Are we missing our calling to be fishers of men?

Although the Pharisees probably did not take kindly to John the Baptist’s “in-your-face” approach they were not the ones who arrested him. It was Herod who had John arrested. It was not until the fourteenth chapter of Matthew that we find out the reason for the arrest which was that John preached against Herod’s inappropriate marriage to his sister-in-law Herodias. John the Baptist had gone as far as he possibly could in this life “running out the specific race that race that set before him with perseverance” (Hebrews 12:1).

Just because John the Baptizer was arrested it did not mean that the light was going out! Following John’s arrest, Jesus began His ministry of preaching repentance. Jesus began His ministry of seeking to save the “lost, the last and the least”. Matthew illustrates in verses 15 – 16 that Jesus is the light that Isaiah 9:1-2 prophesied about: Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. They lived in a land of shadows, but now light is shining on them” (GNB). If we were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence of how we have shined for Jesus to convict us? Why is that an important question? It is important because Jesus comes in and calls His disciples to be “fishers of men” against the backdrop of John the Baptizer’s arrest.

Jesus began to teach His disciples about the patience , opportunity and wisdom of becoming “fishers of men”.

PATIENCE

All fishermen need patience don’t they? 1) Technology has potholes: The world we live in is a world that teaches us about immediate gratification. Everything we do or want to inquire about involves the click of a mouse button. 2) Wisdom Tempered by time: Much like our world of advanced technology, we want to be able to have a press button order and see immediate kinds of results in other areas of our lives. It is helpful if we remember one of Aesop's fables about the race between the tortoise and the hare. As we know the moral of that story is that slow and steady wins the race.

Patience and preparation payoff in the long run. 1) Time and experience: How long did Jesus prepare before He entered into His ministry? 2) Appointed time for dispatch: How long did Moses spend in preparation for the task that God had for him? 3) Mentor: How long did Jesus spend teaching His disciples? 4) Results vary: How long should we wait for the seeds of our efforts to bear fruit? Is it the same with every gospel seed that we plant? The answer to these questions will vary with the people to whom we witness as well as their circumstances.

Do we want quick results that may not last when it comes to being fishers of men? "A mushroom grows up overnight, but it requires a decade to develop an oak." Dr. J. M. Price, the great Christian educator of countless Baptists, wrote these words in his classic little book Jesus the Teacher. He applied these words to the work of a minister and his ministry. The desire for explosive growth is ever before us, but it is the ministry of a mighty oak that we must strive to achieve. Mushrooms vanish quickly, but oak trees will speak to generations not yet born. (Raymond McHenry. McHenry’s Quips, Quotes and Other Notes. [Source: Jesus the Teacher, J. M. Price, 1946, p. 47]. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004, p. 43). Is our problem that we want oak tree success at mushroom rate?

OPPORTUNITY

One of the best ways to witness is through a port of entry where there may be something in common. "In the time of Jesus the Sea of Galilee was thick with fishing boats. " (William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel Of Matthew. Volume 1. Revised Edition. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975, p. 77). Our time is thick with opportunities that we can use to reach those that are close to us. Everyone knows a friend, a relative, a fellow employee or a neighbor that you could invite to come to church with you. It is also true that those same people might be more likely to come if they are invited by somebody close to them as opposed to being invited by a stranger.

Do we always see the opportunities when they come our way? There are also opportunities that God gives us to reach neighbors who are strangers to us. God calls on us to love Him with all of our hearts, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. As someone has said, “The right opportunity is always a gift. The problem is to see it.” (Kingsley Bond. Creative Witness. Nashville: Tidings, 1967, p. 17). How often have we missed opportunities? How often has our call to be loving for the forwarding of God’s kingdom fallen short of its goal? I cannot help but to think of how opportunities have been lost that could have changed the outcome. Mahatma Ghandi was turned away by Christians ushers at the entrance of a church in India. One can only wonder how India might have been a different place if that was an opportunity that had not been lost.