For What Are We Fishing?

Sermon - For What Are We Fishing?

Fishing is a common pastime here in Wisconsin, with as many species as there are waterways to fish in. Panfish in small ponds, spearing carp and sturgeon, baiting catfish on the Wisconsin and Mississippi, walleye and northern on the bigger lakes, fly fishing for trout on the cold, oxygenated streams, or even just a trip to Culver’s or your local tavern for a Friday Night fish fry, fishing is a part of Wisconsin culture. I daresay it would be difficult to find anyone here today who has never fished.

For me, fishing isn’t as relaxing as it is for most people. My experiences began as a kid when dad would help us pack up our 10-foot cane poles with a line and bobber and take us to Otter Creek, a few miles upstream of St. Malachi’s Church in Clyde every Father’s Day. We rarely had much luck, and for m,e the sport wasn’t quite as “offensive minded” as I hoped it would be. Now, if I could have jumped in after the fish and beat them with a stick or scooped them up with my bare hands, that would have appealed to me. Last summer, some friends of ours traveled with us to Colorado for vacation. Knowing Steve was an avid fly fisherman, I asked him to take me when he went, and that was a more enjoyable experience for me. He taught me how to cast the fly, and it was more fun certainly than bank fishing or casting for northern in the Lake of the Woods Chain in Canada. So now I have a fly rod, reel, several flies, the goop to keep your flies dry, a pair of waders, and a vest…the whole 9 yards…and I plan to go again this spring once the weather gets a little warmer. Maybe around Father’s Day.

What I learned through the years is that fishing, like many things, isn’t really about catching the fish. Not for me, anyway. That’s like saying Hemingway’s “The Old Man And The Sea” is about fishing - it isn’t - or that “Rocky” is a movie about boxing. That is not the case, either. No, fishing is about the people you are spending time with while you are dipping your line into the water. Those connections that we strengthen by spending time with one another. The conversations that transpire. One such conversation between my teaching friend, Dave, and I, while spending time at his cabin near Tomahawk, became just such an opportunity. This would have been around 1991 or so. Out of the blue, Dave said to me, “Why are we here?” Assuming he was frank in his question about metaphysical existence, I responded, “We are here to experience the brief moments of joy that show us what heaven can be.” I’m pretty sure he was surprised by my response. He continued to fish in stunned silence and, after a whil,e responded with, “Wow.” Yeah, now and again, the comedian band director who doesn’t teach a real class comes up with something insightful. By the way, I caught a pretty good-sized rock bass that day. Dave said it was the biggest he had ever seen, so I thought that was kinda cool. I had no idea there was such a thing as a rock bass.

Fishing is an important occupation in the Bible. It shows up in all four gospels. Specifically, Jesus begins his ministry by becoming not a carpenter, but a fisher of men. Each of the four Gospels tells the story of Jesus calling his disciples, Simon Peter and Andrew, to drop their nets and come with him.

Mark and Matthew, in their Gospels, tell the same story. According to these two Gospels, Jesus is baptized by John, led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, and then, following John’s arrest, goes to Galilee to begin his ministry. Mark says it most simply, saying, “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

Matthew adds a little detail about Jesus leaving his hometown of Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum, to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah that is recorded in our first lesson. Matthew makes a point in his Gospel to show that many of Jesus’ actions were a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. But still, there is nothing mentioned about Jesus preaching any sermons or attracting any large following. He is simply at the very beginning of his ministry.

Rather, according to Mark and Matthew, the first thing that Jesus does is to call his first disciples. And what an amazing story they tell. Jesus is walking along the shore when he sees two fishermen, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, casting their net into the sea. Jesus calls to them and says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately, we are told, they left their net, their boat, their occupation, and followed Jesus down the shore.