Let's Go Fishin

Let’s go fishin

Matthew 4:17-4:22

I have never been any good at fishing. Perhaps, when I was a kid it seemed slow and boring. I think that was bases on the fact that I rarely caught anything. I have decided that is because of the family curse.

I get it from my dad; he is exactly the same way. Now he used to try. He took me along many times. We would head out to the lake really early in the morning and we would spend the morning sitting in the boat. Dad telling me to keep still the fish could hear me moving around.

Now I don’t know, if that was true or if it was part of the cover story dad would use to deny the curse. Blame his inability to catch fish on me.

I know that it really is a curse because, for a couple of years we went on a fishing trip with a bunch of guys out around some little islands in the Gulf. We rode out on this large boat and each day they would load two men to a little open boat and send you out fishing. This was a cooperative effort and not a contest. If someone was catching something they would drop a float in the water and it they got several fish they would wave and yell and the gang would gather in the same area.

They would share what bait they were using and each team would fish across the same area.

We would throw in the line and get nothing and the boats around us would do the exact same thing and pull out one or two fish every few minutes.

In a day we might get 2 and the others get 15 to 20 descent fish. There were two guys that would catch up to 100 per day. They were very serious.

Dad and I ended up being called the supply boat. We loaded up in the morning with extra coolers of drinks and snacks and would keep the other boats supplied so they could keep on catching fish.

So I live under a curse in one way and perhaps a blessing in another.

When you don’t catch anything, you don’t have to clean any….right?

Today’s scripture is not really about fishing as much as it is about call. The men called by Jesus were being called into a seminary education of sorts..

They were going to study Theology with Theo (God) himself.

They were probably not much different than professional fisherman today. They work was hard and the hours long. Sometimes they had trouble selling all they could catch and other times they could not catch enough to feed the family much less to sell for cash.

They were just fishermen. If they were like the amateur fishermen that I know I I imagine they knew how to spin a tale. You know, tell a fish story.

The ones that got away, the storms that almost took their lives, the biggest catch ever.

But, what I am wondering is why would they leave what they know for something completely unknown.

As it was they had a daily routine, regular meals, and families. Yet Jesus walks up and says follow me and they Go…

How in the world would these fishermen feel qualified to become the students of a Rabbi. How well could they know scripture. They are working men not scholars.

Not that we know for sure, but they have probably been exposed to the preaching that Jesus recently started. They first me Jesus right after his baptism and recently Jesus moved to this area.

His message is, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

If the kingdom of heaven is near then God is near. That kind of message can get you noticed. Perhaps these brothers receive the message or maybe think that this 33 year old man is a little nuts.

And suddenly, Jesus invites them to become his followers.

Decision time! Keep doing what you have always done or accept the invitation and do something new.

So they jump ship so to speak to change jobs…

They leave fishing and are expecting to be trained to fish for people. Do you think they wondered, what in the world that meant?

They give up the certainty and the stable things in their life, the way they always did things to go with the teacher.

They trust this man Jesus knows something and give an instant response.

Is it fait that causes them to respond?

Fishing to support a family can be a lot of work and often require a lot of faith and even a bit expectation. Even amateurs need equipment which sometimes can get very expensive. There are a lot of people that really work hard at fishing, and It does not matter if the fisherman is a professional or an amateur it is all about what you take home.