Briningham/Gunthorpe 20-01-02
Briningham 20-01-02
Fishers of Men - Mt. 4:12-22
This morning I would like to focus on three words from our Gospel reading. I want to look at the phrase "fishers of men"
Story: There’s often more to life than appears on the surface. Take the year 1809. The Peninsula War in Spain was in progress and Napoleon had invaded Austria.
There were at least 20 battles and skirmishes on record, the most famous of which were:
1. Coruna, at which Sir John Moore the British Commander in Chief was killed and
2. Talavera, which established Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington as one of our most able Field Commanders, the man who went on to defeat the seemingly invincible Napoleon at Waterloo.
The 10 o’ clock news would have been full of Napoleon’s war with the Austrians and in Spain.
Nobody then cared about the babies who were born that year.
Yet in 1809 at least seven remarkable babieswere born.
1. William Gladstone, who was destined to become one of England’s greatest Prime Ministers.
2. Alfred Lord Tennyson, who was destined to become one of Britain’s finest poets and writers.
3. Edgar Allan Poe, the famous American writer, who was destined to live a short and tragic life
4. In Paris, France the invenot of the blind alphabet, Louis Braille
5. In Germany, the famous composer Felix Mendelssohn
And on the 12th February 1809 two remarkable men, one on each side of the Atlantic were born
6. In England Charles Darwin, who was to achieve fame in science with his Evolutionary Theory was born and
7. In the USA - Abraham Lincoln – probably the greatest American President ever was born.
If there had been a review of the year 1809, I’m certain these words would have been heard:
"The destiny of the world is being shaped on the battlefields in Austria and Spain today."
But history was actually being shaped in the
cradles of England and America.
(My thanks to Charles Swindoll for this information)
Just as there was more below the surface in 1809, so I believe that there is more below the surface in Jesus’ words to Andrew and Simon Peter when he said
“I will make you fishers of men”.
I think that it was more than just a pun on their present occupation as fishermen. It was more than simply calling Andrew and Simon Peter to a new trade.
They were no longer to catch fish but bring men and women into the Kingdom of God.
But if the phrase "fishers of men" is going to have any significance to us today, it must do so by giving us insights into the character required of Christ’s disciples.
I personally think that there are three important character traits that fishermen in the 1st Century on the Lake of Galilee had, which apply to Christians who want to be involved in mission today.
1st Century Fishermen would have had to be
ADAPTABLE,
COURAGEOUS and
TENACIOUS
to make a living at fishing.
And this gives a simple pneumonic: A.C.T. by which we can remember the three traits.
If we are going to be successful Christians then we too must ACT.
1. The first character trait was ADAPTABILITY
Depending on the fishing conditions of the day, a fisherman on the Lake of Galilee would use one of three methods of fishing.
1.1 Use of Hooks
One of these methods would have been the use of
baited hooks for catching individual fish.
We see reference to this method of fishing in Scripture when Jesus tells Peter in Mt. 17 to
“throw out your line. Take the first fish that you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours. (Mt. 17:27)
1.2. Use of the Cast Net
The second method of fishing was to use a cast net.
There were two types of cast net
1. A simple cast net called the amphibleestron, which was in the form of a bag, coming to a point at the bottom.
Its mouth was about 3 foot in diameter with weights around it, which kept it open when it was thrown and closed it when it sank in the water.
The fisherman would wade in from the shore and throw it with great dexterity considerable distance.
Peter and Andrew were fishing with these nets when Jesus called them in this morning’s Gospel lesson.
The other cast net, called a “diktuon” was too heavy to be thrown and so would be used by fishermen when they found themselves in the midst of a shoal.
It was the use of the “diktuon” that we see referred to in Jn’s gospel when Jesus, in one of his post-Resurrection appearances to the disciples, told Peter and his fellow fishermen to “throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some” (Jn 21:6) and they then caught 153 large fish.
1.3 Use of a seine net
The third common mode of fishing was with a long seine net or a drag net, which would be drawn behind a boat with, floats on the top and weights on the bottom.
It is this net that Jesus referred to in Mt. 13 in the Parable of the Net when he said:
“Once again the Kingdom of God is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. And when it was full the fishermen came and pulled it up on shore.”
1.5 So how can we apply this in our situation?
I believe we need, like the fishermen, to be flexible in the way we present the Gospel.
If we want to fish successfully, we need to see what the fishing conditions are like that day. There is no point using a baited hook when there are shoals of fish and there is no point using a seine or drag net when there are only few fish out there.
In the same way if we want to reach this post-modern society, we can’t rely on methods of the past that were geared to modernity society.
We need to be flexible in what we do. Not just in mission but also in our services too.
2. The second Character trait was COURAGE
2.1 Fishermen on the lake of Galilee had to be courageous and tough.
The Lake of Galilee was famous for the speed at which a storm could descend. It is surrounded by mountains.
Story: Sir Charles Wilson, over 100 years ago described his own experience of such a storm of the Lake of Galilee.
“The morning he writes “was most delightful; a gentle easterly breeze, and not a cloud in the sky to give warning of what was coming.
Suddenly about midday, there was a sound of thunder, and a small cloud ‘no bigger than a man’s hand’ was seen rising over the heights of Lubeik, to the west. In a few moments the cloud had spread, and heavy black masses came rolling down the hills towards the lake, completely obscuring Tiberias.
At this moment the breeze died away; there were a few moments of perfect calm, during which the sun shone out with intense power, and the surface of the lake was smooth.
Tiberias stood out in sharp relief from the gloom behind, but it was soon lost to sight as the thunder gust swept past them, and rapidly advancing across the lake, lifted the placid waters into a bright sheet of foam.
In another moment it reached Gamala driving my companion and me to take refuge in a cistern, where for nearly an hour we were confined listening to the rattling peals of thunder and torrents of rain.”
Anyone prepared to go out on such a risky lake had to have courage.
2.2 So how can we apply this in our situation?
Talking to our friends about Jesus – preaching the Kingdom of God – is often not comfortable.
We need to have courage to talk to people. To invite them to church and Christian meetings.
Story: J. John is holding a series of evangelistic talks starting in April this year for 10 consecutive weeks in the Royal Norfolk Showground called the “Just Ten” meetings
May I suggest that each one of us might decide to ask at least one friend to go with us?
3. The third character trait was TENACITY
3.1 Fishermen had to be tenacious
In other words, they had to have patience.
They could not afford to give up, if the fish did not swim into their nets immediately.
They would often be out all night fishing – and sometimes not have anything to show for it. But they didn’t give up fishing because of it.
3.2 So how can we apply this in our situation?
Too often, we are tempted to give up praying for people - because we do not see immediate change.
Story: I became a Christian at sixteen through the persistence of my aunt, (who was a Roman Catholic nun) who, amongst others prayed for me. She could have given up – but her persistence won through.
This is a real challenge not to give up on our families
4. Conclusion
Fishermen on the Lake of Galilee had to be
ADAPTABLE,
COURAGEOUS and
TENACIOUS
to survive.
These are characteristics that we need if we are going to succeed in obeying Christ and in preaching the Gospel in our villages.
We need to be adaptable in our outreach methods.
We need to be courageous when opposition comes.
We need to be tenacious in prayer when immediate results don’t seem to happen – because without the Holy Spirit’s power we can achieve nothing.
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Footnote: I would like to express my indebtedness to the article "Fishing in the Lake of Galilee from "Everyday Life in the Holy Land" by James Neil available under http://www.lightofword.org/ fishin~1.pdf
1. Battles and skirmishes of 1809
· 16.1.1809 battle of La Coruna
· 21.3.1809 battle of Oporto
· 28.3.1809 battle of Medellin
· 17-23.5.1809 battle of Alcanitz (Spain)
· 15.06.1809 battle of Maria (Spain)
· 15.06.1809 battle of Belchite (Spain):
· 16.4.1809 battle of Sacile
· 19.4.1809 battle of Rascyn
· 20.4.1809 battle near Abensberg
· 22.4.1809 battle of Eggmühl
· 3.5.1809 battle of Ebelsberg
· ?.5.1809 battle at the Berg Isel
· 12.5.1809 battle of Duero
· 17.5.1809 fight near Linz
· 21-22.5.1809 battle of Aspern
· 4.6.1809 battle of Gerona
· 14.6.1809 battle of Raab
· 5-6.7.1809 battle near Wagram
· 10./11.7.1809 battle of Znaim
· 27-28.07 1809 battle near Talavera la Real
