Fishers of Men
Mark 1:17-18
Goal: That the hearers may commit themselves to "fishing for men" on God's behalf.
Malady: We are not ready to "leave everything"; so many other things are more important than Jesus' call to share our faith with others.
Means: Jesus chooses ordinary people like these four fishermen, to be His representatives. He knows our sins and failures and forgives us (as He did Jonah) and uses us to reach others with His forgiveness (as He did with the people of Ninevah).
Introduction
A certain young lady wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read on the application form, the question: "Are you a leader?" Being an honest person, she wrote, "No", and returned the application, expecting the worst. Some time later, she received a letter from the college, stating: "Dear applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year, our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower." Perhaps you also have heard this story; I received it via e-mail six years ago.
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus is still calling us today, "Come, follow me." That's why this passage is here in the Bible. Now, what does a follower do? He or she doesn’t go their own way. A good follower does what he sees the leader do.
Jesus Himself was a fisher of men. He went around Galilee proclaiming the good news of God (verse 14). He said, "The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" The reason He enlisted Peter, Andrew, James, and John, is because He wanted them to go out and do the same thing. Jesus wanted, and still wants today, followers, followers who will do what Jesus does.
We are not good fishers of men.
Unfortunately, we are often spiritually like the 1,452 new students at that college. We are not good followers. (Show the sign with the letters “WWJD”) Probably some of you have seen these letters in different places. Sometimes there are bracelets or necklaces that have these letters on them. Do you know what they mean? “What Would Jesus Do?” The idea is that we should ask ourselves that question all the time, and then do what Jesus would do. Would Jesus return the extra change that the cashier gave me by mistake? Then I should do it too. Would Jesus turn off his TV long enough to read the Bible and pray every night? Then I should do it too.
Maybe some of you have tried this system to remind yourselves to always do what is right. If you have, then you know how hard it is to always do what Jesus would do. Oh, sure, sometimes we do what Jesus would do. But many times we end up taking the easy way out. Many times we fail to be good followers of Jesus. Do you really think that Jesus would say some of the things that come out of our mouths? Do you really think Jesus would visit some of the Internet sites that attract our eyes? Do you really think Jesus would be as stingy as we are sometimes when the offering plate comes around? Do you really think Jesus would skip church to prepare snacks for the Superbowl? If you are a kid, do you really think Jesus would grab the last cookie and shout, “Mine!”? Oh, the list could go on and on.
Now, when a person becomes a Christian, he very often does a better job of following Jesus than he did before. However, even Christians miss the mark in many, many occasions. And Christians do not have the excuse of ignorance. We know what Jesus would do; we just don’t do it sometimes.
One of the most widespread failures of us Christians is that very often we are not good “fishers of men” as Jesus was.
Nathan Williams tells of two men who had been business partners for over twenty years. They met one Sunday morning as they were leaving a restaurant. One of them asked, "Where are you going this morning?" "I'm going to play golf. What about you?" The first man responded rather apologetically, "I'm going to church." The second man said, "Why don't you give up that church stuff?" The first man asked, "What do you mean?" "Well, we have been partners for twenty years. We have worked together, attended board meetings together, and had lunch together, and all of these twenty years you have never asked me about going to church. You have never invited me to go with you. Obviously, it doesn't mean that much to you."
How much does Jesus mean to us? Why is it that we can talk so easily about theSuperbowl and about politics, we can swap stories and recipes, but we balk at talking about Jesus, the most important thing to talk about in life?
Someone sent me an e-mail once with a joke: What do you get when you cross a Jehovah's Witness with a Lutheran? The answer is: Someone who knocks on doors but won't say anything.
When I read about Peter, Andrew, James, and John, it puts me to shame. Jesus called them and "at once" they left everything and followed Him to fish for men. But we often don't leave behind the things that hinder us from fishing for Jesus. We don't fish because we are afraid that our friends will laugh or reject us if we share our faith. We don't fish because it's uncomfortable or because we don't feel up to the task. Jesus calls us, “Come follow me,” but we have not done a good job of it. He says, “Be fishers of men,” but we have been reluctant to let down the nets.
Jesus changes us into fishers of men
Jesus knows about our failures. But listen carefully to what he says: “I will make you fishers of men.” What we cannot do on our own, Jesus does.
Perhaps you did not know this, but this Bible passage was not the first occasion when Jesus met Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Those four men were disciples of John the Baptist, before he was put in prison (v. 14) and they had met Jesus down by the Jordan River some time ago. However, at that time, they were not yet ready to be fishers of men. But Jesus went and found them by the Sea of Galilee and called them again, and their lives were changed.
Jonah, a prophet of God, was also not ready to be a fisher of men. The first time that God called Jonah to go to Ninevah, Jonah refused. Jonah had to go through some horrible experiences before he finally changed his mind and listened to God's will. And yet, as we see in chapter 3, God didn't give up on Jonah. He called Jonah a second time, and He forgave Jonah, and He used Jonah to bring the whole city of Ninevah to faith!
Jesus calls us too.“Who, me?” Yes, you!! “But doesn’t he know about all the times I’ve screwed up? I haven’t been a good follower of Jesus. Why does he want me?” Because he loves you. Yes, Jesus knows all your weaknesses and failures. But the reason he came to earth, the whole point, was to wipe away everything wrong that you have done. Why did Jesus, the pure, innocent Son of God, have to die? Because he took upon himself our wrongdoing and suffered the punishment in our place. Why did Jesus rise from the dead? Because all of those wrongs are paid for and gone, and Jesus gives us eternal life in their place.
Jesus called Jonah, who was stubborn as a mule. Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John, who were ordinary fishermen. And Jesus calls us. He knows our faults. But he says, “I will make you fishers of men!” What we have failed to do, Jesus forgives. And then he gives us a new opportunity, with Jesus by our side.
We have something wonderful in Jesus. Six years ago, the mission board ordered all the missionaries to leave Venezuela temporarily. Venezuela was full of political unrest. No one knew if there would be a coup. No one knew if North Americans would be targeted. Many workers went on strike, including most of the bus and taxi drivers. On top of all that, the church suffered the sudden loss of all of the missionaries. Yet in spite of all the trouble, the Lutherans in Venezuela were still making it to church. Why did they take such pains to go to church in spite of the conditions around them? Because whatever political and social and material trouble there may be in the world around us, we Christians have a sure hope that cannot be shaken. Everything else will pass away, the good and the bad. Remember the reading from the New Testament? "This world is passing away." But Jesus and his love will never pass away.
Today, at the Missionary Institute where I am the director, several of our students come from Juarez. They tell us stories of gangs running free, extorting protection money, threatening everyone. Some of them have the opportunity to come over to the U.S. And yet, though they come to class each day, they go back to Juarez each evening, and on the weekends continue to tell about the love of God in Jesus Christ. Because this world is passing away, but Jesus and his love remain the same.
These students are very far from perfect. But in Jesus, they have been forgiven, and each day they have a new opportunity. Jesus has made them “fishers of men.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have often failed at being good followers of Jesus. We have not done what Jesus would do. In particular, we Christians have not been good “fishers of men.” But Jesus still calls us, still offers us forgiveness and a new opportunity. We have something wonderful in Jesus, something to share. “Come, follow me,” says Jesus, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
1