The story has it that Mark Twain loved to go fishing, but he hated to catch fish. The problem was he went fishing to relax, and catching fish ruined his relaxation, since he had to take the fish off the hook and do something with it. When he wanted to relax by doing nothing, people thought he was lazy, but if he went fishing he could relax all he wanted. People would see him sitting by the river bank and they would say, “Look, he’s fishing, don’t bother him.” So Mark Twain had the perfect solution: he would take a fishing pole, line, and a bobber, but he wouldn’t put a hook on the end. He would cast the bobber in the water and lay back on the bank. That way he could relax all he wanted and he would be bothered neither by man nor fish. Mark Twain is like a lot of Christians I know. They have their pole in the water, but there is no hook on the end. They are not fishing; they are relaxing.

Jesus called men who were great fishermen to follow Him.  He said, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17).  From this invitation, we uncover a simple truth that I will expand on.

Jesus calls people to Himself so they can influence others.

This is a command. Jesus is not asking for volunteers. He has made a command. This is not a question. It is in the imperative tense. And notice that this is not a command to a work but to a Person. He calls them to a continuous walk with Him rather than to a single act toward Him.

This is a sacrifice. To follow Jesus means you leave everything else. They left everything they’ve known – all the security, family, and business- to follow Jesus. It is interesting to note when they obeyed, one pair left their occupation, the others left their father. This is radical discipleship. A person must leave all behind to follow Jesus.  A radical message with a radical call resulted in radical obedience. This seems negative, but it actually is a positive teaching the power of Jesus’ Word overcomes the power of even family ties and financial stability. God may not ask us to leave our jobs or families, but we must be willing to abandon everything to follow Him.

This is a trust. They left what they were doing and embraced what God was doing wholeheartedly. This is ‘Repent & Believe’ in action. When they heard what Jesus wanted them to do they immediately obeyed and acted with faith. They put their futures and the livelihood of their families in His hands. To follow Jesus shows you trust Him with your future. Jesus said He would make them ‘fishers of men.’ He promised a lifelong learning and growth process. Jesus chooses teachable people. It is no accident that He chose unsophisticated, unlearned fishermen. What an unlikely start for world conquest.

This is a choice. Men of Fish? We were created with a desire to influence others. We want to make a mark. We sometimes worry about the ambition that burns within us. We want to be somebody and do things, but it is not always easy to sort out how much of t his is selfish and how much is Christian. Jesus addresses each of us and our ambition: ‘Do you want to make something of your life, to have a life that is useful? Follow me!’

In light of this, think about the following questions: What does Christ expect me to leave behind to follow Him? What sacrifice of personal achievement, wealth, or position does Christ ask me to make? What prevents me from following Jesus immediately and wholeheartedly? What must I do to eliminate these hindrances in my life?

This episode in the life of Jesus is a shortened version of what happened. It is actually the conclusion of a day-long experience. Luke 5:1-11 tells the miracle leading up to this moment. I encourage you to read it HERE. The following story comes from that passage.

Clarence Darrow was a very successful U.S. lawyer. He was not a Christian, but had among his friends a young minister. One day Darrow asked his minister friend, ‘Would you like to know my favorite Bible verse?’ His friend said, ‘Indeed I would.’  Mr. Darrow said, ‘You will find it in Luke 5:5. ‘We’ve toiled all the night and have taken nothing.’  He added, ‘In spite of my success that verse seems to sum up the way I feel about life.’ No matter what one does in life, no matter what position he may obtain, no matter what he might come to own.. if he leaves God out, the time will come when life itself will rise up and mock him with the word nothing… nothing!