By David ReayTuesday 2 May 2017LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read Matthew 4:18-20
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him. (NLT)
It all seems so simple. A couple of guys minding their own business on the lakeside doing what they had done countless times before. Jesus urging them to make a sudden and decisive career change. The guys don’t seek counsel, don’t take time off to consider things, don’t consult their sacred writings. They left their nets on the lakeside and began an adventure like no other. Little did they know at that point where it would lead them.
It may well be that Jesus had already been known to them so it was not as if they were accompanying a total stranger. Even so, it was a radical move. Imagine their wives (assuming they were married at this stage) as they were told that the secure job of fisherman was now superseded by the rather more risky vocation of itinerant disciple.
It seems Jesus had that effect on people. Such was his authority. And we can surmise that when Jesus spoke of fishing for people he was offering them something that may have caused their hearts to leap just a little inside. The image is one of rescuing people from danger, in this case the danger of eternal separation from God.
That was something that seemed so important, so challenging, that nothing else seemed to matter much anymore. And it raises the question: will we ever leave our own nets behind and pursue something that puts all else in the shade?
Blessings
David Reay