From Fishermen to Fishers of Men

Introduction From Fishermen to Fishers of Men (Mark 1:16-20) Even though I enjoy fishing, I do not do it very often. I think one reason for this is that, in the past, I didn t particularly enjoy sitting (quietly) in a boat or on the shore waiting patiently for a bite. This was especially true when I was a kid. My dad would often get visibly and verbally frustrated with my apparent inability to sit quiet and still (casting a hook into the side of his head probably didn t help either). Although I enjoyed the time with my father, fishing and not catching anything was not my most favorite thing to do in life. I think another reason why I don t fish very often is because I am not very good at. There have been many times where I have gone out to fish and ended up simply going on a boat ride. For me, in the past, an unsuccessful fishing trip was a waste of time (I think that has changed as I ve gotten older). In fact, my wife will gladly tell you about a time, early in our marriage, when we when camping at Diamond Lake. One of the things we wanted to do while we were there was fish. Once we got our campsite set up it was late in the afternoon, but we decided to go ahead and fish for a short-time from the dock. Shortly after we got everything ready the weather turned brutally cold and windy. I would say that it was impossible fishing conditions (because I didn t catch one fish), but my wife ended up catching four fish (one with my pole while I was untangling the line on her pole!). Needless to say, that experience tested the strength and commitment of our new marriage. But our marriage survived we just don t fish together anymore! Most people in America today are familiar with the type of fishing where a person goes out into a boat, or finds a spot on the banks of the shore, and uses a fishing pole to cast a fishing line and lure into the water. In fact, it seems as though most people have either tried fishing that way or have seen someone fishing that way. All in all, most (if not all) of us are aware of what someone means when they say they are going fishing. Consequently, when we hear the story about Jesus calling fishermen to be disciples we may possess an incorrect understanding what these fishermen really did. The fishing that some of the disciples were engaged in was not a recreational activity but a occupational necessity it wasn t their hobby or leisure activity, it was their job and livelihood. They did not fish for fun, they fished for food. These men were rough, strong and hard-working men. For them, fishing was not a fun or relaxing time. Rather, it was grueling, exhausting and backbreaking work. Illust: The Sea of Galilee is an oval-shaped body of water about eight miles wide and thirteen miles long, and is nearly 700 feet below sea level. Luke, who was well traveled, always referred to it more properly as a lake. Yet Josephus reports that in the first century a.d. some 240 boats regularly fished the waters of that lake. Much additional fishing was done along the shore, as Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother were doing on this occasion, casting a net into the sea. In that day, three methods of fishing were used. One was by hook and line, the second was by a throw net cast from the shallow water along the shore, and the third was by a large dragnet strung between two or more boats in the deep water. Peter and Andrew were here obviously using the second method. That net was probably about nine feet in diameter, and the two brothers were skilled in its use, for they were fishermen by trade. The Greek term for that particular net was amphiblestron (related to our amphibious, an adjective describing something related to both land and water) so named because the person using the net would stand on or near shore and throw the net into the deeper water where the fish were (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 4:18-22). These are the men whom our Lord called to be His first disciples. They were not wealthy. They were not high-class. They were not famous. They were not privileged. They were not a part of the religious elite. These fishermen were among the poor, the average and the common-folks. They were average,

blue-collar, and hard-working people. They had calluses on their hands and sweat on their brow. They were, in a word, ordinary. Illust: It is clear from these words, that the first followers of our Lord were not the great of this world. They were men who had neither riches, nor rank, nor power. But the kingdom of Christ is not dependent on such things as these. His cause advances in the world, not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts (Zech 4:6). The words of St. Paul will always be found true: Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty (1Cor.1:26,27). The church which began with a few fishermen, and yet overspread half the world, must have been founded by God (JC Ryle; Expository thoughts on Mark; Mark 1:9-20; p.9). That is who the Lord called to be His disciples in the first century, and that is still who He calls today. Jesus bypassed all the religious and social elite, all they prominent and wealthy, and all they scholars and philosophers of His day. He looked pass all the high and mighty to find the humble and the lowly. He did this because God was not, and is not, looking for smart, successful or significant people who think they have no need of God, or who desire to receive (or even share His) glory. God has always looked for those people who will be faithful to bring Him all the glory, honor and praise. 1 Cor 1:26-29 ~ Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things 29 so that no one may boast before him. (cf. 1Cor.1:19-25) Now, does this mean that God does not call or save those who are wealthy, successful or intelligent apart from Him? Does it mean that God will not use those who are prominent, powerful, popular or prosperous? No, it does not. But, it does mean that money, success, religious rank, intelligence any self-inflating or ego-boosting recognition can be a prideful barrier to faith in God and faithfulness to God. God does not cater to pampered egos, primadonna s or pompous personalities. Worldly success or significance can be a tremendously dangerous, if not damning, barrier to true faith and faithfulness. Jesus passed over all those who were self-important, self-righteous or self-serving, and He went directly to those who were common, simple and hard-working. This is who God is calling even today. In His firs disciples, Jesus turned fishermen into fishers of men He called them to be evangelists (those who tell others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ). Jesus took them from their secular work and purpose (fishing for fish), and gave them spiritual work and purpose (fishing for souls). This is true of every true believer in Jesus Christ. While most are not professional fishermen, and most are not called to work fulltime in Christian ministry, every believer is called to be an evangelist making disciples of Jesus Christ. He is not looking for your ability, Jesus is looking for you availability. Jesus does not need your fame, He wants your faith. Christ is not looking for people who are successful in this life, He is looking for those who will be faithful to Him. Matt 28:18-20 ~ Then Jesus came to [His disciples] and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Acts 1:8 ~ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 2 Cor 5:20-21 ~ We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us

By looking at Jesus Great Commission we can identify two foundational Bible truths: 1) God calls every disciple (follower) of Christ to make disciples (followers) of Christ! 2) A true disciple of Jesus Christ is one who makes disciples who makes disciples. While some Christians are given the unique gift and calling of an evangelist (cf. Eph.4:11), every Christian has been called to evangelize. This means that every professing believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is called and commissioned by Christ to tell others about Him. Therefore, it is appropriate for every believer to recognize and understand what it means to be called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ a disciple of Christ who makes disciples of Christ. As we look at this passage we can identify the three essential marks of a disciple-making disciple of Jesus Christ: 1. An uncompromising belief in Christ. At the outset, it looks as if these fishermen, upon seeing and hearing for the first time Christ say, Come, follow me simply dropped everything and followed this stranger (as if He had some hypnotic power over them, or they simply had nothing better to do). The reality is, as we study and compare all four Gospels, we find that this was not the first encounter these men had with Jesus. In fact, by this time in Mark s Gospel, they had not only known who Jesus was but already put their faith in Him as the Messiah and Savior sent from God. In addition, we know the calling we read about in Mark s Gospel was actually the second time Jesus called these particular men. The Gospel of John records the Jesus first calling of these men a calling to salvation. Mark now records for us Jesus second calling a calling to be a witness. Luke (5:1-11) records the third time Jesus called these disciples, and that calling was to permanent discipleship and apostleship. For Luke records at that time the disciples were still fishermen, but after Jesus third call they left everything and followed Him (vs.11). This time, they permanently left their occupations to follow Christ. Illust: By comparing the gospel accounts we discover that there were at least five different phases of Jesus calling of the twelve. Each gospel writer emphasized those phases which best suited his particular purpose. As would be expected, the first call was to salvation, to faith in the Messiah (see Jn.1:35-51; 2:11). The calling that Matthew [and Mark] mentions was the second calling, the calling to witness. After neither the first nor the second call did the disciples permanently leave their occupations. At the time of the third call (Lk.5:1-11), Peter, James, and John were again back fishing. Jesus repeated the call to be fishers of men, and the disciples then realized the call was permanent and they left everything and followed Him (v.11) (MacArthur, John; Matthew: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary). Before Jesus called these men to follow Him in full-time ministry, He called them to fully believe in Him for salvation. While it seems almost too obvious to mention, this point must not be overlooked or discarded as unimportant. The fact that this point may appear all-too-obvious is what makes it so easy to miss. For no one can truly be serving Christ if they have not first be saved by Christ. Too many people today attempt to serve God even though they have not truly received Jesus Christ as their one and only Savior and Lord (or as a vain attempt to earn salvation from God). They are, in reality, serving a god of their own making, serving in their own power and for their own pleasure, and not pleasing or serving God at all. These men whom Jesus called, were first saved. By the time we read of their calling in Mark s Gospel, they had already put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. John 1:35-42; 2:11 ~ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, Look, the Lamb of God! 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, What do you want? They said, Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying? 39 Come, he replied, and you will see. So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, We have

found the Messiah (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. 2:11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. A lot of time had passed between Jesus first calling (to salvation) and His second calling (to be evangelists). This time, when He walked beside the Sea of Galilee He was specifically looking for two men Simon [Peter] and his brother Andrew (vs.16). He did not make a call to anyone and everyone who was fishing on the Sea of Galilee. It was a specific call to specific men. When Christ spotted these two men fishing ( casting a net into the lake ) He said, Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men (vs.17). There was little doubt what Jesus meant when He said I will make you fishers of men and I believe the metaphor was not only readily available to Christ, but used intentionally. Illust: the work of evangelism, of spiritual lifesaving, is nonetheless the purest, truest, noblest, and most essential work the church will ever do. The work of fishing men and women out of the sea of sin, the work of rescuing people from the breakers of hell, is the greatest work the church is called by God to do (MacArthur, John F., Matthew: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1989). Illust: The meaning of this expression is clear and unmistakable. The disciples were to become fishers for souls. They were to labour to draw men out of darkness into light, and from the power of Satan to God. They were to strive to bring men into the net of Christ's church, that so they might be saved alive, and not perish everlastingly (JC Ryle; Expository thoughts on Mark; Mark 1:9-20; p.10). It is important to notice that when Jesus called His disciples He said to them, follow me. The prophets never called people to follow them, but to follow God. Jesus command to follow me the most often repeated words of Christ was a direct and blatant command to follow Him as God. Again we see that Jesus openly and often declared Himself to be the Son of God one with God and equal to God. When the disciples followed Jesus, they knew they were following more than just a man. They knew that Jesus claimed to be more than a Rabbi or a good moral teacher. He clearly claimed to be the Son of God, and the disciples had put their faith in as both Savior and Lord. 2. An unconditional obedience to Christ. Their response to Jesus calling was both immediate and decisive. The Bible does not record anywhere that they wavered or hesitated in response to Jesus calling. Mark records for us that Simon and Andrew left their nets at once and followed Jesus (vs.18). The adverb translated at once (euthus) literally refers to something that is level or straight. In this verse, it refers to the decisive and direct response of these two men. When they heard Jesus command to follow Him, they did not hesitate and they did not doubt. They immediately (straightaway) left in the middle of fishing leaving their nets and all their supplies behind and followed Jesus. This is the mark of true obedience, and the evidence of true faith. For all true believers supremely desire to serve Christ in everything they do, and to obey Him in everything He commands. It is foolish to think that a person can call Jesus Lord, and yet not do what He commands (cf. Matt.7:21; Lk.6:46; 1Jn.2:3-6). If Jesus truly is the Master of a person s life, that person will seek to unconditionally submit, serve and obey Him in everything. However, if Jesus is not truly the Master of a person s life, that person may feign a religious obedience to Christ that is conditional at best and hypocritical at worst. Luke 9:23-26 ~ Then [Jesus] said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (cf. Mk.8:34-38)

To respond to the call of God is to respond with complete and unconditional obedience. It is to willfully surrender yourself to His pleasure, and to joyfully avail yourself to His will. As those fishermen left their nets to follow Christ, so too is every believer willing to leave anything and everything behind in order to follow Christ. For Christ is the supreme object and subject of the Christian s life. To the Christian, nothing is as important to them as being faithful to the calling and commands of their Lord and Savior. His desire is to be their desire. His will is to be their will. His pleasure is their pleasure. Likewise, that which Christ dislikes, hates or abhors is what the Christian also dislikes, hates and abhors. The Christian life is a life lived in ultimate and unconditional surrender and obedience to Jesus Christ. Luke 9:57-62 ~ As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. 58 Jesus replied, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. 59 He said to another man, Follow me. But the man replied, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. 61 Still another said, I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family. 62 Jesus replied, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. To simply say that you want to follow Jesus is easy. In fact, too easy. Unconditionally following Christ takes more than a simple declaration of faith it takes a wholehearted and passionate desire to be wherever Christ wants you to be, to say whatever Christ tells you to say, to pay whatever Christ calls to you pay, and to endure all that Christ asks you to endure! For a saving faith is a persevering faith. True faith in Christ Jesus is an enduring faith. Those who truly believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will do anything to please and serve their God. They have but their faith in Him unconditionally and live out that faith with a passionate obedience. Illust: Such burning desire comes only from the pilot light of obedience. Robert Murray McCheyne died before he was thirty. Of him Courtland Myers wrote: Everywhere he stepped Scotland shook. Whenever he opened his mouth a spiritual force swept in every direction. Thousands followed him to the feet of Christ. Visitors who came to see the church where McCheyne had preached were shown a table, chair, and open Bible. They were then told how that man of God spent hours with his head buried in the Bible, weeping for those to whom he would preach. Myers then comments, With such a passion for souls, is it any wonder that the Holy Spirit gave McCheyne a magnetic personality which drew so many to the Savior? (MacArthur, John F., Matthew: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary). 3. An undivided allegiance to Christ. Verse 20 brings this passage to a climatic conclusion. After calling Peter and Andrew, who responded immediately to Christ s call, Jesus found again with sovereign intention and accuracy James and John. Mark records for us that when Jesus saw James and John He called them without delay (euthus; same as at once in vs.18). They were in a boat, preparing [katartizo; mending, repairing] their nets. When they heard Jesus command they left everything to follow Him including their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men. The implication here is obvious. Their desire to obey Christ as both unconditional and unmatched. Nothing, and no one, was as important to them as following Christ. It is one thing to leave your stuff or even your job for Christ, but it is quite another to leave the family you love for the sake of Christ. But that is exactly what we see that James and John did. Upon hearing Christ call them to follow Him, they immediately left everything including their father in order to obey the commands of Christ. Although the circumstances may be different today, the application of this truth is essentially the same. Christ calls every Christian to exclusively and supremely follow Him as Lord and God. When a person truly puts their faith in Jesus Christ, that person has declared Jesus to be the most important part of their entire life. When Jesus comes into a person s life, He comes to reign as supreme!

Luke 14:15-24 ~ When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God. 16 Jesus replied: A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' 19 Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20 Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' 21 The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' 22 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' 23 Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' Translation? Our love and devotion to our property (possession), work or our very own family cannot exceed or even equal our love and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ! While Christ demands undivided allegiance to Him, He does not ask His followers to abandon their possessions, occupations or families for no reason. Christ s demand for an undivided allegiance to Him is from the perspective of His supremacy. In other words, the believer s love for Christ must be the most supreme and most sacred love of their life. No other love can be equal to, or greater than, their love for Christ. Their love for Christ must supersede and transcend all other (lesser) loves even the love for his wife or his family. For some, this separation can be a dramatic or radical change in their life (if their family does not already know the Lord). While others (whose family are already believers) may not experience such a volatile or hurtful separation. But in either case, the believer s love for Christ is unmatched by any other love. For Jesus demands His followers to have an undivided, even if that love creates a spiritual division in their marriage or family (cf. Matt.10:34-39). Illust: Today, for example, we see this truth played out in the lives of many different missionaries. These men and women will literally leave their mother and father (and sometimes even their grown children) to answer the call of God on their lives. They will move to impoverished, uncivilized and remote parts of the world for no other reason than because they believe God has called them to! Their supreme love for, and undivided allegiance to, Christ is what drives them to leave everything in order to faithfully follow Him as their Lord and Savior. Luke 14:25-33 ~ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters yes, even his own life he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. (cf. rich man Mk.10:17-22) Of course, when Christ says that we ought to hate our mother and father, etc., He is not calling for an unloving or unholy hatred of another person especially a family member for that would contrary to the commands of God (cf. Matt.22:37-39; 1Tim.5:8; Gal.5:20). The point Jesus is making is that a person must count the cost before he or she declares to follow Him. This is because the cost of following Christ is high. For He demands exclusive allegiance from those who are His disciples. Just as He will not be one of our gods (or saviors), nor will He be one of our supreme loves (by definition, true supremacy is not shared). When a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ, they are not only recognizing the supreme lordship of Christ, but they are also forsaking all other masters in their life.

Preachers and evangelists do not do anyone any favors when they reduce the Gospel down to Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life! All that effectively produces is weak-willed, selfserving, and shallow Christians who are unprepared for the battles and trials to come, and when the battles and trials do come they (which they will eventually come) will naturally wonder why God has not held up His end of the bargain for a wonderful life. Jesus told His disciples to count the cost, because there is a cost although it is an immensely and infinitely worthwhile cost to following Christ. Illust: It is rare, in most churches, to sing songs or hear sermons that call the church to battle in faith with the armor of God (Eph.6). In fact, it s rare for anyone to even write songs like that nowadays. Why? Because those songs are most often written (forged) out of the battlefields of war. Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould recognized this dilemma on Pentecost Sunday in 1865. Sabine searched through the hymn-books for a marching song to sing as the children marched in their white baptismal robes down to the river to be baptized. Finding nothing, he quickly scribbled on a piece of paper these words: Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war / With the cross of Jesus going on before. When he was done, he had written the entire hymn we call Onward Christian Soldiers. Conclusion When Jesus calls you to follow Him, He calls you to be a fisher of men. A true disciple follows his/her master with an undivided allegiance. Christ has called His disciples to go into the world and make disciples. It is not enough for the Christian to isolate themselves from the world in order to gain or maintain personal holiness. To be sure, Christ has called us to be separate from the world. But while He had called us not to be of the world, He had called us to be in the world. As Christians, we are called to be in Christ so that we can go into the world and proclaim Him as Savior and Lord. By way of personal application, let me close by asking three closing questions of spiritual examination: 1) Have you put your whole faith in Jesus Christ? 2) Are you whole-heartedly following Jesus Christ? 3) Do you wholly desire to live a life of faithfulness to Jesus Christ? May we, in the same vein as Robert Murray McCheyne, walk through our neighborhoods, cities and community even throughout the whole world with such a heartfelt passion for the proclamation of God that the ground in which we walk shakes from the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. [This sermon was preached at Skyline Baptist Church by Pastor David Woodruff on April 6, 2008.]