I settled in for my devotional time a couple weeks ago and saw I was to read Matthew 4:18-22:
Verses 18 and 19 begin the story: “As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea–for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’”
It’s a story I’ve read numerous times and when you come across passages like this, the temptation is to skim over it or fixate on words or phrases that have made sense in the past. For example, the word “immediately” pops up a couple times (as in “immediately they left their nets”) so that usually grabs one’s attention. I’ve also done a fair amount of reading about the fact that Jesus doesn’t call the religious types, but instead calls the regular folk to start this new way of doing faith.
On that day, though, I disciplined myself not to skim. I wondered, why exactly did Jesus call fishermen? Was there something about this occupation that attracted him? Something came to me pretty quickly and it made all the sense in the world.
I did some fishing as a kid, but haven’t done much of it as an adult. I also know next to nothing about the fishing industry in first-century Palestine. But I have to believe that in addition to knowing where and how to catch fish, one must be prepared for a lot of nothing to happen. One must cast. Again. And again. And again. Perhaps Jesus knew that he was calling people into a way of life where there would be a lot of casting and times with no results. That’s the life of one who fishes. That can also be the life of faith.
Perseverance and patience are highly underrated qualities for anyone who dares to start the journey with Christ. There will be long stretches where seemingly nothing happens. But I think Jesus knew and knows that and he calls us into this life nonetheless. May we go together and be ready to throw our nets into the water, as well.