TODAY’S PASSAGE
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. (Matthew 4:12-25, NIV)
REFLECTION
Today’s passage describes an important part of a Christian’s personal mission statement: We are to fish for people. John’s ministry had emphasized repentance, but Jesus adds new dimensions: teaching, healing, and bringing about the reign of God.
As a young, on-fire-for-Jesus evangelical, I thought “fishing for people” meant getting converts. So I signed up for door-to-door evangelistic outreaches, carried around tracts outlining the gospel message, and attempted to lead people to Jesus through any means necessary (including badgering them incessantly). Thankfully, I came to understand that there’s much more to it than that!
We aren’t simply to preach the good news; we’re to enact it. In fishing for people, Jesus wants us to create a boat of shalom, where everyone is known, loved, served, and celebrated. This shalom is a place of healing, restoration , and fulfillment of our potential—all to celebrate God’s grace and to invite more people into it. In fact, no one is to be left out! God will search out the stray soul like a lost coin (Luke 15:8-10) and will give everything—everything—to gain the treasure of one individual’s presence (Matthew 13:44-45). God wants every last one in the boat. It’s our job to invite them in.
But first comes repentance. Like these fishermen, we must leave behind the prejudices and expectations of our occupational and familial worlds to follow Jesus. Those people “we” never liked? Learn to love them. That stubborn trait “we” are known for? Get over it. We must leave behind all those familiar, well-learned, “normal” attitudes and ways of living that simply aren’t consistent with God’s kingdom. Instead, we must adopt ways that, by the standards of the world, are foolish: loving mercy, living justly, and walking humbly; promoting justice that runs like water; being poor in spirit; loving our enemies and our neighbors as ourselves. So, would you like to be the good news for someone? Let’s go fishin’!
But we must also come to see ourselves as agents of healing and change in this world, in the actual lives of the people God brings across our path. To truly believe and trust ourselves as change-agents—ministers of reconciliation—we have to prepare for the task at hand: practicing disciplines, understanding who we are in God’s eyes, and developing the humility to participate in a life-changing process controlled not by me but by Someone higher.
You, my friend, are one of the great treasures unearthed by the kingdom of God—remember? (Matthew 13:44-45). Your unique life—transformed by your submission to God’s grace and honed by the spiritual practices of a disciple—can be a powerful witness to what goodness, compassion, and love can be.
You have the potential to participate in healing and changing lives; you can help pull people out of the deep and into the boat. God’s boat. Dare you trust yourself to fulfill that potential?
PRAYER
God of miracles, I am overwhelmed by the fact that you treasure me. You choose me. You believe in me. I want to follow you wholeheartedly. Help me become the kind of person worthy of casting your net for people. Help me to become what you envision and to participate in the transformation of the world. Amen.
WHO AM I?
I am Tres Sansom, and I
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