Sermon Text: Mark 1:14-20
The first disciples of Jesus were fisherman who made their living on the Sea of Galilee. They were not trained speakers or teachers, nor were any of them known to be leaders of others at this point. They were just simple men who made a living fishing.
They used nets to fish. Each morning fishermen would row out to an area of the sea and drop their nets, leaving them open so that the fish who swam into the nets could be caught when the nets were closed. Fishing by net is perhaps the oldest form of fishing in the world. It is known to have been used by indigenous peoples on each continent. It’s a simple method and it doesn’t need bait.
Jesus told those first disciples that if they followed him, he would make them fish for people. Since the earliest days of Christianity the fish has been a symbol associated with Christians. It’s most often found in tile mosaics in ancient churches. People are much more important than fish. These first disciples would not be the only disciples. They would soon be bringing more people to Jesus, they became fishers of men.
In another story about the disciples from the Gospel of John, which we read last Sunday, Phillip went and told Nathanael about Jesus, and Nathanael too became a believer and a follower, and I imagine Nathanael told others. Long before the internet this is how news traveled. There are numerous accounts of early disciples simply telling others about Jesus and bringing them to him.
And this would be the best way the Gospel could be spread, from those earliest days, one disciple inviting another person to follow Christ. It was more like fly-fishing than net fishing. Through the years most of my parishioners who were converted or had an awakening in their faith were brought there by a friend or a neighbor or a co-worker. What they were sharing was Good News for all people, that God is forgiving all their sin through belief in His Son. They found new life in Christ. (Pause)
Half my family, the Bells and the Mears, came from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, that part of Virginia on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay, the peninsula extending southward from Maryland. My dad, my brother and sister, and I were all born in a place called Nassawadox, a Native American word meaning ‘land between two waters.’ It’s probably about 6 miles from the bay side to the Atlantic side at Nassawadox.
Like so many families on the Eastern Shore, the Bells and the Mears were fishermen for generations. We heard that the Bells came from Scotland in a large fishing boat across the Atlantic in the 19th century. So, we grew up fishing and were around fishermen a lot. My dad’s best childhood friend sold fresh fish from his fishing boat at a pier in Washington, D.C., which we visited frequently—Custis & Brown Seafood. I remember spending the night on the boat with their children.
There are different methods of fishing commercially, some of which are probably not safe for the environment, for example, trawling on the bottom. When I was growing up I became aware of fishing with dynamite—throwing a stick of dynamite into the water, then scooping up the fish it killed.
In Alaska the Athabaskans along the Yukon River use fish wheels—gigantic wood contraptions that catch the current with a paddle wheel. The fish wheel is on a long pole, usually a tree cut from nearby, that you can use to push the wheel out into the river. The paddles scoop up salmon which then slide down a chute into a wooden box. The Eskimos used a mean-looking three-pronged hook with bait on it that they dropped through a hole in the ice. I once found out how difficult it is to catch a trout with a fly rod. Different methods for different fish in different waters. (Pause)
When I was in seminary I took a required class called “Christian Apologetics”. It’s not apologizing for being Christian. It’s the classic study of presenting the Christian faith in a way that addresses the usual objections—why does God allow suffering, if God created everything where did evil come from? The Bible is full of myths that should not be taken seriously, human beings created God to explain the things they do not know, and so on.
In 2,000 years of the Christian faith there is no serious objection that has not been considered and addressed. Jesus is the Truth of God. How can we help people see and accept this?
There are now many people in the younger generations who have not grown up in the Church. They tend to be unhappy and confused. Learning how to help them overcome their objections to the Christian faith is a lot like fishing. Sometimes you have to use different ways of connecting with people. We show them some different aspect of life in Christ of which they seem to be most in need—such as forgiveness, purpose or belonging, joy or love, or true friendship.
Like fish, sometimes people are just floating along, not swimming against the current, aimless. Sometimes they are swimming alone, or swimming in pools with many others. Some may be attracted to a bright shiny lure, or the prospect of the feast of a worm. Others may take the bait then fight fiercely.
Generally, people do not like to feel like they are being pursued by other people. So apologetics to my understanding has become more an issue of how to meet people where they are and show them the love of God in Christ in all its richness. It can be more subtle, or more direct, depending on where each person is in their life, what their issues are. We develop relationships with one another. In time, with patience and love, the Holy Spirit will guide us in sharing the Gospel in ways that are helpful.
We are called by Jesus even now, in our time, as Simon, Andrew, James, and John were, to become fishers of men. They became fishers of men, and because they answered Jesus’ call to follow him, our lives are guided by the Good News of God in Christ. We are very fortunate. (Pause)
Whether or not we are aware of it, we are always fishing for something. The example of our lives, what we prioritize, the choices we make, the words we speak are all ways we bring others to Christ, or ways we drive them away. Our faith, humility, and sincerity is essential. Those who have no faith see in mature Christians a wisdom and peace that they desire for themselves. (Pause)
It is often said that the Christian faith is not just taught, it is caught. Instead of nets the Church has open arms, believers going out to meet people where they are in the world, and by their example drawing others to the love of Christ. Amen.
Need a refresher of the readings?
First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Psalm 62:6-14
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Gospel: Mark 1:14-20