Fishing

 May 5, 2021

Trout season is hard upon us. April first saw a steady stream of fishermen down at the swimming hole, each one hoping to have the right combination to lure that elusive big one out of its hole. Though our stream is stocked, after talking with a number of the hopefuls, I don’t think there were a lot of smiles at the end of the day.

I come from a long line of fishermen. Correction: I come from a long line of worm-drowners. Growing up, summer Saturdays were dedicated to fishing; both grandfathers, my dad, brother, and I would get up early, dig worms out of the bin in the backyard that we had dumped in the wee hours of Friday morning after a night of gathering them from the golf club greens when the sprinklers came on at midnight, and head to the ponds. Anywhere else, these would be called lakes, but along the southern shore of Lake Ontario are a series of small lakes surrounded by cattail marshes. Long Pond, Buck Pond, Cranberry Pond were favored fishing spots for pike, smallmouth bass, and perch. Not that we ever seemed to catch many of them. 

When I went to college, my fishing days became a thing of the past, but I do remember enough to know that success, as elusive as it was for me, depends on knowing the habits of the fish you’re after, knowing their habitat, what they are feeding on at any given time, how the weather affects them, as well as a host of other more ethereal bits of fishy wisdom.

All this floods back when I read Jesus’ words to fishermen Peter and Andrew as he walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, calling out, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!” Something in that invitation must have grabbed their hearts, for they immediately left their nets to become itinerant disciples and eventually, apostles.

It’s the way Jesus said it that intrigues and convicts me. It’s not only a call, but also a promise: If we follow him, he will (not maybe or perhaps) make us fishers of men. The implication is clear: If we’re following, we are also fishing. The reverse is also true: If I’m not fishing, I’m not following. This is where the conviction hits home. I’m pretty much of an introvert; I don’t easily strike up conversations with people, and have to pay special attention to find the key that opens the door to people’s willingness to hear the Gospel. Unfortunately for me, Jesus didn’t qualify his command by limiting it only to extraverts. His statement is unequivocal, which means as much as I’d like to believe I’m following Jesus, if I’m not fishing, I’m not following. 

There’s more: If I am serious about following, I’ll be serious about fishing, which means just like a good trout fisherman studies the flow of the stream, what the trout is feeding on, and how to best present the lure for success, I will study people, learn their ways, where their souls are hungry, and how to present the Gospel for the best possibility of success. Casually tossing my gospel line willy-nilly doesn’t work. And fishing only where it is convenient for me doesn’t cut it. A good fisherman learns where the fish are, and if nothing is biting, pulls his line and goes where they are biting. 

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” I haven’t put my line in the water lately, so these words dig deep. Lord, I’ll follow. I’m watching to see how you did it, so I can do the same.