Nets and All

The situation was grim (Luke 5:5-11 MSG). Simon Peter and his business partners had fished all night and caught nothing, not even a minnow, in their nets. Jesus showed up and suggested they try one more time. After some excuses and negativity, they made one more toss into the sea. Immediately so many fish were in the nets that the catch strained them past capacity and almost swamped both boats.

What an amazing fish story! I've never had that level of success fishing. As a young boy growing up in New Orleans, I spent time on the banks of the bayous in City Park with a cane pole and shrimp or biscuit dough for bait. My brother and I would fish for perch, trout, or bass. We rarely got a nibble. I remember we even tried using minnows on our hooks to attract the larger fish. We would dip a Dixie cup in the water near shore and scoop up several of the tiny fish at a time. Often the cup was our best fishing pole and those minnows our best catch of the day.

As a teenager I graduated to the much larger lake catfish. They could be up to two feet in length. We walked a quarter mile out on the I-10 bridge to Slidell that was under construction.Why "they" let us do that was always a mystery to us. We would toss our lines over the side to the water about 15 feet below. It usually didn't take long to hook "a big one." Then we would give a pull and hoist the cat up and over the railing of the bridge bringing it down hard on the cement. This would either stun or kill the fish. We worked quickly since dazed catfish had a habit of awakening suddenly and "finning" their attackers. Wearing gloves helped protect our hands from those stinging wounds. Once that catch was off the hook and in the cooler, we tried again.

Years later I was privileged to help guide groups of teens (sometimes including my son Matt) on treks to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. On these trips I seldom fished. I was better at maneuvering a canoe than casting. I enjoyed paddling from the bow of the canoe while Matt sat in front and cast his lure for bass, walleye, or northern pike. We discovered that pike made an elusive move when hooked. They would swim straight up the line and under the canoe. Their goal was to cut the line on the sharp seam of the hull. To overcome this sneaky play, Matt learned to yank on the pole to set the hook and then crank the reel like crazy. That was much more fun than my earlier adventures in fishing.

Remember earlier in this fishy tale, we left Simon and Company with nearly swamped boats. Teamwork got the catch to shore safely. They realized Jesus was also fishing that day. He was fishing for followers who would become part of his team to cast nets for men and women. Those fishermen were overwhelmed with awe at Jesus' miracle. Scripture states, "They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed Him."

The message of the gospel is inspiring as it explains our mission as His fishers (I Peter 3:15 MSG): "Through thick and thin, keep hour hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy." We must be ready to leave nets and all and follow Him.