Kingdom Net

The Call To Cast Nets

In Matt 4 we read Jesus’ first call of his people to follow him on his mission.

English Standard Version Chapter 4

18 While walking 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. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

For people in Jesus’ time in the Galilean countryside, fishing was a huge part of their lives. For us here today fishing is a hobby, or a fun pastime. And as Ken Fawley can tell you, it is a good thing I do not have to fish for my supper, because I would be hungry- a lot! But these men built their lives around fishing.

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Why we are called to cast nets:

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Fishing

Three types of nets were used in the ancient world:

• Small circular nets were cast from the shore into shallow water. The leaded edge of the net formed a cone, with the fisherman holding the center of the net in his hand.

• A long net, or seine, was cast into the water and dropped 1–2 fathoms. Ropes fastened to the ends were carried ashore, drawn in by 5–10 men on each rope.

• In deeper waters a similar net was dropped 4–5 fathoms deep. The ends were brought together to form a circle. Fishermen then dived down and brought one portion of the weighted edge under the rest. The net was then narrowed and the fish were emptied into the boat. Sometimes fishermen would tow the net into shallow water before drawing it up. The disciples probably used this method (Matt 4:18; Mark 1:16; Luke 5:2–10; John 21:3–11).

When fishing with a net, you can’t be picky.

Here’s the thing, when fishing with a net, you can’t be picky. You drag the net, fill it up, and leave the sorting for later. When Jesus tells this parable he is calling us to be net casters- to bring in all the people we can to hear the message of grace.

Too often Christians will go long periods of time- maybe even their whole lives- without sharing the message of the Gospel. And why? Some of those is because they are waiting until they find someone they think will be receptive. It’s like we have a picture in our minds of what a person who would come to church or accept Jesus looks like. They are probably:

Middle aged, dressed in up to date well kept clothes; maybe a kid or 2 at home; good job; styled hair’ they don’t cuss, don’t drink, don’t use crude language, and treats everyone around them with kindness And respect.

And as soon as God brings that person our way we will tell them all about the Lord. Here’s the problem, that is not net casting- that’s cherry picking.

You see, net casting makes no assumptions, waits for no guarantees, and takes risks. Jesus is not asking us to be picky, he is asking us to be inclusive. He wants us to bring in the fish and leave the sorting and cleaning up to him.

I can see the disciples headed out to the water with their big nets now; someone from the shore asks them “what are you fishing for?” Their response would probably be “whatever gets in my net!” Which should probably be our response. Who are you taking the Gospel to today? Whoever get’s in my net!

John 3:16 tells us that God loves the whole world.

Jesus is not asking for them to add a hobby- Jesus was asking for a fundamental life-change! He was asking them to change their priorities and their passion

Jesus is not asking us to give up our careers, our homes, our goals or anything else. The Disciples literally left their old lives behind. Jesus is asking for us to evaluate those things through the lens of his Kingdom and ask how you can use your life to bring others to him.

Here’s the problem. Too many theologies have made evangelism into something to do. We have evangelists who we task with sharing the good news; we have special evangelism services where we are encouraged to bring people who do not know Christ; We take evangelism training and read evangelism books. But the truth is evangelism is not something we do- evangelism is a way we are called to live.

When someone we know needs to hear about the Lord we should not have to flip a switch and transfer to “evangelism mode.”

There is a reason that Jesus takes their vocation, their everyday life and recasts it as “fishing for men” Because Jesus wanted faith sharing to be a core of who they were to be.

Casting Nets is a Team Activity

Here’s the other truth wrapped up in a bit of this---at almost no point did someone fish alone. No, the boat was full of people. It took 5-10 people to drag these nets and bring the fish into the boat. There was no way they were completing this task on their own.