Behold The King: Calling Fishermen

Matthew 4:18–22 KJV 1900

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

The King Walks Purposefully

Luke 19:10 KJV 1900

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Matthew 20:28 KJV 1900

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

God has historically used lowly yet faithful individuals to make His glory known. Being lowly does not mean self-depreciating.

Romans 12:3 KJV 1900

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Examples

Acts 13:22 KJV 1900

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

Numbers 12:3 KJV 1900

(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

James 4:6 KJV 1900

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

You might think you are something special, and you are kind of right. You are special because God created you in His image, but you are also flawed. We have all inherited the sin curse through Adam. God still has a purpose for your life, He knows exactly what you can do to glorify Him.

The Rest of the Story

When studying any topic or doctrine in the Bible you must look at the whole context and other biblical instances of the issue you are studying.

Luke 5:1–3 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

Luke 5:4–11 KJV 1900

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

The Power of Divine Casting

Matthew 13:47 KJV 1900

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

The net that God casts is not one that is without choice. God has given the message, and draws men to Himself through the preaching of the Gospel and the moving of the Holy Spirit. But God desires that individuals make the choice to repent and believe on Christ then follow Him.

The action of the fishermen illustrate for us repentance and faith. They straightway left their nets and followed Christ.

Acts 20:21 KJV 1900

Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:1 KJV 1900

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

Conclusion: God has cast His net for your life. If you are unsaved, the net that is cast is your need to repent of sin and believe on Christ alone for salvation. If you are saved, the net is cast to be His ambassador to those you live with and around. The net can be refused, but the alternative is not desirable. You can live however you want but be warned that the end of a life lived for yourself is death and misery. The life submitted to Christ leads to peace, joy, and life eternal.