2023.09.17 Gonna Need a Different Hook

Gonna Need a Different Hook

Psalm 9:1-2, 9-12 • Matthew 4:18-22

Matthew 4:18–22 NASB 2020

18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, 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 people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Some of you know, I just returned from a sermon writing retreat.

Admittedly, I did not spend the entire time writing. I spent a fair amount of time wetting a line - fishing.

I am by no means a serious fisherman. In fact, I am a little skittish just grabbing the fish to get the hook out of his mouth. Something about being finned on the hand doesn’t appeal to someone who plays guitar.

When I went down to the lake the first time last week, my reel didn’t feel right. It was casting weird. It wasn’t terrible, but my casts were going out a little bit and then they’d stop and just drop into the water. So I thought my line was tangled inside the reel. I didn’t see a tangle, so I decided to put all new line on, and it seemed to get worse!

After a few more casts, I took the cap off the reel, and I discovered that the reel was actually broken! The springs inside weren’t working, so I could cast or reel in. The entire purpose of the reel was gone.

So I did the responsible thing. I switched to Annette’s newer pole with a new reel on it. Problem solved.

Caught a couple of fish … but with Annette’s pole at first I had a lot of trouble getting the hook out of the fish’s mouth. The hook was really small, so my fat fingers had trouble getting a grip on the hook well enough to remove it.

Eventually, I got frustrated enough, I said, “I’ve had it! I need a new hook.” And I put a new hook on the line.

My friend and I caught a lot of blue gill, and we each caught one large mouth bass. But Jason decided he really wanted to go after the bass. So, he took off the worm and hook on his rod, and replaced it with a small jig that is made specifically for bass fishing.

We had caught bass with a simple worm and hook … but he switched to the jig because he was serious about specifically catching bass.

In today’s reading, Jesus encounters Peter and Andrew fishing. He tells them he will make them fishers of men, and they leave their nets and follow him.

Does that sound a little crazy to any of you?

Then, they see James and John. Jesus calls to them and they leave their BOAT AND THEIR DAD!

Does that sound more than a little crazy to any of you?

Do you think these four men were good fishermen?

Wouldn’t you think if they truly became “fishers of men” there would be more than 12 apostles? [perhaps if that’s what it means to be fishers of men … perhaps that’s not what it means, though]

In Matthew 13, Jesus is telling parables and he includes this:

Matthew 13:47–48a (NASB 2020)

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind;

48 and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers....

Word Biblical Commentary, talking about the phrase “fishers of men” says:

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 33A: Matthew 1–13 Comment

The simplest and most convincing understanding of the phrase, for which no genuine parallels exist, is that it refers in a general way to the work of the new disciples, who are now to be concerned with drawing men and women into the kingdom of God.

So the job of a ‘fisher of men’ is not to gather more apostles.

It’s not gather more teachers.

It’s not to impress the political leaders or Jewish leaders.

… recruit Finance team members, or Ushers, or fill up the Preschool.

The singular job of a ‘fisher of men’ is to draw men and women into the kingdom of God.

Gonna Need a Different Hook

Three of these four men would become the most prominent of the disciples. Jesus had a band of 12 men, but Peter, James, and John were the closest to him. They were the only apostles in the room when Jesus resurrected a little girl who had died in Mark 5. They were the only apostles present at the Transfiguration (Mark 9). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus pulls these three away from the other apostles and they’re present as Jesus cries out to God for another way to redeem humanity.

After the resurrection they become important figures in the early chapters of the Book of Acts as Christianity is being established.

In Acts, Peter becomes the primary spokesperson for the apostles. James is the first apostle to be martyred. And John wrote five books included in the New Testament: a gospel, three letters, and the Book of Revelation.

A large portion of what we know about the Christian faith is due to the actions of Peter, James , and John. They didn’t gather a crowd for themselves. They drew men and women into the kingdom of God.

They were accustomed to fishing with a wide net, and sometimes that’s appropriate. At other times, a worm on a hook is better than a net. Perhaps a jig instead of a hook sometimes.

It all depends on what you hope to catch.

When we’re fishing for men and women … are we looking for anything specific?

Let me remind you...:

Matthew 13:47–48a (NASB 2020)

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind;

48 and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers....

The kingdom of heaven is a dragnet that gathers fish of EVERY kind. And we are all supposed to be fishers of men and women for God’s Kingdom.

What do we have to show for our recent fishing? How many souls have we welcomed into the Kingdom in recent months? … recent years?

Gonna Need a Different Hook

Perhaps we’re using the wrong equipment. Maybe we have some illusion of what type of person would be the perfect fish for the Kingdom. Maybe we’re fishing for only one type of person, and we’re trying to use the wrong lure, or net, or hook.

I said earlier that I’m far from a serious fisherman. I couldn’t tell you the differences between different types of lures or when to raise or lower the depth of your line. It’s mostly guess work for me. I’ve never fished with a net. Serious fishermen would likely be frustrated by me. So it might be easier for me to just not fish.

Is that what we’ve done in the church? I don’t know how to fish for only women, or for wealthy people, or poor people, or retirees, or young people, or Black people, or Asian people. Since I don’t know enough, maybe I’ll just go to Kroger to get my fish and leave the fishing to other people.

But that’s not how the Kingdom of God works. That’s not how Kingdom PEOPLE work.

Jesus calls us to be fishers of people … ALL people. I may not be good at it ... but I still bait the hook and cast out my line. If I don’t catch anything, maybe I can learn something along the way, and at least I can say I tried. But if I don’t cast the line I’m denying the very work Jesus said should drive His Kingdom.

So … What are your plans for lunch? Why not try your hand at fishing?