Fishing for People: A Meditation on Mark 1

I confess, that the fishing analogy found in the Gospels has caused me struggle over the years—not because it is wrong, but because of the baggage I bring with me to that concept.  For me, fishing is usually done with a pole, bait, and tackle.  It is usually a casual occupation, where I seek solitude or limited company, enjoying early morning hours around a gently waking lake.  I find a certain pleasurable challenge in matching the tackle to the time of the season, and the kind of fish I’m pursuing.  While much of my fishing experience is at the mercy of the weather, the calendar, the geography, or the fish population, I have the ability to plan and adapt my techniques and tools to maximize my potential for a catch.  I become an active participant in the fishing experience, and my methodology is a significant contributor to the success of my efforts.

This is not a good way to see how Jesus called His disciples to become fishers of men.  My experience of fishing is something recreational and largely tied to my own talents.  The kind of fishing Jesus is referring to, is a vocational service tied to His methods and His means.  Jesus did not call His disciples based on their own talents or ability to read the waters, but rather He called them so that He might form them in His own image, and give to them His own tackle for the work.  Before calling His disciples, St. Mark notes what Jesus was doing:

Now after that John was put in prison,

Jesus came into Galilee,

preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying,

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand:

repent ye, and believe the gospel.

For starters, Jesus’ disciples don’t have to worry about discerning the proper time or season, because Jesus does that for them already.  He tells them that the time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand.  No need for His disciples to wonder if they are in the right place, or at the right time, or in the right season—Jesus proclaims that everywhere is the right place, every time is the right time, and every season is the right season, because His Kingdom is present by virtue of His divine presence.  Because Jesus the King has come to be the sacrifice which will redeem all mankind from sin, death, hell, and the power of the devil, He has brought His Kingdom near to everyone in the world.  The time is fulfilled, and the waiting is over.  The time of grace has come upon the whole world, and Jesus has called His disciples into the work of proclaiming it.

Next, Jesus doesn’t leave them wondering what bait and tackle to use, or give them a complex series of formulas to differentiate times and seasons.  Rather, He teaches them to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins, which is the Gospel of His salvation for all mankind.  There isn’t another formula for various different people, but the very same means for everyone.  Just as there is only one Jesus whose Blood is shed for all mankind, so there is only one Name given under heaven whereby all mankind may be saved.  There isn’t a different set of tackle for the people of Asia, or the Middle East, or South America, or the Polynesian Islands.  There is only one message of repentance and forgiveness in Jesus Christ, which Jesus Himself gives to His disciples so that they may become His fishers of men.  Faith and Repentance, coming to every human heart by the power of the Holy Spirit working through Christ’s Law and Gospel faithfully preached, is now and shall ever be the means by which Jesus gives salvation to all mankind.  It is by Jesus’ Word, who is Himself the very Word of God, that His disciples will participate in gathering all mankind to Himself.

What solace this brings to the church in every age!  We are not called to wonder if our time and place is right for our tasks, because Jesus has told us that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, right here and right now.  Jesus makes every time and place the right time and place, by coming near to every time and place through His Word and Sacraments.  We do not have to wonder if we have the right tools to accomplish the work He has given us, because He gives His own divine Word to accomplish His will.  While the devil may deceive and distract the church, telling her that she must change or die, find new consultants and new methodologies to reach new generations, and mimic the cultural vanities of the world so as to be relevant, the Word of Christ neither flinches nor changes.  The devil, a liar from the beginning, creates fear in the disciples of Christ by tempting them away from their Savior’s Word and promises.  Jesus, however, continues to work saving faith in all who will hear Him, repent and believe His Gospel.  Jesus’ Gospel is simple, eternal, and immutable, no matter how convoluted the contrivances of the evil one may be in any generation.

And Jesus’ Kingdom is still near at hand, in our very midst, as He comes near to us in His Word.  Jesus continues to fortify the faith and repentance of His people in His Church, using the same means He uses to call all mankind to grace, forgiveness, mercy, and eternal life.  For wherever Christ is, there His saints will be gathered around Him and His Word of Life.  There, by the power of His Spirit working through His Word, people are continually called out of their darkness, and into His marvelous light.  There, Jesus continues to call disciples by His Word and Spirit, to go forth into the world with His means of grace, making disciples of all nations by baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe everything Jesus has taught by His Holy Word.  There, the kingdom of darkness is put to flight, the sacrificial work of seeking and saving the lost continues, and new generations of saints and martyrs are formed in the very image of Christ their Savior.

There, where Christ is present, are gathered His people around His means of grace, becoming by His Word and Spirit the very Body of Christ.  There we both rest and work in His wonderful grace, repenting and believing His Everlasting Gospel of salvation.  Amen.