Fishing and Catching

Published August 4, 2012 |

As he walked 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. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4: 18-20 RSV

“The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad,” As A.K. Best said. On the few occasions that I’ve gone fishing, most of the time was spent baiting the hook, throwing out the line, and waiting, rather than actually catching anything.

How did Jesus catch people? It’s said that attitudes are caught, not taught. Jesus knew that. Although he taught about the kingdom of God, he also offered it to people by meeting them in their brokenness and need and extending compassion, healing, and forgiveness.

“You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” as another old saying goes. Jesus spoke the truth, but He spoke it with love. When we speak the truth in love or extend forgiveness or compassion to someone else, we are fishing the way Jesus did. We can leave the results, the catch, up to the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, may my attitude toward others attract them to Your love.

Reflection for sharing: What do you find most attractive about God? How can you share that with someone else today?

Posted in Uncategorized |

Tagged attitudes, compassion, forgiveness

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Meditations

But Jesus answered “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’” (Matthew 4:4)

All Bible quotes are from the Good News Translation unless otherwise noted.

It is reassuring that Jesus called fishermen and tax collectors to be his followers. These were laymen, not Scripture experts. It is wise to seek guidance from religious scholars and clergy who have studied Scripture to avoid errors in interpretation. But the Bible is also a gift given to each of us, to use as a basis for prayer and meditation.

I’m not a Biblical scholar; I’m an expert only on my own experience. Following the Scripture passage is a brief meditation along with a question or two as a springboard for your own reflections. Please feel free to share your own thoughts or insights on the passage by adding a comment. All comments are moderated, so please allow some time for your comment to be posted.