Jesus the Good Fisherman

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 21, 2018

GOSPEL LESSON: Mark 1:14–20
14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
16Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
P: This is the Gospel of our Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.

We often think of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, but today I want to look at Jesus as being the Good Fisherman. He passes alongside the Sea of Galilee and casts out his net and catches Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. And then casts it out again and catches James and John. He says, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left everything behind and followed Jesus.

Being caught by Jesus is entering the Kingdom of God. As Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” The “net” that Jesus uses is the gospel. And as we see, like “catch and release,” it is the beginning of true freedom.

There are nets that catch and entangle and capture us, that enslave us, that imprison us. There are all kinds political and economical and social and religious nets that do that. At the same time, in this age of the internet there are many networks that try to help people be free. They can be helpful and we can be grateful for that.

At the time of Jesus, while Jesus was proclaiming the gospel of freedom, there were the religious leaders who were controlling the people of Israel with a net made from the Law of Moses. They would catch people in their sin or uncleanness and they would not let them go. This, they thought, was the way of perfection and the way to keep them faithful to God.

Not only at the time of Jesus, but even today, Satan has made his net. He captures people in their sin and rebellion to God and keeps them there. His net is made of lies and fear and greed and lust and selfishness and a whole network of sinners and evil. He offers no rescue, but will drag all to death and hell.

Jesus confronted both of these. He knew that people caught in either the nets of legalism or anarchy could never free themselves. And so Jesus proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Faith in Jesus Christ is the only escape to freedom. And so he cast his net of love upon the Four Fishermen who have in turn cast that net of love and freedom to the people of the world, including us.

Jesus may be the Good Fisherman, but he knows what it is to be like to be a fish that is caught. As soon as he began to preach the gospel, the religious leaders tried to catch Jesus. They questioned him, they tested him, they tried to trick him. Finally, in the darkness of night, in the Garden of Gethsemane, they caught him, they arrested him. They bound in ropes and led him away to be tried. They condemned him as a sinner. And on the cross he truly became a sinner as he took upon himself the sin of the world. But death and the grave and hell were not nets that could keep him captured. On the third day he arose alive and free. This was truly the Kingdom of God.

We have our nets that capture us, and we have our nets that support us. When the law of God and our conscience and our heart catch us in our sin, the only escape is the Gospel. As Jesus said, “Repent and believe in the gospel.” Repentance is to rely fully on the mercy of God. The Holy Spirit who loves us reminds us of our sin and also reminds us of the forgiveness of Christ. This love supports us and keeps us in the true faith. It is a new type of net that is used by Simon Peter and Andrew and James and John and Christians today who proclaim what Jesus proclaimed, namely that: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

When called, the Four Fishermen immediately left everything and followed Jesus. Some people say we must make a choice; we must make a decision to follow Jesus. I would rather say that Jesus has chosen us and has made a decision to lead us. The Holy Spirit calls us and we hear his voice in our hearts and so follow him. Now, even though we are in the kingdom of God, we might have to make decisions in our faith life: baptism, going to church, Christian life style, and the like. It might be scary to jump up and leave everything behind to follow Jesus. There was security for Peter and the Fishermen in their boats and nets. That was their life, that is what they knew. But to follow Jesus is to be with Jesus. And when Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men,” I am sure it gave them great relief and courage, because they knew that the Messiah would be working through them. He gave them a new meaning to life. He would use their skill as fishermen to be fishers of men. And we learn that it is the same for us. Jesus is with us and leads us and works through us in the talents and gifts of the Holy Spirit that he has given us. That is the life of us who have been called to be disciples of Christ.

Fishermen use bait to attract the fish. The bait used by Jesus Christ was himself. We use the same bait, and sometimes we ourselves are the bait that bring people to Christ. His love and his promise of salvation is the gospel. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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