Why Was Jesus Hooked on Fishermen?

When it comes to using rods, reels, live bait and tackle, I’m like a fish out of water.

I’ve never been much of a fisherman, nor have I ever desired to become one. Getting a fish on the line and reeling it in is exciting; it’s that nasty business of what to do with it once it’s hanging on the line, a hook in its mouth (or other unpleasant place), staring at me with those, well, fish eyes, that has never led me to embrace the sport.

My sons, however, somehow became enthralled with fishing, leading me to participate in the last few years more than I ever have. (They laugh at me because I still wear a glove to hold a fish to remove the hook.)  My attempts to fish have led me to contemplate what Jesus saw in people who did this for a living.

When Jesus was recruiting apostles I would have written a want-ad for him with a different vision. There was a logical talent pool I would have drawn from that he bypassed.

Jesus was looking for people to do two primary things: teach and heal. There were experienced teachers he could have chosen, men already learned in Hebrew Scriptures and tradition, who could apply their knowledge and skills. There were physicians who were trained in the medical science of the day, with credentials as healers.

But Jesus bypassed both of those groups, turning instead to fishermen as the prime candidates. What is it about fishermen that made them so qualified to become apostles?

First of all, it takes a lot of patience to succeed at fishing. To be willing to spend several hours at an activity with no guarantee of success requires someone with dedication to a vision and a purpose, and a passion to be fully engaged despite potential disappointment.

When successful, a fisherman (at least a modern-day one) then deals with a live creature who has been hooked by something dangerous, having been deceived by a lure that looked palatable but proved to be deadly. Pulled by this hook out of its natural and environment the fish needs someone to liberate it.

A fisherman needs to hold the fish with a firm and steady hand, no matter how much it may squirm. Sometimes the hook is embedded not in the mouth but deeper inside, requiring the fisherman to work in that innermost space which is at the least unpleasant and at most disgusting. To patiently look inside a creature’s innermost being and carefully free it from the hurt they have fallen for takes a special quality—exactly what Jesus needed in his “fishers of men.”

Today, say a prayer for all who work in any way to free God’s people from the hooks that ensnare them. May they be blessed with both firmness and gentleness as they minister to the hurting members of the Body of Christ. Pray also for those who are hooked by something and are in search of caring hands to free them. Finally, pray for “the ones that got away” from the fishers of men looking to bring them to their Savior.

May the doors to each of our hearts bear a sign that says: “Gone fishin’.”