This article was written by my good friend and brother in Christ, Tony Kettle, and is published with his permission on my blog site as a guest writer.
Matthew 4:19 (ESV – emphasis added by author)
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of MEN.”
Luke 5:10 (ESV – emphasis added by author)
…….from now on you will be catching MEN.
When Jesus carried out His earthly teaching ministry, He often used parables and other illustrations which had a significant bearing on day-to-day life. He spoke to farmers, shepherds, fishermen and people from other walks of life – all the while making reference to various aspects of their specific occupations as a vehicle, or platform, for conveying spiritual truth. However, most of His audience did not have a clue what He was talking about – they missed the point of His teachings – they missed the deep, spiritual significance of His words. In fact, Jesus had to explain to the disciples in private the meaning behind His teachings.
Let us consider the deeper meaning of the scriptures reproduced above. Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men”, “from now on you will be catching men.” When He spoke these words, He was addressing men who were engaged in commercial fishing and there are a number of processes involved in the commercial fishing industry which have great impact when seen in a spiritual light. Unfortunately, space constraints prevent me from dealing with these processes in detail for purposes of this article – but, briefly, they include catching, de-scaling, gutting, cleaning and washing, salting, and other preparation procedures.
When Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men”, “from now on you will be catching men”, He was not telling Peter and his partners that they would stop fishing – no, He meant that they would carry on fishing (including all the processes inherent in commercial fishing) – but with a new kind of ‘catch’ in mind – men. Of course, we understand that, from a New Testament perspective, the ‘catch’ includes men and women.
Galatians 3:28 (NKJV)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Commercial fishermen are a hardy breed! Their work is dangerous and they often have to face severe storms and the risk of their ship being submerged – being flooded – by pounding, treacherous waves while on a fishing trip. However, they face the dangers without flinching, in order to ensure that the catch is brought home.
God’s “fishers of men” must have the same steadfastness when facing the ‘storms of life’
Matthew 7:24-24 (ESV)
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
and Satan’s “flood” of accusations
Revelation 12:10 and 15 (ESV)
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.
They need to ‘set their faces like a flint’ so that they can help to usher, into God’s Kingdom, people caught in the “net” of the Gospel.
Isaiah 50:7 (ESV)
But the Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
Luke 5:5-7 (ESV)
5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
James 1:22-25 (NKJV)
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Take note that the scripture in Luke 5:7 above does NOT read,
“And they said to their partners, which were in the other boat, keep your greasy fingers off our catch – they are our fish!”
OR
“And they said to their partners, which were in the other ministry – the other fellowship – keep away from the ‘catch’ – they are our converts. We can’t have you involved – you don’t preach prosperity – you don’t pray in tongues! You will contaminate the ‘catch!’
No, they “signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.” A ship - a boat - is a biblical ‘type’ of church fellowship’, ‘floating’ in the ‘sea’ of the world like Noah’s Ark.
Genesis 6:17-18 (ESV)
17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
Revelation 17:15 (ESV)
And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.
In the same way that a ship carries and supports the fishermen who catch fish, as well as the crew - those involved in preparing the catch, so a fellowship carries and supports evangelists, teachers and crew - members of the ministry of helps.
1 Corinthians 12:28 (ESV)
And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
Ephesians 4:11-12 (ESV)
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
As believers, we are in the ‘sea’ of the world primarily to work, and our chief occupation is to ‘catch’ “fish” of a particular ‘variety’.
Matthew 4:19 (ESV)
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Luke 5:10 (ESV)
and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
However, we also need to be involved in the follow-up work of ‘de-scaling’ and ‘gutting’ the “fish”
Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
‘Cleaning and washing’ them as Christ cleans and sanctifies His Church.
Ephesians 5:26-27 (ESV)
26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish
‘salting’ them.
Matthew 5:13 (ESV)
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
Colossians 4:6 (ESV)
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
and generally, ‘preparing’ them.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV)
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
So that they can be given (in a ministry sense) to a ‘starving’ world ‘hungry’ for spiritual ‘food’.
John 3:16-17 (ESV)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 6:35 (ESV)
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Jeremiah 15:16 (ESV)
Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
There is a vital point which must not be overlooked, viz; that in order for the “fish” to become ‘edible’ (again in a ministry sense), they must first be ‘cooked’ in God's ‘oven’, His ‘refiner’.
Malachi 3:2-3 (ESV)
2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.
1 Peter 4:12-19 (ESV)
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Furthermore, BEFORE we can be effectively used in this range of work, we have to go through the same processes as the “fish” we subsequently ‘catch’.
A company which is involved in commercial fishing is ONE business entity – but it has a fishing fleet comprising a number of fishing vessels. Each vessel has its own distinctive name. The individual vessels comprising the whole fleet are identified by this unique name but, on the other hand, they do not work in conflict with each other. They operate as a team in order to achieve the goal, the objective, of the company, which is to catch enough fish to make a profit and provide food to people. If the fleet spent their time fighting with each other, each vessel trying to prevent the others from operating, there would be no time to catch fish, the company would suffer and the world would be denied food.
There is ONE body of Christ – the Church – reflected locally, nationally and internationally, comprising a number of groups (1 Corinthians 12:5-6, 12). Each one has its own distinctive name, but they (should) operate as a team in order to achieve world evangelisation.
1 Corinthians 12:5-6, 12 (ESV)
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
When different church groups compete fiercely with each other, when they try to discredit each other, the work of the ministry is hindered. The body of Christ suffers because the world of unbelievers ridicules its lack of unity, Jesus is mocked, the world is denied the power of God which should be reflected in Christian unity (John 13:34-35; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:1-9) and the impact of the Gospel message – spiritual ‘food’ – is weakened.
John 13:34-35 (ESV)
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 (ESV)
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 3:1-9 (ESV)
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
A desire of my heart is for every Christian fellowship in this town, in this country, in the world to turn to their “partners in the other boat” and say to them, “come and help us, the net is breaking” – and for those other “partners” – those other groups – to lay aside pride and doctrinal barriers and respond positively. Remember, Luke 5:6 shows that the net broke through the weight of the fish and if the other “partners” had not helped, the fish would have been lost.
“And they came and filled both the boats, SO THAT THEY BEGAN TO SINK.”
Really, two ships were not enough to support the catch – they needed a third, maybe even a fourth, to do it effectively.
No single church fellowship can evangelise a town or country on its own. It needs to be a team effort. If a fellowship allows pride to dominate it and tries to ‘go it alone’, sooner or later the “net” is going to “break” and they will lose “fish” – or, there will be a glut of “fish” that they are not able to handle and the fellowship will “sink!”
Consider another point. If the skipper of a fishing vessel tries to catch fish on his own, he will not be able to handle the net if it is full and it will end up breaking anyway. Alternatively, if that skipper, alone, tries to clean and prepare the fish after they are caught, he will become worn out because of the lengthy time taken in these processes and end up being totally ineffective as a skipper. Either the skipper does not trust the crew to carry out their duties, or he is trying to impress the Board of Directors. In the meantime, the fish could become rotten and chaos is likely to ensue on the ship as there is nobody to run it properly. Eventually, the crew will become bored and seek to be transferred to another vessel – or they will start a mutiny!
We might be tempted to regard this scenario as ludicrous but when viewed in a spiritual light, it comes close to the situation I have seen in various church fellowships over the years. Hopefully, it teaches a valuable lesson - which is that no single member of Church leadership can effectively carry all ministerial duties and responsibilities. Again, it needs to be a team effort involving leadership and all able members of a congregation.
To this end, Church leaders need to actively encourage and help members of a congregation to discover and operate in the spiritual/ministry gift to which they have been called (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 28-31; Ephesians 4:11-16). As I have pointed out before, there is no room for inertia or laziness in the Church. We are NOT meant to be static and have a ‘parking’ mentality!
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and 28-31 (ESV)
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV)
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Another important point, we have been using the commercial fishing industry as a platform for expressing spiritual truth – but it needs to be made clear that the work of proclaiming the Gospel is not meant to be a commercial undertaking for selfish financial gain.
1 Timothy 6:5 (ESV)
and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
Jesus said, “…freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8 KJV). Let me also make it clear that I am not referring to genuine kingdom enterprises which generate finances for the work and benefit of God's kingdom here on earth.
When I lived in Zimbabwe, there was a flourishing kapenta (sardine) industry on Lake Kariba, and the most effective technique for catching them was to go out on the lake at night with a bright lamp. The fish were attracted to the light, and this facilitated the job of catching them!
The Bible shows that the ‘sea’ of the world is in “darkness”.
Isaiah 60:2 (ESV)
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore, we need to “shine” the “Light” of the Glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in the “darkness” in order to ‘catch’ the “fish”.(Matthew 5:14-16; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Philippians 2:15; 1 Timothy 1:11).
Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[b] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Philippians 2:15 (ESV)
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
1 Timothy 1:11 (ESV)
in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
Prayer
Dear Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would continually fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to ever keep my eyes on Jesus and to be a good example in Christian lifestyle to my brothers and sisters in Christ and help me to be a good and faithful servant within my local congregation and to become an effective fisher of men in the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of Jesus! Amen!
Jeremiah 16:16 NKJV
““Behold, I will send for many fishermen,” says the Lord...”
To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!
Jesus the Name above all names!
Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!
Glory to God! Thank You brother Ray for a thrilling & exciting teaching. Your guest host is quite good in his teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Well done!! God Bless You & Your awesome guest writer Abundantly, Eternally. 🙏❤
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