FISHERS OF MEN.
-LUKE
5:1-11.-JAN. 31.-
Golden Text:-“If ye continue in my Word, then are ye my disciples
indeed.”-JOHN 8:31.
CAPERNAUM lay near
the shore of the Sea of Galilee, a beautiful little lake of world-wide honor
and distinction because of our Lord’s association with it, and well stocked
with fish, as we may judge from this lesson. It was to this lake shore near
Capernaum that Jesus came after his rejection at Nazareth. He had a different reception
here: the people pressed upon him to hear of the word of the Lord, and for
convenience to himself and to them Jesus got into the fishing boat belonging to
Simon Peter, that he might from the boat more effectually address the people,
who doubtless sat or stood on the shore.
We are inclined to wonder frequently that more of our Lord’s discourses
have not been preserved for us in the Gospel accounts. What we have are
fragmentary, the sermon on the Mount being the principal one. As for the other
references to Jesus’ preaching, they are merely brief extracts-his parables and
dark sayings. As an illustration of the latter, note his declaration that he
was the bread that came down from heaven, of which if a man eat he should never
die. Many of those who heard said, This is a hard saying, and walked no more
with him. Our chief instruction in the great doctrines of the
Gospel-respecting the ransom, our justification through faith in the precious
blood, our adoption, begetting, resurrection, and the difference between the
First Resurrection and that of others subsequently, etc.,-comes to us through
the epistles of the apostles and through the record of their discourses as
given in the book of Acts.
At first we would be inclined to wonder why this should be so, why we
should not get our chief instruction on matters pertaining to the future life
and godliness from the words of our Lord. But we understand the matter clearly
since we discern that it was necessary that our Lord should pay the ransom
price before any of our race could be adopted by the Father and receive the
spirit of adoption. This explains the whole situation; for without the spirit
of adoption we could not understand spiritual things, and consequently the
things of a heavenly character which Jesus declared were parables and dark
sayings to those of his time who heard them; for instance, his discourse on the
new birth to Nicodemus, who could not understand. Our Lord remarked in this
connection the fact that he taught merely earthly things and not heavenly
things, saying, “If I have told you earthly things and you understood not, how
would you understand if I should tell you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12.)
Seeing that his hearers were not prepared to understand the heavenly things,
our Lord gave his attention chiefly to discourses on earthly things, and to
parables and dark sayings, which the Spirit would subsequently make known to
his faithful ones.
THE NATURAL MAN APPRECIATES NOT SPIRITUAL THINGS.
This gives us a larger view of our Lord’s ministry: first,
teaching the natural man such things as the natural man could understand;
secondly, healing the natural man’s ailments, and thus laying a broad
foundation for the spiritual work which he would begin at Pentecost and carry
out during this Gospel age through his representatives the apostles, and those
who should believe on him through their word. Throughout this Gospel age the
Lord himself has been the teacher of the Church, which is “his body”-“his
brethren”: he has been attending to every feature of our instruction, feeding
us upon the Truth-“things new and old.” He is still the instructor, and
whatever we receive through the apostles is merely his message through them and
not their own messages. And whoever now speaks in the Lord’s name is
authorized to speak merely as a representative and ambassador, who must refer
for his authority back to the words of the Lord himself, or to the words of
those whom he inspired or directed in a plenary manner-the twelve apostles,
Paul taking the place of Judas.
Our Lord had been probably a year engaged in preaching, first in Judea,
and latterly in Galilee, at the time this lesson opens. He was evidently
already acquainted with these fishermen mentioned in our lesson, Peter, Andrew,
James and John. It was probably at an earlier interview that our Lord gave
Simon his surname of Peter, as it occurs in this lesson. These fishermen had
probably met with Jesus and heard his preaching on other occasions, and were
his disciples in a general sense of the word-that is, followers of him,
believers on him, advocates of his teachings. Now, however, the time had come
for our Lord’s selection of the twelve apostles who should be with him
continually and see his miracles and hear his teachings and be witnesses of all
things said and done: and they in turn might in due time serve as his special
representatives and be able to give to us, and to all of his subsequent
followers accurate and truthful records of the principal events of his
ministry.
After preaching to the company on the shore from his seat in the boat,
Jesus proposed to Simon and Andrew, the owners of the boat, that the boat be
taken into deeper waters and the nets cast for fish; but Peter informed the
Lord that this would be useless as the day was unfavorable, or for some reason
the fish were not in that quarter of the lake at that time, for he and his
companions had toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, to please the
Lord, they did as he suggested. As they began to gather in the net they found
it to be heavily laden with fish, more than their boat could hold. Their
partners in the other boat were beckoned to, and gave a helping hand to save
some of the fish. The lesson had its designed effect; Simon Peter at once fell
on his knees before the Lord, recognizing that no ordinary human being could
have produced such results under such circumstances.
THE LORD LOVES ZEAL AND ENERGY.
There is something very noble about Simon Peter: his impulsiveness by
itself is an attractive trait. The zeal and energy with which he was disposed
to take hold of any matter considered worthy of his attention is admirable.
Indeed we know that Peter, James and John were the three whom the Lord
specially loved of the twelve-the three who seemed to have the zeal, energy and
vim which the Lord appreciates. They were practical illustrations of the
admonition, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” Peter’s
words to the Lord, “Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man,” represented
his acknowledgment of the great difference between himself and the Master. He
caught the true situation, that he was a sinful, imperfect man, while the one
before him, the Master, was perfect and in full accord with the Father, and
therefore permitted to be the dispenser of the Father’s mercies.
Peter’s real sentiment was probably the reverse of his expression. He
meant, “O Lord, although I am a sinful man, permit me to be near thee, that I
may be blessed by contact with thee.” This was the proper attitude of heart
and the real prayer, which Jesus answered in making him one of his chosen
twelve.
The narrative breaks off suddenly and does not tell us whether it was the
same hour or the next day that Peter, Andrew, James and John forsook their
fishing business-their boats and nets-that they might be specially the
companions of our Lord and ultimately his representatives, his apostles. We
may reasonably suppose that the partnerships in this fishing business were
family affairs, and that Peter left his boat and implements in the hands of
brothers or sons or other partners or associates; and that likewise the sons of
Zebedee left their paraphernalia in the hands of their father or others who had
previously been interested with them in business. Indeed this thought is fully
borne out by the fact that after our Lord’s death, about two years later, these
same men proposed returning to the fishing business, and apparently had some
interest still in the boats, nets, tackle, etc. It was on the last-mentioned
occasion that Jesus again gave a great draft of fishes, and that Simon Peter
was the first again to recognize that the power to perform such a miracle could
belong to no other than the crucified but risen Lord, whom he then recognized
as the one upon the shore.
CALLED TO A HIGHER VOCATION.
Our Lord’s words to Peter were, “From henceforth thou shalt catch
men.” These words were applicable also to Peter’s associates, and doubtless
were applied to them later as an invitation that they should with Peter join
the Lord as his disciples or apostles. The account in Mark 1:17 mentions
Andrew the brother of Simon Peter, and his partner in business also, and gives
the invitation in slightly different language, namely, “Come ye after me and I
will make you to become fishers of men.” Probably the Lord made use of both
expressions, but in any event they are of similar import.
All of life’s affairs will teach us lessons
profitable throughout its future, if we will receive them. Ordinary
affairs and business of every kind, in proportion as it is conducted along
honest, proper and reasonable lines, will give valuable instruction and
preparation for spiritual usefulness in the Lord’s service, if they be properly
received and wisely improved. Perhaps, however, there
was something peculiarly helpful in the fishing business-something peculiarly
like the great work in which the apostles were to engage the remainder of their
lives. Our Lord intimates this in his call. Fishing requires energy, tact,
proper bait, and that the fisherman keep himself out of sight. And these four
things are requisites in the spiritual fishing in which the Lord privileges us
to engage. Thus he admonished, “Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as
doves.” The Apostle Paul, speaking along this same line of the wisdom he used
in presenting the Gospel tactfully, says, “Being crafty [wise] I took you with
guile”-with bait. The Apostle took advantage of the natural tendencies and
inclinations of his hearers to present the Gospel in the most practical form without,
however, shunning or refusing to declare one single feature of it. In this his
course is a model for us. We are to remember that as
fish are easily alarmed when they find that any one wishes to take them, so
humanity is shy of being captured by anything-especially if they have the least
suspicion that they may lose their liberties: and thus consecration appears to
the world.
The apostles were not, as fishers for men, representing men or human
institutions. They were not trying to get disciples into some sectarian
bondage. They were fishers of men for the Lord and as the Lord’s
representatives; as though God did beseech men through them. Their mission was
to catch men with the glorious hopes and prospects of the Gospel; to bring them
into such relationship with the Lord that they would fully and gladly surrender
their all to him. And this is the same course that is properly before the
Lord’s representatives to-day. We are to catch men for the Lord and for his
service, not for our personal profit or gain,-not for sectarian upbuilding. We
are not to give our own liberties to men, nor to seek to take away the
liberties of others at the behest of men or sects. The message that goes forth
from the true fishers of men whom the Lord commissions is nevertheless a
message which implies a loss of liberty and a loss of life to those who are
successfully caught. However, the fishing business does not fully illustrate
the matter, because all who are of the Lord’s catch must be willingly his, else
they will not remain caught, but be cast forth: and their loss of personal
liberty and life means a gain of glory, honor and eternal life.
Our Lord used this fishing business as the basis of one of his parables,
saying that the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a net cast into the sea which
after gathering fish of every kind will be finally brought to shore. That net
undoubtedly represented this Gospel age, and a general catch of all classes of
people, suitable and unsuitable for the Lord’s purpose as respects the Kingdom.
The bringing of the net to the shore properly represents the “harvest” time of
this age-the reckoning time, the time when this catch is concluded. The
parable proceeds to say that the suitable fish were gathered into baskets and
the unsuitable were cast away,-cast back into the sea. So the Gospel call, the
Gospel net, the Gospel fishermen of this Gospel age are gathering out of the
world of mankind a peculiar class of people suitable to the Lord’s purposes in
the Kingdom, and though others may get into it they are not desired and will
relapse again to worldly conditions. The fishing of the next age will be
different and on a much larger scale.
APOSTLESHIP MORE THAN DISCIPLESHIP.
There is a difference between apostleship and discipleship. There are
but “twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:14), but the number of disciples is
considerably larger. The word disciple signifies pupil or learner; and all who
are now being called of the Lord, all who are now being caught as acceptable
fish under the present arrangement are those who desire to be taught of the
Lord and willingly respond to his teachings. Our Golden Text sets forth the
conditions upon which we may be disciples, namely, that we not only accept the
Lord but that we continue in his word-continue to be taught of him-continue to
learn in the school of Christ. Before we enter his school we must learn that
we are sinners by nature and that we need just the washing or the cleansing
that he prescribes as necessary before we can enter his school or become his
disciples. After we accept the word of counsel respecting the need of washing
in the precious blood, and after by faith accomplishing this cleansing of sins,
and after we have started as pupils, we find that there are various lessons to
be learned, all necessary to our progress.
It is the Teacher who is to be the decider of what lessons we need, what
experiences, what trials, what difficulties, what encouragements, what assistance
are necessary to us. The promise is, that no good thing will he withhold. He
will give the warnings, the corrections, the encouragements, the blessings and
the promises, according as we need them and are in a condition to make
profitable use of them. Not everyone who starts to be a disciple will win the
great prize as a graduate from the school of Christ into the Kingdom of glory
and joint-heirship with the Master; but he who faithfully and patiently
continues in discipleship-continues to learn the lessons which the great Master
teaches, until he shall have finished his course, will surely receive his crown
at the hands of the Lord.