Fishers of Men-God’s Vision

"As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

Mark 1:16-18

When you see an egg, do you see it for what it is, or do you see it for what it could become-a bird? When you see a small tree, do you see the green leaves and rough bark, or do you see the potential pencil or log cabin?

When you look at others-do you see them for what they are? Or what they could become? Similarly, how do you think Jesus views you? We have an incredible savior that has a perfect purpose for our lives, and luckily, he views us for what we are to become, not for what we are. He has a VISION for each of us. For example, in Mark 1:17, Jesus says to Simon and his brother, “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.” He didn’t view the men as fishermen, simply seeking food to provide for their family or to make a profit, I think he saw them for what they were to become-fishers of men-“casting” out their lives to draw in men with the great news of Jesus.

When Jesus spoke to the men, He said, “Come, follow me.” The text says that “At once they left their nets and followed him.”

If a bunch of small kids were playing in a yard and an old man drives up in a pick-up truck and tells them to hop in the back, would you be okay with that?

Now what if I were to tell you that the old man was the children’s grandfather? That changes the whole situation. This makes it okay for the kids to go with him, and you probably feel safe and at ease.

The same thing applies in the story with Jesus. When you knew that the older man was the kid’s grandfather, you trusted him and immediately were okay with letting the kids go along. Believing leads to stepping. Simon trusted Jesus and “at once” followed Jesus. If we believe in the Gospel, then that goes hand in hand with following Jesus. Being a Christian isn’t being saved it’s being sent.

Stepping leads to sacrifice. After trusting, step out after Jesus with your life, this changes your entire lifestyle. This means that you’re not just trying to feed yourself, but you live in a way that feeds others-by bringing love, joy, peace and compassion into other’s lives. There are two main verbs in this passage: make and follow. I think the more important of the two is the verb make. In order for God to make you fishers of men, you have to follow. After you follow, HE will make you into His vision for you.

Sacrifice leads to blessing. In Mark 10, Jesus talks about leaving everything and following him. In response to Peter saying he had done that, Jesus tells them “I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Mark 10:29-31). God also blesses Abram in Genesis 12:1-3, “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.””

If you are not sacrificing, are you really stepping? The only way to truly save yourself is to give yourself away. Isaiah 58 verses 10-11 summarizes that perfectly:

“and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."