Fishermen

Fishermen
By Jenny Komenda after Helena Cherkasova

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind."
Matthew 13:47

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When Jesus called His first disciples, He used a simple but powerful metaphor: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). These were fishermen by trade—ordinary men with no theological training—but Jesus saw in them the potential to gather souls into the Kingdom of God.

Fishing, then and now, involves patience, skill, and a net wide enough to hold a great catch. The Kingdom of God is no different. Christ’s gospel is not limited to a particular type of person. It is, as the Apostle Paul wrote, for “every creature which is under heaven” (Colossians 1:23). The invitation is universal. Jeffrey R. Holland once said, “The loss of even one voice diminishes every other singer in this great mortal choir of ours, including the loss of those who feel they are on the margins of society or the margins of the Church. … With divine imperatives of love and faith, repentance and compassion, honesty and forgiveness, there is room in this choir for all who wish to be there.” The gospel net is not selective—it gathers “of every kind.”

Jesus spent time with fishermen and tax collectors, zealots and sinners. His ministry reminds us that we are not only invited into the Kingdom but also commissioned to extend that invitation to others. As Rev. Charles Spurgeon once put it, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.” Our discipleship is not passive—it is active, reaching outward. Yet, being a ‘fisher of men’ doesn’t mean dragging others into faith. It means extending love, welcome and kindness in Christ’s name. It means living in such a way that people see something of Jesus in us and want to learn more. So, we cast our humble nets and trust the Lord to bring in the catch.

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