Jesus has been baptized, tempted, and is now beginning His public ministry. His next step is to call out men to assist Him in ministry. Mark records here that Jesus approached Simon and Andrew and then James and John. All of these men were fishermen, but Jesus told them He was going to change what they were fishing for if they chose to follow Him. Instead of fishing for fish they would become “fishers of men” (1:17). This term describes that they would now be involved in pulling men out of the bondage of sin through sharing the gospel – repentance and faith lead to forgiveness. This must have been a pretty big life change for them – they were used to spending all their time on the water, but now they would be interacting with Jesus and many people. The gospel writers don’t seem to indicate that there was much hesitation in their response to Jesus’ calling them to be disciples. They were obviously convinced that He would do something extraordinary, but I’m sure nothing could have prepared them for what lied ahead.
As Jesus called each of these men to follow Him, we also are called to know Him (through His word) and tell others about repentance and faith, which are necessary for salvation. Our lives are full of schedules, plans, and dreams but God desires to use us for His benefit. As we begin to understand His heart (through prayer, reading His word, and church) we should follow Him in our daily life. Instead of being selfish, we should commit to doing God’s will. Being “fishers of men” is not just a call put out to a couple guys 2,000 years ago, the command goes out to us. Bring men to repentance and faith and then help them become worshippers of God.
Dear God, make me a fisher of men. Use me to bring others to You and may I exemplify a life which would give pleasure to You.
