Fishers of People

“‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’” — Matthew 4:19

One day Jesus was standing by the Lake of Galilee, with huge crowds of people pressing all around Him to hear God’s Word. There were so many that He could hardly move.

Jesus saw two fishing boats pulled up on the shore. The fishermen had got out and were washing their nets. One of the boats belonged to Simon Peter. So Jesus climbed into Simon’s boat and asked him to push out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down in the boat and taught the crowds from there, with His voice carrying across the water.

When He had finished speaking, Jesus said to Simon, “Now go out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”

“Master,” said Simon, “we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught a thing.” Simon was an expert fisherman. He knew that the best time to catch fish was at night, not in the middle of the day. “But because You say so,” he said, “I will let down the nets.”

So they rowed out into the deep water and let down their nets. And they caught so many fish that their nets began to tear! They waved to their partners in the other boat to come and help. The other boat came, and they filled both boats so full of fish that the boats began to sink!

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said. “I am a sinful man!”

Peter suddenly realised who Jesus really was. And standing so close to Him, Peter felt how sinful and unworthy he was.

His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were amazed too.

But Jesus didn’t go away. “Don’t be afraid,” He said to Simon. “From now on you will catch people.”

Jesus didn’t mean that they would catch people in nets! He meant that instead of bringing fish into their boats, they would bring people to God.

So when they had brought their boats back to the shore, Simon Peter and James and John left everything, their boats, their nets, and the biggest catch of fish they had ever seen, and they followed Jesus.

Peter thought he was too sinful to be near Jesus. But Jesus didn’t send him away. He called him to follow. That’s what Jesus does with all of us. He doesn’t wait for us to be good enough. He calls us just as we are, and He makes us into something new.

The King had come, and now He was gathering His friends. The greatest story of all was only just beginning.

Read it in your Bible: Luke 5:1–11; Matthew 4:18–22

Dear Jesus, thank you that you call people to follow you, even when they feel they’re not good enough. I want to follow you too. Please help me to bring other people to you. Amen.