Jesus Doesn’t Throw Any Back.

I always loved this sign.

My parents used to take me and my brother and sister fishing every summer in Florida. They had a little place on the Suwannee  River and I learned to fish in the shallows of the Gulf of Mexico. Ocean fishing is always exciting because you really never know what you will catch. It may be a crab, or a small shark or a stingray or it may be the perfect speckled trout. My daddy was very particular about what we were allowed to keep. We had to throw back lady fish, cat-fish, gar fish and any trout that wasn’t the specified length. That was Florida law, not daddy’s, but I remember holding my breath and watching him measure each trout I caught, hoping it was a keeper. Daddy was a stickler for the rules.

It’s funny how fishing can run hand-in-hand with faith. It takes patience to sit for a long time on a dock or a bank and wait on a fish to bite. It takes faith to believe there really is something under that water you are fishing in. The best fishermen will insist on silence as they wait for a nibble. You have to know exactly what bait to use to get the kind of fish you are after. Great fishing requires skill.

We know that at least four of Jesus’ disciples were fisherman by trade. Two sets of brothers, Andrew and Peter and James and John were fishermen. Three of those four men were also part of the inner-circle, Jesus’ besties if you will. They were also the first called. I wonder why that was. We know Jesus had a good sense of humor. Fishermen are known for wild and fun stories. Fishermen by trade, are also tireless workers, staying out all night if needed to bring in the catch. Maybe Jesus was looking for men with that kind of strong work ethic and commitment. Fishermen, like farmers, also have to have a certain faith and belief in something larger than themselves to do what they do day-in and day-out because so much of their bounty is out of their control.

The scripture doesn’t tell us why Jesus picked fishermen. We can only guess. The amazing thing is he told them from the moment he met them, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Mark 1:17. He spoke to them in terminology they could understand and they dropped everything and went. They had no clue what evangelism meant. They hadn’t attended an accredited seminary, but these men would help to change the history of all humanity with the telling of their stories.

Over two thousand years later, I am so glad Jesus chose those fishermen, those Everyday Joes. I can relate to them. Of course he goes on to choose a tax collector and one of them was a political zealot. We don’t know the occupations of the rest, but all of them were fabulously ordinary and he didn’t throw any of them back, not even the one who would later betray him. Jesus doesn’t throw anyone back. For all of our faults and shortcomings, we are all keepers to him. No one is ever just short of being good enough. Grace guarantees our place at the table and that is something to be thankful for everyday.

So as I think of my charge to be a fisher of men, I have to ask myself, “What kind of bait am I using?” “Am I being patient enough?” “Am I being quiet enough and listening?” “Am I careful to remember that Jesus wants every single soul and that there are no throwbacks?” These are questions that I think are important to consider. Maybe I’ll grab a cane pole and ponder. What about you? How’s your fishing going?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂