EXPLORING THE NEW TESTAMENT
Professor David Trobisch
February 6&7 and March 12 & 13, 2004
JudyAnn Morse,
First United Church of Christ
Burlington, Iowa 52601
Before I met my husband 15 years ago, I thought that fishing involved
taking a pole with string on it and a container of worms to a body of
water.....putting a worm on the end of the string....dropping the string into
the water....and then waiting for a hungry fish to swim by and bite on the worm.
I WAS WRONG!!!!!
There's an art to doing it right, as I was soon to find out.....an art that I am
going to try to share with you here. However, I am sure that I don't know
all there is to know.....and haven't mastered the whole technique of doing it
right. But I will try, in a most simple way, to share with you the little
bit I DO know, and also share a few pictures of a few fish I have managed to
catch.
Now, my husband loves to fish for crappie and bluegill....so this is mostly what
we fish for.
To get me ready for my first attempt, we had to find a pole that was right for
me.
Since I am not a seasoned fisherman, Delbert selected a 5 1/2 foot pole for
me.. And, since the fish we hoped to catch would be panfish, he strung my
pole with 6 pound monofilament line. Next, he put a weight on the
line, which would cause it to sink into the water, and also a bobber which would
alert me when a fish was on the line. Last, but certainly not least, the
proper hook had to be tied on to the line. Delbert’s choice, most of the
time is a # 5 gold hook, because gold hooks bend easier than steel
hooks so the line isn’t so apt to break..
Next came the TACKLE BOX. Any self-respecting fisherman has their own
tacklebox, and I was no exception. Into my tacklebox went EXTRA HOOKS AND
WEIGHTS, EXTRA BOBBERS, and a PAIR OF NEEDLE NOSED PLIER to take that big
fish off my line.
And finallly, there was the choice of bait. Since we were going fishing
for bluegills,. we took some worms along.
So, I looked like a fisherman with my POLE, MY TACKLEBOX, MY WORMS AND MY
FISHING HAT.
But looks are deceiving. I was a long ways away from being a fisherman.
Why do I say that? Because I still had to learn how to cast.
I wish I could say that we got in the boat, and I dropped my line over the side
of the boat, and I caught a fish. But I can't. It doesn't happen
that way. One has to throw the line.....oops.....one has to cast their
line out into the water where the fish are hiding.
And this is where my trouble began. I am a real klutz....clumsy as all get
out. And I just couldn't get the hang of casting that line into the
water. DEMONSTRATE.
It just didn't happen. I snagged more times.....and tangled more
line. Why, it's a true miracle that Delbert ever married me. He
advised....and I listened. He demonstrated....and I tangled the line.
He encouraged....and I pouted. I just couldn't get it right.
But I kept trying. And one day....almost a year later.....it
happened. When I held that rod in that proper position.....and cast while
releasing the reel button, the line floated out and landed in the water.
All of the frustration....and the tears.....and the feelings of inadequacy faded
into the distant past.
For now I COULD CAST.
And as I thought about it, I couldn't help but think about a story I read in the
5th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. READ VERSES 1-11.
Jesus is sitting in Simon Peter's boat, preaching. And when He finished,
He turns to Simon and says....PUT OUT INTO DEEP WATER AND LET DOWN THE NETS FOR
A CATCH.
We can almost imagine what Simon Peter was thinking......"Who do You think
You are? I am the fisherman...and I have fished these waters for
years. This is how I make my living; remember? I know when the wind
is from the west, the fishing is the best. And I also know where the best
snags are for the fish to hide in. I have been dropping nets in this Sea
for years, and have earned a decent living from the fish I have caught.
And You? You are a carpenter from Nazareth. What could you
possibly know about fishing the Sea of Galilee?"
But even while all of this MIGHT have been going through Simon Peter's mind, he
didn't say it. Instead he said...MASTER, WE HAVE WORKED HARD ALL NIGHT AND
HAVEN'T CAUGHT ANYTHING. BUT BECAUSE YOU SAY SO, I WILL LET DOWN THE NETS.
And Luke tells us that they caught a record number of fish.
Jesus then calls Peter to become a fisher of men.
And Peter's occupation as a fisherman had equipped him well for the task that
lay ahead.
For fishing for men is a lot like fishing for fish.
We must start with the proper equipment. We must first believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and accept His promises of forgiveness and salvation. This
then is the rod with which we begin.
We then must study the Scriptures, seeking to know the truths of the Gospel as
they apply to our lives. We must meet the people in the Bible, like
Peter, James, John and Paul, and become familiar with their life stories and
experiences, so that we can share them with others. Finally, we must pray
for guidance as we prepare to share our witness with those we come in contact
with. By preparing our hearts and lives in these ways, we are
stringing "our spiritual fishing rod" to be casting for the Lord.
Finally, we must move out of our comfort zone into deep water in order to fish
for souls. No longer can we stay in the safe shallow waters of our lives
where we are loved and accepted, but instead we must move out into new and
deeper waters to share the story of Jesus and His Love.
But we must take care to present this story in such a way that those who hear it
will understand.
Just as I wouldn't use catfish stink bait to catch a crappie, neither should a
lengthy and complicated sermon be used in a one-on-one conversation with a
co-worker. We must go to someone in need of hearing about Jesus, and then
tell the story as simply as possible. And what could be more simple than
the wonderful words of John 3:16, which says it all?
Fishing is an art, which requires practice and preparation.
Fishing for souls is also an art which requires practice and
preparation.
The difference is that, while fishing may put supper on the table, fishing for
souls may mean the difference between an eternity spent in heaven or hell for
the person we witness to.
Therefore, we must seek the Lord's guidance as we study to prepare our message,
and then pray for courage to cast out the Word of the Lord so that others may
come to know Him and believe in Him too.