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God Knows Fishing! By Robert Berendt Fishing and fishermen make repeated appearances in the pages of the Bible. What do we stand to learn from God's illustrative use of this pastime?
he Bible informs us that God created the fish of the sea. He created everything and that means every conceivable kind of fish. He created trout, salmon, halibut, cod; He created sharks, octopuses and whales. What God did not create were fishermen -- they seem to have developed naturally and somehow a huge number of people love to fish. That is quite a phenomenon and when we see the extent to which people will travel to be able to catch a fish, one wonders if some sort of addiction has occurred. It is evident that the cost per ounce of fish caught by the average fisherman is far greater than the cost per ounce to buy that same fish in the supermarket. Yet, we call it recreation and even regulations that prevent a person from taking a fish home to cook and eat have not had much of an impact on the number of people who love to fish. Catch and release is the latest regulation for maintaining the fish population and keeping those who love to fish happy.
Knowing Where to Fish The life of Jesus Christ revolved around fishing in many ways. Many of the disciples God chose were fishermen. Simon, Andrew, James and John are named (Mark 1:16-20).
There is a delightful story about the disciples who returned to the Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberius). When those who love to fish get near water, their mind tends to wander -- Peter said: "I am going fishing." They all said, "We are going with you" (John 21:1-3). This is a typical scene among fellows who have an opportunity to put a line or net in the water. Once they were out and just offshore, Jesus appeared to them for the third time since His resurrection (John 21:14). Not only did He tell them which side of the boat to fish from -- but also by the time they realized who He was, He had already caught some fish and was cooking them for breakfast (John 21:9). There was no catch and release regulation here! It is obvious to anyone who loves fishing that Jesus had not only caught the fish, but had cleaned them and prepared them for cooking. He knew how to cook fish! If I had a friend like that who said, "Wanna go fishing?" I would jump at the chance! There must be some connection or reason for all the emphasis on the sport. Most people who love to fish realize that success depends on a whole lot of things. First of all, there need to be fish to catch, and then you need the right equipment, license and bait. You also need a lot of patience and practice. Little children seem to be able to catch fish with a safety pin for a hook -- but not us grown folks. Even when everything is perfect, you need fish with an appetite. I have sat in a boat and watched schools of fish below us -- with nary a bite. All fishermen have tasted failure in that way.
There are a number of stories in the Bible in which Jesus used fish or fishing for an example. One touching story is that of the crowd of possibly 10,000 people who Jesus fed with five loaves of bread and two fish (Mark 6:34-44, John 6:4-16). A little boy had five barley loaves and two fish (little boys seem to catch fish easily). This must have been quite a little boy if he would offer up all the food he had brought for himself. No doubt Jesus was pleased, because He knew exactly what He was about to do (John 6:6). A lot of lessons were learned. The generosity of a boy, the need of thousands for physical and spiritual food, faith and trust in Christ and the responsibility God gives to His servants. Twelve baskets of food fragments were gathered after the thousands were fed. The lesson was that they were to believe in Him (John 6:29). Real Fishing Now back to real fishing. Since God can command fish to be in a certain place at a certain time, to bite a hook, to carry money and men -- it does not seem fair that God can be called a fisherman. A real fisherman does not command fish, but baits his hook carefully, tries to find out where the fish are and what they are feeding on, and hopes the fish are hungry. There is an element of doubt involved. Everything is prepared, but the fish are left to decide for themselves which lure they will take -- if any.
Jesus explained this in the story about the marriage supper. Everything was made ready on the part of the host, invitations were sent out, but those invited were allowed to decline (Matthew 22:2-5). Others were then invited, but always allowed to say "yes" or "no." God has determined not to force humans into conversion. He wants willing followers (Matthew 11:28-30) because what He offers is priceless and precious. God is indeed a great fisherman. Perhaps when we stand on the banks of the river Ezekiel wrote about, Christ will be there -- hoping the fish may bite! Further reading For more great reading, request your free subscription to . Copyright 2010 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved. |
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