Why the name
“Fisher of
Men?”
The name comes from Jesus the Christ. He picked twelve disciples. None of them were trained preachers, teachers
or theologians. They were common everyday
folk. What is most interesting, He chose
four fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James and John).
One third of the leaders of Christ’s church were fishermen. In fact when He called these fishermen He
said, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
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No one knows exactly why Jesus chose fishermen to be 1/3 of His
leadership but perhaps here are some reasons:
1)
Fishermen in Jesus’ time were passionate about fishing. They were not apathetic. Fishing consumed most of their waking
hours. They were fully dedicated to the
task of catching fish. Jesus must have
assumed that the passion for fishing would also make them become passionate
about catching men with His gospel.
2)
Fishing was a number one priority in their lives. Everything else was second. They used all their money, energy, and wits
to catch fish. Christ must have believed
they would give the same priority to His mission of loving others.
3)
Lets face it, fishing then and now takes a lot of
perseverance. There is much time on the
water when fishermen do not catch fish (that is why we call it “fishing” and
not “catching”). True fishermen are
persistent even when there are no immediate results. They try many different lures, presentations,
speeds, etc until they are fruitful.
Jesus must have known this perseverance would be important in building
His kingdom.
4)
Fishermen can fish alone, but most successful ones are always
learning from others. Good fishermen are
willing to share ideas and information.
Fishing is most satisfying when we go together and work together. Christ must have realized these four
fishermen would be good team players in His work.
5)
Fishermen were a hardy group.
On the