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Gospel: Matthew 4: 18-22
“As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Why did Jesus choose fishermen to be among his first disciples?
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They possess some of the same qualities needed in ministry.
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For example, fishermen are patient.
If they get agitated and rock the boat, then they’ll scare fish away. They must gently cast their lines and wait.
Similarly, if we are to bring people to Jesus then we must be gentle. Being quick to judge or forceful only scares people away.
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Secondly, fishermen have a keen sense of timing. Fish tend to eat at certain hours, So fisherman know when to cast their nets and when to wait.
If we are to bring people to Jesus, then we, too, must have a keen sense of timing, knowing when to speak and when to hold our tongue.
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Finally, fishermen understand that different baits work with different fish.
We cannot win everyone over with the same approach or argument. We must know our audience, listen to their concerns, and then share the faith.
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This is how the disciples brought some of the first believers to Jesus – and how we can still do so today – being patient, knowing how to listen, and when necessary, when to speak.
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(1) Red Door Sioux Falls (2) PastorJud.org (3) Mike Arauz