I can remember a family vacation where there were many opportunities to go fishing. With anticipation, I bought all the gear and was excited about the possibilities.
I didn’t catch a thing.
Eventually I figured out that I enjoyed fishing, but the things I enjoyed about fishing had nothing to do with fishing itself. I didn’t need a fishing pole to enjoy sitting out in nature and relaxing. However, I would never make it as a professional fisherman.
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What do we do when we fear that we may not be well qualified as “fishers of men?” We’ll look at what Jesus did as he began gathering disciples.
Jesus begins gathering disciples
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Matthew 4:12-22 (NIV)
Unqualified disciples
The gospel of Luke tells us Jesus spent the night praying before he chose his disciples. Yet, as I read through the gospels I can’t help but notice how unqualified these people were to take on Jesus’s mission once He was gone.
These were rough and tumble, uneducated men. One man wanted to rebel against Rome while another collected taxes for Rome. They had temper issues, pride issues, and were well known for completely missing the point of what Jesus taught.
As we think about this, do we think we think we are qualified to follow Jesus? As we seek to be disciples of Jesus, do we ever wonder what we’re doing here? “I don’t deserve to be part of this conversation.”
Have we missed the point?
There’s a part of the story, where Jesus calls Andrew and Simon, that we often miss.
It’s the part where He says “I WILL MAKE YOU fishers of men.
Jesus wasn’t looking for qualified people. He sought people who were available. He didn’t look for people who had it all figured out or who had it all together.
Jesus wanted someone who was teachable. He wanted someone who was willing to follow.
To simply follow.
It’s not about what we bring to the table. This is not about our qualifications and skills and abilities and talents. The only thing we can really offer is our availability. It’s where we can say, “I’m here, I have nothing to add, but I will follow.
“Here am I. Send me.”
Why God chooses the unqualified.
In Judges 7, God called Gideon to gather an army that would free Israel from Midianite oppression. Gideon rounded up 32,000 men. God said that was too many, so Gideon allowed those who were afraid to go home. God said that the remaining 10,000 were still too many.
Ultimately, there were only 300 men left. What kind of military sense does that make to take only 300 people up against thousands of enemy troops?
The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’
Judges 7:2 (NIV)
The whole point was that the people of Israel were in the middle of a terrible cycle. They would turn away from God. Other nations would oppress them. They would then cry out to God, and God would send a deliverer to free them.
God wanted people to understand that it was He who was saving them. He used tactics to make no sense so that when the victory came, the only explanation possible was that victory was from God.
God continues to do this today. He used disciples who were unqualified. They were not the kind of people you build a church around. And yet, they flipped the world upside down.
Letting God do the impossible through us
Jesus calls us to follow, just as he called the disciples. We dont need to worry about qualifications or whether we have what it takes. Instead, all we need is to follow.
Trust Him. Let Him make us into what he wants us to be. Let Him take care of the details.
This is an encouraging reality. It’s also a little terrifying. That’s because it means we have no excuses.
Following Jesus means making ourselves available, then letting Him develop us into what He wants us to be.
He’s not asking us to already BE great fishers of men. He only asks us to let Him make us into whatever He wants.
Follow Jesus
Let Jesus transform Him
Join Jesus on His mission.
All of that is summed up in his call to let HIM make us fishers of men.
Because that’s the ultimate goal, isn’t it?
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:10 (NIV)
To seek and save the lost.
As we follow Jesus, He asks us to join that mission. But we don’t have to worry about our qualifications. He’ll take care of the details. We just need to follow.