And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. Matthew 8:18–22
Fishing is something at which I have never been successful. To change my fortune I have decided at times to tag along with expert fishermen who really know what they are doing. Every time the result is the same––nothing! No fish, not even a single bite on the line! None of these experts ever invited me along again. What do you think these Galilean fishermen thought about Jesus as a fishing partner? There were two times when Jesus gave them input, and both times the results were the same (cf. John 21:6). A night of hard work and disappointment was followed by a morning of unfathomable success, and the only thing to account for the difference was the fact that Jesus was with them in the boat. This really ought to make us wonder what else we can accomplish with the Lord’s help.
With the Lord at our side, we can all be fishers of men. When Peter witnessed God’s power working through Jesus, he fell on his knees before the Master and cried, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8). We all know that Peter was a man driven by impulse––hardly the kind of man anyone would nominate to initiate a global religious movement. Nevertheless the Lord was able to use this impulsive fisherman to do just that. Peter was the one out front at Pentecost (Acts 2:14). Peter stood up to the Sanhedrin when they ordered the apostles to desist in their teaching about the resurrected Jesus (Acts 4:19–20). When the time was right to send someone to the Gentiles for the first time, the Lord once again tapped Peter to lead the way (Acts 10). If the Lord could use a failure of a fisherman to catch men, do you think that maybe He could use you?
Fishing for men is important business! When these four disciples wrapped up this very successful fishing trip, the fishing business suddenly seemed much less important than it had before, because immediately after the boats were brought to land, Luke says that “they forsook all and followed Him” (Luke 5:11). Matthew says that they left their nets (Matthew 4:20)––nets which had been their livelihood, nets which they had taken such great pains to clean (Luke 5:2) and mend (Luke 5:2). Mark tells us that James and John left their father in the boat along with their hired servants (Mark 1:20). Suddenly nothing was more important than following Jesus. So it ought to be with every Christian today, because when we catch men, we save them. When Jesus said, “From now on you will catch men” (Luke 5:11), the word translated “catch” is not the word the Greek reader would anticipate. The Greek word typically used to refer to catching fish is the word agreuo (as in Luke 5:4). The word used here is zogreo, which means to catch alive. When the fishermen of Galilee caught fish, they killed them, but from now on, these fishermen would catch men in order to save them!
As we carry on this worthy endeavor, we need to remember that we are not the only ones fishing these waters. Paul tells Timothy that God’s servant must be able to teach, in order that he might be able to rescue those who have fallen into the devil’s snare, “having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:24–26). The word translated “taken captive” is the same word (zogreuo) used by Jesus when He told His disciples that they would “catch men.” What’s the point? While we are fishing for men, Satan is fishing for them too.