Fishers of Men

What skills do you look for when you are hiring?

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. - Matthew 4:18-25

Jesus didn't go out looking for evangelists or healers or preachers.  Those weren't the skills he felt he needed for the mission ahead.

Instead, he was more selective.  Here, he chooses fishermen.

What was he looking for in them?

It is important to know that the economic conditions of the day under Roman rule were harsh.  Fishing was a family business that operated at the will of the government.  Huge license fees and supply costs made it hard for a fishing family to make a living.

So, it is not without political controversy that Jesus chose to recruit his disciples from this pool.

And fishing was hard work.  The days were long, beginning way before dawn, and the haul, when it was good, was heavy, so they had to be strong.

They also needed to know multiple languages in order to sell their fish at market.

So, Jesus was looking for sturdy men, accustomed to difficult work, who understood the politics of the day and could communicate well.

Those are good qualities for the job of spreading the Good News.

I guess the message for us is to look for the skills we need when we are called to do God's work, or any work.

Maybe what we are looking for is someone with experience we wouldn't expect.

More to come...