I’ll always remember Chandler’s first fish. He was barely Kindergarten age and we had ended up with an empty campsite all to ourselves — an all-around great experience that included catching his first fish. It was a nice fat rainbow trout that would have cooked up beautifully had we kept it.
Now the whole time leading up to this moment, he had talked of nothing but bringing a couple fish home for dinner, and yet the one thing Chandler hadn’t counted on was the fact that eating a fish means it has to die first. There was no way he could have been prepared for the reality of seeing a fish flop around gasping for water. I even had it on ice for a moment when Chandler announced he didn’t want to take it home; he wanted to put it back in the water. So I quickly threw it back in, and for a moment it floated upside down, and then flipped itself over and swam away.
I remember reflecting on how somewhere in that river there was a very lucky rainbow trout that has seen the inside of an ice chest and lived to tell about it.
When Jesus told Peter he was going to fish for men instead of fish, His disciples were used to a different style of fishing. They primarily used nets to capture a number of fish and gather them in. Baiting a fish, deceiving it, hooking it, reeling it in, grasping it in your hands, pulling out the hook and throwing it in an ice chest were not a part of a fish’s reality at the time.
I wonder how many people out there have been hooked by a Christian, reeled in, put on ice, and still managed to escape and are swimming around in the world with a bad experience to tell about. We need to be sensitive to those who may have been the target of someone’s witnessing campaign that did not come with the gentleness, love and respect that should underlie any missionary effort. Part of our mission among those who are not Christians may include undoing mistakes that have gone before.
Remember, Jesus was talking about gathering in a “catch.” To do so, you throw your net in the water, hope and pray for fish, and pull it up. It’s really up to God to put the fish there, as He did for Peter before Peter even met Him. We throw out the truth and gather in those who respond. There may be one or none. There may be more than we can haul in. No hooks, lines or sinkers. Just the truth.
John Fischer The Catch 
Thankful my Dad who took me & my brothers fishing often, because we always had fun and a very good time too. Someday I’ll be able to hug him and thx him again 4 being the best Dad in the Whole Wide World! Fishing and Dad’s seem to go togther kind of like Dad and Baseball do…
PS I’m SURE there are girls and women that feel simular too… 🙂
What ever the motive, I feel it is our commission as Christians to witness to non-believers. Do we need to be sensitive? Of course. However, to be fearful of witnessing is exactly what Satan wants us to do. To fear we will ruffle someone’s feathers should make us prepare to address the conscience first and avoid the intellect in our approach. My opinion is that the best way to do that is through good works. However, I serve at times at a Rescue Ministry for homeless and indigent men. Too often I have seen them parrot bible verses better than many lay people, but do they feel the need for Christ? Not often and it seems the best way to gain their ear and then their attention is through their hearts and conscience. However, studies show that without proper spiritual nurturing, fewer than 5% of those that answer an altar call will continue in their new found faith. This is where we must include them in our body, our Church. As it says in Ephesians, it is the unity of the body(church) that provides for our growth and maturity. We are to confidently and sincerely present our beliefs and best demonstrate them with good works. The listeners may not believe, but they will surely think that we do and this will cause them to explore the reason further. The Holy Spirit can nourish that seed from there on.
That’s my humble opinion.
Ron Jones
Tremont, IL
I’ll completely agree w/ you Ron Jones and to me Pastor John ‘said’ what you wrote by stating stand next to them and ask them their life story, or as some people call it: ‘fellowship’ w/ them – i’ll refer to it as love them where they are and accept them where they’re at…
You are right. Jesus didn’t say “Go and make converts” He said “Go and make disciples.” A disciple is a follower for life.
I love this post, John! Your analogy is perfect… and I love Chandler’s heart.