“To a die hard fisherman hunting is like shooting fish in a barrel.”
I love fishing and hunting and while they have their similarities there are differences. And it’s these differences that make each sport unique and truly enjoyable to a wide range of people.
But when it comes to the Kingdom, I’m glad Jesus said to His disciples that He would make them “fishers of men” and not “hunters of men”. Just the idea of “hunters of men” brings mental images of scalps and shrunken heads. And that got me thinking of maybe why Jesus used the word picture of a fisherman to describe us and our primary role in the Kingdom. (And yes I know some of the disciples were fishers of fish)
Hunting / Fishing
Aggressive invasion / More subtle
Based on confrontation / Based on attraction
“Go out there and shoot them” / “Get them to nibble on your bait”
Uses “one size fits all” bullet / You get to try all kinds of lures & baits
Everything focuses on “the kill” / After you hook a fish you must still land it
Once you shoot the hunt is over / Landing a fish takes time, requires give & take
Scares off the animal if you miss / Leaves a good taste in their mouth and gets you a 2nd chance
The animal has no choice / The fish gets a choice
Requires training just to get started / Anyone can put bait in the water
I know we must be careful not to push an analogy too far because they break down like when we start talking about filleting, butchering, mounting and cooking. But a fisherman is still a great mental picture of who we are called to be.
Jesus called out, “Come follow me and I will show you how to fish for the souls of men.” Matthew 4:19 (LB)
Venture out into the waters They don’t bite (at least not most of them),
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