Life On The Boat

It's hard to miss that the first disciples lacked professional diversity; there were certainly more fishermen than there should have been otherwise (four out of twelve) and I think there's a good reason for that. These men worked on the sea, which was understood as a perfect metaphor for danger and mystery. There was no telling what was under those waters, other than something dark and Leviathan-like. The sea was chaos, and because it was so dangerous to cross, it also represented all the things that separate people from one another. I think this is why John (one of the fishermen) said that in heaven there would be no more sea (Revelation 21:1). Don't miss that - the direction of the gospel is to remove things that separate people.

So when Jesus told them that he would make them "fishers of men" he was saying that our lives should be about stepping out into a chaotic world, traversing the social barriers that cause separation and fear to harvest something beautiful. They were supposed to set people free from chaos and social constraint.

A long time ago someone told me that I should relax, take a step back, and let the organized church do the work of ministry. He went on to say that Jesus gave that work to the apostles and that I was not an apostle. I knew he was wrong but I wasn't sure why. Then I remembered that before they were apostles they were disciples, and that all of us are disciples so all of us are supposed to be "fishers of men."

So what should we do about that on a Friday? Take one step to invite one person out of the chaos and into the boat.