God's net

Many men and women are obsessed with fishing. It’s not just a shallow pastime for them but a much more spiritual endeavor that demands knowledge, the right tackle, and practice. Serious fishermen will always be looking to buy a better boat, browse the sporting goods isle in search of that one perfect lure and camp near mosquito infested lakes, streams and ponds just for the thrill of catching fish.

 I know what that feels like because I am also a fisherman of sorts. Fishermen have a desire so strong to catch fish that they will easily jump out of bed at 3:00 A.M. to be at their favorite fishing hole before sunrise. Now, while I have caught the occasional wayward fish by using the wrong bait in the wrong place haphazardly throwing out a hook, I admit there is much, much, more to being a bona fide fisherman than leaving it to chance.

The first men Jesus called to become disciples were ordinary fisherman. After being rejected, in his home town of Nazareth, Jesus walked down to the northern end of the Sea of Galilee, to a fishing town named Capernaum. Arriving there in the morning he singled out two fishing boats and four men who had been out all night together fishing. These men were making their living at it but unfortunately had been unable to locate any fish that night. These fishermen were cold, tired and not ready to listen to anyone speak even if it was the Lord.

As the sun was coming out, Jesus walked out into the shallow water and got into Peter’s boat. Once he was there he sat down and began teaching the multitudes who had gathered on the shore to listen to him speak. When Jesus had stopped teaching he turned to Peter and said “Launch out into the deep and let your nets down for a catch.” Luke 5:4.

Now Peter was tired from an exhaustive night of throwing out the nets and hauling them back in empty and was not ready to take orders from anyone. Eventually, Peter complied with the Lord and let down his nets as the Lord had instructed. The resulting catch was so heavy that it broke the net as it was being hauled in. 

Jesus told another similar fishing story, this one after his resurrection, where he instructs his disciples, after another long night of not catching fish, to let down the net one more time but on the right side of the boat. Once again the net was so full of fish that they could not get it into the boat and had to have the other disciples help them drag it into shore. “Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.” John 21:11. In this second story the net did not break!

Later on, during his ministry years, Jesus told a story about the kingdom of heaven being like a dragnet. In his story, God’s net caught fish of every kind and when it was pulled back to shore the good fish were gathered into vessels but the bad were thrown away. He goes on to explain that at the end of time the angels will come forth and separate the wicked from the just. There will be a great judgment as the just go into eternal life and the wicked are destroyed.

In the story of the dragnet, both the good and the bad fish were caught in the net. The net represents God’s judgment and all men are appointed to stand before their Creator. Some will be forgiven their sins and allowed to enter eternal life and the rest will choose to deny Jesus Christ and will be destroyed. 

Before Christ died, the net broke; the broken net represents the law and our inability to keep it. However, after Christ died, the net after his resurrection did not break because the “Way” of salvation was made complete, perfect in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

God’s net of salvation is sure and it will never break. However, every person has to make a decision before death arrives to accept Jesus as the Lord and receive God’s free gift of salvation. However, if a man rejects Christ, before death, then there is no net to catch him. 

Today, Jesus is calling all Christians to be “fishers of men”. It’s not a friendly suggestion or calling on a select few but a blanket statement for all Christians.  So do we have the knowledge, do we have the right tools and do we spend time in practice?  Jesus promised to make us “fishers of men” if we would only be obedient and follow him!

Digging for truth

How many of you have ever said to yourself “Wow, since I have some extra time on my hands I think I’ll read the entire book of Leviticus or maybe give the genealogies of Jesus Christ a read-over!” The truth, from a pastor’s point of view, is that it is hard enough just to get people to pick up and read their bibles, let alone study a tedious book of the law or a family tree containing endless obscure Hebrew names.

The fact is that many of us don’t really give very much time to God unless we are in immediate need of help. The act of prayer is often our last resort rather than the first resource we reach out for. Although we spend endless hours reading other popular literature selections, we often devote very little time to studying the books of the bible.

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 Let me propose a challenge; If you are a brave soul, take out your sword and read the genealogies found in Matthew chapter 1:1-16 and Luke chapter 3:23-38 . If you study these carefully, what you will find is that the genealogy recorded in the book of Matthew is different than the one recorded in the book of Luke. Matthew records the family line of Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, from Abraham to Joseph while Luke records the family line of Mary from Mary’s father back to Adam.

In the Jewish culture, a man’s lineage was traced back through the father’s side of the family which determined which of the twelve tribes he was originally from. This is of particular interest in the case of Jesus of Nazareth.

  

In the book of Jeremiah, it is recorded that Coniah, king of Judah, (Jehoiachin, Jeconiah and Coniah are all one and the same), because of the evil he did, God pronounces a “blood curse” on his entire family line which states that none of his descendants would prosper sitting on the throne of David. “Thus says the Lord: Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah.” Jeremiah 22:30.

You can almost see Satan jumping for joy thinking that God had shot himself in the foot by cursing the line that the Messiah was prophesied to come from. However, to the man or woman who wishes to show themselves approved, there is a golden nugget here to uncover out of the word of God. That is, if one is diligent to search hard enough for it.

This is why God inspired Doctor Luke to record Mary’s family line. Keep in mind Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and she conceived. Jesus was the Son of God and therefore related biologically through his Mother Mary to King David, not Joseph.

What I’m trying to highlight for you is the fact that Mary is also related to King David, from the tribe of Judah, through Nathan another son of David’s and Bathsheba’s. Joseph was related to King David through David and Bathsheba’s son Solomon. The curse on Solomon’s line of sons recorded in Jeremiah 22:30 would have disqualified Jesus as the King of kings.

However, every “I” has been dotted and every “T” crossed as we discover how meticulously the truth points to Jesus Christ as the King of kings who will one day be the last king in the line of David.

 “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

So maybe, just maybe, it actually is worth our time to pour over the bible, searching diligently for those gold nuggets that we might uncover them and share them with all of our friends.