“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17

Prayer of the Day Lord Jesus, You have given us the great command to be Your people who go out in Your name with Your saving Word. Make us aware of Your blessed commission to us as we live our lives to Your glory. Grant faith and courage to Your people, and direct our ways so that we bring a clear witness to Your blessed will and Your loving plan for all humanity. Order our days and our deeds in Your peace, and make us ambassadors of Your grace. This we ask in Your saving name. Amen.

Dear fellow redeemed in Christ Jesus, fellow fishers of men,

Lake Nipigon is the largest landlocked lake in the province of Ontario, Canada. It covers 1,872 square miles to be exact. So imagine being in a boat on a lake that size to go fishing. Where do you even begin? At what point do you stop the boat and decide this is the spot where you are going to put a line in the water? It seemed like an impossible task to me as a novice fisherman, but thankfully the owner of the boat knew exactly where to take us. After a 40-minute ride in his jet boat, we came to a river inlet to the lake, anchored the boat, and proceeded to catch some 200 walleyes over the next several hours. But if the boat owner didn’t know where to take me, I would not have known where to begin fishing on that huge lake.

Mission work, or spreading the Gospel, can sort of feel the same way, can’t it? The world seems so big, and we feel so little that we hardly know where to begin. Yet we know how important the work is. We know and believe that there is only one way to heaven, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. As a Christian congregation that seeks to preach the pure, unadulterated Word of God, we know we have something very special to offer souls burdened with sin and guilt. But where do we begin?

In our text for today we find Jesus calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be His disciples, or student-followers. These four had some rather humble roots—they were fishermen from Galilee. There was nothing especially glorious about being a fishermen. It was hard work, and it required no special education. Yet Jesus calls these two sets of brothers to follow Him with this promise, “I will make you become fishers of men.” Rather than casting their nets into the sea to harvest fish, they would be casting the Gospel into the sea of humanity to harvest souls.

As we meditate on this portion of God’s Word we want to consider our Father’s-that is, our heavenly Father’s- fishing business. Just as these brothers needed equipment as they did their work on the Sea of Galilee, so too our Father has given us the bait and a boat as we go after bites. May God bless us as we study His Word that He might better equip us to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Our text is recorded in Mark chapter 1, verses 14 through 20:

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. (ESV)

THE BAIT

While many of you have fished before, I’m guessing none here have ever fished with a net as the four fishermen in our text would have done. The fishing we are most familiar with uses a line, a lure, and maybe some bait. We use bait to attract fish. The type of fish you are going after will determine what sort of bait you use. Some fish are attracted to jigs and minnows, others prefer spinnerbait, and others - like rainbow trout - like flies.

When we do mission work, what sort of “catch” are we going after? When Jesus calls the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, He says to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” The catch we are going after is the souls of people. While there may be different social circles and customs, all people have the same desire, even if they don’t realize it—forgiveness and peace with God. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Unless our sin problem is resolved, no one is going to heaven. So what sort of bait shall we use to catch souls?

It seems that every couple of years, there are new “trends” churches try to attract new members. Modern culture, myself included, does not like to be bored. If I am going to invest time in something, I want to be visually and intellectually stimulated. How about you? Some churches have tried to capitalize on this by building churches as theaters with a stage, using stage lighting, a band, and a team that puts together video clips to visually stimulate the churchgoer. Make no mistake about it—some of these things are just fine, as long as they are grounded in the Word of God and faithfully proclaim His Law and Gospel. The problem arises when style is emphasized over substance and churches try to “bait” people into coming to their church because of HOW they worship rather than WHO they worship and why. For instance, one church in Texas tried to “bait” people into coming to church by offering them $5 to board the church bus and come to services. A church in Sioux Falls, SD, noticed that fewer and fewer men were coming to church. Their bait? On Saturday nights they would clear away the lectern and altar, and would set up a boxing ring to hold fights. It was said that these fights would get men in the door and be an opportunity to discuss the struggles we face.

As we consider being fishers of men, what bait would Jesus have us use? Entertainment programs? A McDonald’s or a Starbucks in our entryway so people can get breakfast and coffee on the way into church? Such things might get people in the door, but are they anything more than tricks? There may be nothing wrong with some of them, but is that the bait Jesus would have us use to catch souls for Him?

Back to our text. What bait did Jesus use to catch souls? We hear of it in the first two verses of our text. “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.’” Jesus’ bait was nothing more and nothing less than proclaiming Law and Gospel. Like John the Baptist before Him, Jesus preached the Law and called sinners to repent. God’s Law is important because it reveals our sin and our lost condition. The Law shows us that we need a Savior to rescue us from our sin.

Jesus also preached the good news of the kingdom of God. He told people that He was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about the kingdom of God. He was the promised Messiah, the Savior of the World. He told people that whoever believed in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. The bait that Jesus used was the Law and the Gospel.

The bait we have been given is that same message of Law and Gospel, repentance of sins and the glorious good news of sins fully and freely forgiven by Jesus’ death and resurrection. God is at work through this message to catch and save souls. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17) Only Holy Scripture makes us “wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” It is only the Gospel of Christ that saves souls. The bait our Father has given us for His fishing business is the message of His Son, the message of the cross. The only message that saves is the message of the Gospel: that Christ Jesus, God’s own Son, came into the world to save sinners from hell and give the free gift of eternal life in heaven to all who believe. TRUST THE BAIT THE FATHER HAS GIVEN YOU. He says, “My word shall not return to Me empty.” (from Isaiah 55:11)

THE BITES

Few things are as frustrating in fishing as “the one that got away.” It can be aggravating to feel a nibble on the line, try to set the hook, and reel it in only to see that the fish ate your bait and swam away. Or even more frustrating is getting a big one on the line, reeling it up to the boat, seeing how big that fish is, only to have it break the line and watching it swim away. But does the dedicated fisherman give up? No! This makes him even more determined to keep going, because he knows the fish are out there.

Fishing for men can be just as frustrating. How many unbelievers have you shared Christ with? And of those you witnessed to, how many seem to have “gotten away?” Or how many did you get close to coming to church only to see them swim away? It can be frustrating and discouraging when we know the great love Christ Jesus had for us, and we share that love of Christ but see no fruits of our labors.

Should we give up? Should we try something different than the Law and Gospel to attract new members? God forbid it! Scripture reveals that even when Jesus or the apostles preached about our sin and God’s forgiveness, not all believed in Jesus as their Savior. But those whom God called and elected to be His saints, when the Law hooks them and they repent of their sins, the Gospel safely brings them into the boat. God assures them that their sins are forgiven. It happened with Peter, Andrew, James, and John. And it happened to you. Keep fishing. You never know when you’ll have a bite on the line. Remember, God does not call on us to convert all nations - that is His job. He simply calls on us to preach, to bait the hook and put it in the water.

THE BOAT

Finally, while shore fishing may suffice on some days, the best fishermen need a boat. They need something to take them beyond the shore to the “honey holes” or the fishing hot spots. The Zebedee fishing business had a boat to take them out onto the Sea of Galilee to do their fishing. Our Father’s fishing business has a boat of sorts too. The boat we have been brought into is the Holy Christian Church. To the four disciples Jesus said, “FOLLOW ME, and I will make you become fishers of men.” To follow Jesus is to be a believer in Him and be brought onboard the heavenly Father’s fishing boat.

Back to Lake Nipigon in Ontario. Fishing with a local expert was a treat. He had the right gear, the right bait, the best tips, and the best location to catch all those walleyes. On board with Jesus, we find that He too gives us the right tools and equips us. As you spend time with Jesus in His Word on Sunday morning and in your own Bible study, He is equipping you for your fishing adventures. For instance—when was the last time you heard something in church that came up later that day in another conversation? Jesus was equipping you. As you are on board with Jesus, in the boat of His church, He is always giving you the tools you need for the heavenly Father’s fishing business.

Praise God for employing us in His business. Let us pray that He would ever train us through His Word to become better fishers of men, that more and more souls would be brought to the safety of His shores in heaven. Thanks be to God. Amen.

—Nathan Pfeiffer

Berea Ev. Lutheran Church
Inver Grove Heights, MN

---

Ministry by Mail is a weekly publication of the Church of the Lutheran Confession. Sermon archives, and subscription and staff information may be found online at www.clclutheran.org/ministrybymail. Audio Sermons are available at: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ministrybymail

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.