Mark (and Matthew) recorded when Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be “fishers of men” (Mk. 1:16-20; Matt. 4:18-22). These men had already met Jesus at the time of this calling (Jn. 1), and now Jesus sees them fishing in the Sea of Galilee and calls for them to be “fishers of men.” What a unique thing to say to these men. How can someone go from fishing for fish to fishing for men? Christ would spend the next three years preparing them for the work!

            What’s necessary to fish for men? Could I suggest there are several similarities between this and fishing for fish? First, one needs a net if he’s going to catch fish or catch men! The spiritual net that is spread is the Word of God! Christ wanted them to “cast” this “net” far and wide. He told them to preach about repentance and that “the kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Mk. 6; Lk. 10; Matt. 10). In like manner, are we looking for ways to “cast” the gospel net today? Have we thought of ways to use what opportunities we have to tell others about the Lord? If not, why not?

            Another thing these fishers needed was patience! Just as fish aren’t always caught right away, so also, men can be cantankerous and wish to fight against the truth of God’s word. The apostles needed patience! Paul also taught this to Timothy in II Timothy 4:2. The original twelve apostles would see the patience of Christ as He taught the people continually and faced opposition daily (Mk. 2:7; etc.). As “fishers of men,” these men needed patience, just as a farmer has patience when he plants the seed and waits for the harvest (Mk. 4:1-9, 14-20)! Today, we need patience as we teach folks about the Lord. A wise person once told me, “Don’t expect a person to learn in five minutes what it took you five years to learn.” Yes, patience is needed as we teach and show people what it means to be a Christian.

            Fishermen also need faith that the method will work! The method for catching fish on Galilee is that one fishes at night and on the shallow end. We get a picture of this in Luke 5:5, and when we read Mark 1:16, and read about Jesus walking “by the sea,” i.e., on the beach, and He sees Simon (Peter) and Andrew “casting a net into the sea.” Evidently, they were standing on the beach as well and throwing their nets into Galilee. In the case of fishing for men, the Lord taught these men a method that works! They were to preach God’s word in its fulness and simplicity. They were to teach it faithfully to all (Mk. 6:12, 16:15; Lk. 10:9; Matt. 10:7). When these faithful men preached the truth, it would produce faith in others (Rom. 10:17). The same is true today! The gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). Changing the message or changing the way God wants men to know the truth won’t produce Christians! We need to trust God that His way works every time it’s tried!

            Just like fishermen, these “fishers of men” had to go where the “fish” (men) were to catch them! We’ve referred several times in this article to the times when Jesus sent His disciples to preach. He sent them to where the people were in order to spread this message. Before His ascension, Jesus would say a similar thing (Mk. 16:15), instructing His apostles to go “into all the world”! Why? It was so they could “preach the gospel to every creature”! They had to go where the people were! Paul would do this, and we see him going to the synagogues in the various cities often because this is where the people were (Acts 17:3)! It does no one any good if we have a message but refuse to make it known! In this country, opportunities abound to spread the gospel. Yes, even in a pandemic, we can talk with people about the Lord! (Don’t forget your children, Eph. 6:4! Don’t assume that this “captive audience” knows the gospel if you’ve never taught it.) In addition to face-to-face meetings, we can write letters to people (remember those?), send texts, send emails, write a note on “social media,” make a phone call, and take advantage of numerous other ways to get God’s message out.

            Christ needed “fishers of men” 2000 years ago in Galilee, and He needs them today. Are you going to step up to the work (Matt. 9:37-38)?

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

            The last part of Ecclesiastes 9:4 says that “a living dog is better than a dead lion.” What I find interesting is that in the days of Solomon, dogs were not “man’s best friend.” They were not considered pets but nuisances. Lions, on the other hand, were exalted and symbols of royalty. In those days, if one had the option, a regal-looking lion would be much preferred over some mutt dog. Yet, Solomon observed a living dog is still better than a dead lion.

What does such a statement mean? It is similar to our saying, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” Put simply, it means that there are times when we are better off getting what is available, what is possible, instead of the things only wished for. We could say it this way: Take advantage of the opportunities you have instead of waiting for things that might never come!

I believe some folks are guilty of hoping for that “dead lion” when they think they will wait for a “convenient” time to be saved. Felix maintained this attitude (Acts 24:25), and though seeing Paul for over two years (v. 27), he never found a “convenient” time! Are we like this? Some wish to wait on their obedience to the Lord until they “know more” or until they have accomplished some goal. I know of people who said they needed more Bible knowledge before they could be saved. To these people, I asked, “You know the Lord’s plan of salvation and you know that you are in sin and need to be saved. At this point, what else do you need to know?” A living dog is better than a dead lion, friends!

            Some will not tell others the truth about salvation and Jesus because they are afraid they do not know enough. They are concerned that some question might be asked of them that they cannot answer. Many are fearful of any type of “confrontation.” I think there is a large percentage of Christians who don’t wish to talk to people who are not like them -- whether racially, the same economic status, etc. What ultimately happens is that no teaching gets done, and a generation is lost in a Devil’s Hell. To these people, I say: “A living dog is better than a dead lion”! We are wasting our opportunities looking for the “perfect” opportunity, the “perfect” person, etc. Listen, those are not coming in that form. We need to understand that the “perfect” is only “perfect” in hindsight. Our opportunities to teach someone about the Lord doesn’t come wrapped in a pretty bow! They come to us at the bank and the grocery store. They come to us when we are dirty and sweaty from working, and with our children at night when we are tired. Opportunities to teach about Christ come to us looking like a flawed and failed person who is in sin and needs Christ. This person has sinned and has emotional or other types of “baggage” and regrets. It is these people who need to cast their care on Christ (I Pet. 5:7) but can’t do it until they are introduced to Him. What are we doing to help these people? Where is the love for our neighbor (Matt. 22:39)? Are we so busy waiting for “dead lions” that we are missing the “living dogs?”

            Take a moment for true self-examination (II Cor. 13:5). What opportunities and who are we overlooking in our vain pursuits? The dead lion offers nothing for you. Stop wasting time on the impossible and accept and work with what is real and true! The blessings are sometimes right under our noses. We need to get them out of the clouds and down where we can focus on what is instead of what is not. 

- Jarrod M. Jacobs