Fishers of PeopleSample

An Effective Stone

Jesus calls four fishermen to follow Him and promises to transform them into fishers of people. They immediately abandon everything and follow Him. Nevertheless, it appears that this was not their first encounter with Christ.

In today’s passage, we witness John the Baptist proclaiming to his disciples that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Two of these disciples follow Jesus and spend the entire day with Him. The next day, Andrew, one of the two disciples, goes to get his brother Simon and shares that he and his companion found the Messiah.

Andrew introduces Jesus to Simon, and Jesus confers upon him the name Peter.

The name Peter means ‘stone’ or ‘rock,’ while Simon originates from the Hebrew root meaning ‘to hear.’ In an instant, Jesus transforms Peter from a mere listener into someone of weight within His Kingdom.

Many of us find ourselves at the point in our relationship with Christ where, overall, we do little more than listen. However, that is about to change.

At that time, there were many techniques for fishing already established. Baited hooks could be thrown, a trawl could be cast to the required depth, or a net could be deployed and closed by pulling a rope.

In all these methods, it is essential to use one or more weights. The net needs weights to fully unfurl when cast through the air, sink into the water, and maintain the desired position and depth required by the fisherman.

Typically, stones provided this weight for the net. Jesus shifted Peter from being a mere listener to becoming one who bestows weight upon the net to enable it to open, descend, and enclose a large number of fish.

The Lord can position you to be a pivotal element in His work today. His net can make use of more stones. Do you desire to serve Him in a significant way? Are you willing to be cast into the air, to plunge into the depths, and to enclose a multitude of fish?

Lord, I no longer want to remain a passive observer or a forgetful listener. Place me in Your net. Choose me as one of Your stones that impart the weight and depth required by Your net. Here I am.