DAY TWO
I will make you
fishers of men . . .

Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
MARK 1:17

WHEN I WAS in high school, our family used to fish every year during spring break. One year my brother and my mom couldn’t go, so my dad let me invite a friend. I asked Mark. He was a good pal and a great sport. He got permission from his parents, and we began planning our trip.

Days before leaving, we could already anticipate the vacation. We could feel the sun warming our bodies as we floated in the boat. We could feel the yank of the rod and hear the spin of the reel as we wrestled the white bass into the boat. And we could smell the fish frying in an open skillet over an open fire.

We could hardly wait. Days passed like cold molasses. Finally spring break arrived. We loaded our camper and set out for the lake.

We arrived late at night, unfolded the camper, and went to bed—dreaming of tomorrow’s day in the sun. But during the night, an unseasonably strong norther blew in. It got cold fast! The wind was so strong that we could barely open the camper door the next morning. The sky was gray. The lake was a mountain range of white-topped waves. There was no way we could fish in that weather.

“No problem,” we said. “We’ll spend the day in the camper. After all, we have Monopoly. We have Reader’s Digest. We all know a few jokes. It’s not what we came to do, but we’ll make the best of it and fish tomorrow.”

So, huddled in the camper with a Coleman stove and a Monopoly board, we three fishermen passed the day— indoors. The hours passed slowly, but they did pass. Night finally came, and we crawled into the sleeping bags, dreaming of angling.

Were we in for a surprise. The next morning it wasn’t the wind that made the door hard to open; it was the ice!

We tried to be cheerful. “No problem,” we mumbled. “We can play Monopoly . . . again. We can reread the stories in Reader’s Digest. And surely we know another joke or two.” But as courageous as we tried to be, it was obvious that some of the gray had left the sky and entered our camper.

I began to notice a few things I hadn’t seen before. I noticed that Mark had a few personality flaws. He was a bit too cocky about his opinions. He was easily irritated and constantly edgy. He couldn’t take any constructive criticism. Even though his socks did stink, he didn’t think it was my business to tell him.

“Just looking out for the best interest of my dad’s camper,” I defended, expecting Dad to come to my aid.

But Dad just sat over in the corner, reading. Humph, I thought, where is he when I need him? And then, I began to see Dad in a different light. When I mentioned to him that the eggs were soggy and the toast was burnt, he invited me to try my hand at the portable stove. Touchy, touchy, I said to myself. Nothing like being cooped up in a camper with someone to help you see his real nature.

It was a long day. It was a long, cold night.

When we awoke the next morning to the sound of sleet slapping the canvas, we didn’t even pretend to be cheerful. We were flat-out grumpy. Mark became more of a jerk with each passing moment; I wondered what spell of ignorance I must have been in when I invited him. Dad couldn’t do anything right; I wondered how someone so irritable could have such an even-tempered son. We sat in misery the whole day, our fishing equipment still unpacked.

The next day was even colder. “We’re going home” were my father’s first words. No one objected.

I learned a hard lesson that week. Not about fishing, but about people.

When those who are called to fish don’t fish, they fight.

When energy intended to be used outside is used inside, the result is explosive. Instead of casting nets, we cast stones. Instead of extending helping hands, we point accusing fingers. Instead of being fishers of the lost, we become critics of the saved. Rather than helping the hurting, we hurt the helpers.

God . . . has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
TIMOTHY 1:8–9

1. What was Jesus’ plan for his followers from the moment he called them, according to Mark 1:17?

2. What do Romans 8:28 and 2 Timothy 1:9 tell us about our own calling?

3. Once the disciples were given this new mission, Jesus showed them the heart of it. What does Matthew 14:14 tell us about the Lord’s attitude toward those in need?

The Greek word used for compassion in this passage is splanchnizomai, which won’t mean much to you unless you are in the health professions and studied splanchnology in school. If so, you remember that splanchnology is a study of the visceral parts. Or, in contemporary jargon, a study of the gut.

When Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on the people, he is not saying that Jesus felt casual pity for them. No, the term is far more graphic. Matthew is saying that Jesus felt their hurt in his gut:

• He felt the limp of the crippled.

• He felt the hurt of the diseased.

• He felt the loneliness of the leper.

• He felt the embarrassment of the sinful.

And once he felt their hurts, he couldn’t help but heal their hurts. He was moved in the stomach by their needs. He was so touched by their needs that he forgot his own needs. He was so moved by the people’s hurts that he put his hurts on the back burner.

4. Maybe that’s why God brings hurting people into your world too. All solitude and no service equal selfishness. Some solitude and some service, however, equal perspective. What was Jesus’ perspective—and prayer request—in Matthew 9:36–38?

But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
PSALM 86:15

5. Compassion is one of God’s attributes, tied closely to his mercy and graciousness. Look over the following list, and consider which of these truths you’ve encountered in your life.

___ God’s heart is touched by our struggles, and his mercy is endless (Lamentations 3:19–23).

___ In his compassion, God takes care of his beloved children (Isaiah 58:11).

___ In the aftermath of terrible trials, God’s compassion can be seen (James 5:11).

___ God’s patience extends even to those who make the same mistakes time and again (Psalm 78:38).

___ The compassion of God made a way for the forgiveness of our sins (Micah 7:19).

___ Jesus’ compassion is so great because he knows how we feel (Hebrews 4:14–15).

6. How do we show compassion for one another, according to Galatians 6:2?

When those who are called to fish don’t fish, they fight. But note the other side of this fish tale: When those who are called to fish, fish— they flourish!

Nothing handles a case of the gripes like an afternoon service project. Nothing restores perspective better than a visit to a hospital ward. Nothing unites soldiers better than a common task.

Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother.”
ZECHARIAH 7:9

7. In Romans 12:15, how does Paul describe the way believers express their compassion for one another?

8. Peter called believers to unity and compassion. How does he describe our attitude and behavior toward one another in 1 Peter 3:8–9?

Again, when those who are called to fish, fish—they flourish! The next time the challenges “outside” tempt you to shut the door and stay inside, stay long enough to get warm. Then get out. When those who are called to fish don’t fish, they fight.