We read in the gospels of a morning by the Sea of Galilee when some of the fishermen who have become so well known to us as to seem like friends, were mending their nets preparatory to another day's fishing. They were carefully repairing any breaks and arranging weights and ropes so that all would run smoothly when again they plied their trade. The simple life of the fishermen of Galilee makes an interesting appeal to those living in the mad rush and turmoil of the twentieth century, and one brought up in a fishing village can gain a fairly clear idea of the daily routine of these men. Mending their nets they talked of the affairs of the little town in which they lived, together perhaps with stray bits of news that had drifted in from some near-by place of larger growth. They launched forth daily in search of that which they considered necessary, and after a day's work under the open sky, with the breezes blowing about them, sailed back to shore with their well earned gain; and having disposed of it, sought their quiet homes, well pleased with the work of the day. If, by chance, the fish had been scarce and the catch small there was always the expectation of better luck on the morrow; and so peacefully the days passed.
With a common interest and similar mode of living these Galilean fishermen were friends, and especially four of them whom we know as Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John. On one eventful morning the sea being too boisterous, perhaps, for successful fishing, John and James, together with their father, sat in a ship near shore making their nets taut and strong, while Simon and Andrew were fishing near by. Along the edge of the lake a man came walking, who was to change the whole current of their lives, though they were no doubt quite unsuspecting as they gave him friendly greeting after the manner of fisherfolk and the spirit of comradeship ever existing among them the world over. The rugged Simon and his brother were the first to be addressed by the stranger, who said to them. "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men:" and we are told that straightway they left their nets and followed him. Also he called John and James, and they at once left their father and their work and readily followed the one who called them to a higher work among men.
What was the power by which he led these men away from their familiar surroundings and their daily work to go among strange scenes and peoples to an unknown activity? The invitation was simply given: without urging or any inducements that would lead to the expectation of greater gain —just a different kind of fishing, and with no promise of material reward. The acceptance of the invitation was immediate, without hesitation or questioning as to his meaning or their own particular welfare. It was the word of intelligent command given in such love and, wisdom as demanded that instant obedience which the simple fishermen yielded instinctively, without stopping to question why, as those better versed in the ways of the world would have been likely to do. Jesus needed helpers and he knew where to find them. He loved mankind with a love which was ever true and compassionate, and there is no mistaking or rejecting that kind of love. It has a note of tenderness, a desire to help which rings true, and is immediately recognized with deepest gratitude. To follow the lead of a love like this is no task, for whatever the hardships, there is always a consciousness of shelter and protection and peace.
