A Quiet man was once "walking by the sea of Galilee" when he "saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea." Matthew, in a brief account of this incident, writes simply that Simon and Andrew "were fishers."
Perhaps we too have walked along the shore of some bay or lake or sea and can visualize the setting of this interesting meeting so many years ago. We may recall how the clear, fresh breeze comes dancing in, how brightly the sun shines overhead, how the gentle waves roll in with a steady hum and run out on the waiting shore. Perhaps we have watched with interest the bobbing sails of some fishing vessels out on the blue waters. Some fishermen may even have been mending their nets on the little wharf beside us.
These two fishermen of long ago were casting their net into the sea when Jesus saw them. It was where they lived and earned their livelihood, there by the sea: making and mending their nets, casting them into the sea, drawing them in, and marketing their catch. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus had already discerned their spiritual receptivity— their honesty, sincerity, integrity, teachableness, stability—and now he gave them a wonderful invitation. "Follow me," he said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Instantly they recognized the call of the Christ, for "they straightway left their nets, and followed him." "Straightway" they "left their nets," their human occupation and possessions. What wonderful faith and perception!
