For several of Jesus' disciples, the switch from being fishermen to "fishers of men" was a snap decision. That was true for Peter and Andrew, for instance. Jesus walked past as they were casting their net into the Sea of Galilee and said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Apparently, they jumped at the invitation. The Bible puts it this way: "They straightway left their nets, and followed him." See Matt. 4:18-22 (emphasis added). The same thing happened with James and John: When Jesus called, "they immediately left the ship and their father [who was fishing with them], and followed him."
In order for these men to give up their whole way of life, something far beyond idle curiosity or job dissatisfaction had to have influenced them. Whether they were conscious of it or not, a deep spiritual longing and receptivity to truth must have motivated them. And Jesus must have perceived their desire to know God better. Otherwise, why would he have invited them to join him?
One day as I was thinking about this, I realized that earlier in my life I had also, though on a much smaller scale, responded to Christ's call. Although I had gone to Sunday School until my teens, I drifted away from church and the Bible after my parents separated. Then, not long after I married, I found myself in trouble. Part of the problem was that I had become involved with smoking and social drinking. Some of my friends did these things, and I had thought joining in would make me happy. Instead, I was miserable.
