Words'nTone

And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).

When Jesus invites us to follow Him, he promises, “I will make you become fishers of men.”

Many understand this to mean that Christians are to catch the unsaved for Christ. If you assume this interpretation of Mark 1:17 (and Matthew 4:19), the act of fishing is, then, an illustration of evangelism or a “picture of winning people to Christ.” Interpreting the “fishers of men” text in this way is based on two assumptions:

1) Fishing is a biblical metaphor for evangelizing (“fishers of men =
evangelism/witnessing”), and as such, the metaphor would have been understood, without explanation, as such by the disciples.

2) The fishing metaphor is transferable to today’s fishing context, and thus, can be utilized to call Christians to evangelize (i.e., to fulfill being “fishers of men”).

I can’t count how many times I have heard preachers, evangelists, “special speakers,” Sunday School teachers, popular Christian media celebrities, and even Bible professors say that Jesus’ words in Mark 1:17 (as well as Matthew 4:19) is a call to evangelism. In the summer of 1978, soon after my conversion, I was instructed to memorize the “fishers of men” verses as “evangelism” or “witnessing” texts.

While I completely appreciate those who have become such fishers of men, that is, have made commitments to witness and catch men for Christ, I believe we should pause long enough to consider one thing:

If fish are unsaved people, imagine evangelism from the fish’s perspective.

Something’s wrong with the metaphor
Messages on evangelism and witnessing using “the different types of fishing” are commonplace. This text and such images are utilized to enforce the Christian call to evangelize and to exemplify the various ways one can “fish” for people: Fly fishing, deep sea fishing, catching fish in nets, and using bigger nets to catch lots of fish (i.e., more people). I began to think differently about Jesus’ words, fishers of men, when a preacher once suggested, “Sometimes you have to use a club, or even throw dynamite in the water to blast the fish out. Likewise, sometimes you have to use extreme methods to win people to Christ.” At that moment, many years ago now, I knew something was wrong with this use of that particular biblical metaphor.

Not so self-evident—fishing is never good for fish
Evangelism and fishing, at first glance, seem to be a match. So when we read or hear the biblical phrase “fishers of men,” it appears to be a self-evident metaphor. Or, is it? However neatly these words fit in our stories, illustrations, and anecdotes about witnessing and evangelism, we should not simply assume that fishers of men is a self-evident metaphor to the modern reader of the Bible.

Think seriously about the “fishers of men = evangelism/witnessing” imagery. Carry it through as a metaphor. Is fishing ever good for the fish? The coming of the fisherman for fish is not good; it is not a blessing. It is dangerous, menacing, ominous, dire, and presents a very life-ending possibility. Fishermen use tricks, lures, false hope, traps, cons, and don’t forget hooks. If winning souls to Jesus is the meaning of this metaphor, then it loses its seemingly clear metaphorical nature when it is transferred to the world of Christian activities of witnessing, outreach, church growth, and evangelism.  Fishing is, simply put, not good for fish. The presence of fishermen is not a good sign for them
at all. This, all by itself, suggests that we need to look elsewhere for the background that gives meaning (and interpretative depth) to the fishers of men metaphor.  Full essay…

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Full “Fishers of Men” (Mark 1:17) Rough Cut exegetical essay… If you cannot download pdf files, requesting a Word file of this exegetical essay, and I will gladly send it to you.