Rev. Dr. Rev. Dr. Niveen Ibrahim Sarras

Mark 1:14-20

January 24, 2021

"The story is told about a group called themselves fishermen. There were many fish in the water all around this group. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.

Week after week, month after month, and year after year, these who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing is always to be a primary task of fishermen.

Continually, they searched for new and better methods of fishing and for new and better definitions of fishing. Further they said, "The fishing industry exists by fishing as fire exists by burning." They loved slogans such as "Fishing Is the Task of Every Fisherman." They sponsored special meetings called "Fishermen's Campaigns" and "The Month for Fishermen to Fish." They sponsored costly nationwide and world-wide congresses to discuss fishing and to promote fishing and hear about all the ways of fishing such as the new fishing equipment, fish calls, and whether any new bait had been discovered.

These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings called "Fishing Headquarters." The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. There was one thing they didn't do, however—they didn't fish… Is a person a fisherman if, year after year, he never goes fishing?"[1]

In Mark's Gospel, our Lord Jesus calls Simon and Andrew, the fishermen, to follow him and make them fish for people. We have traditionally interpreted Jesus' invitation to grow the number of people in the kingdom of God. We hear evangelical preachers using the text in Mark's Gospel to encourage Christians to win souls for Christ. In other words, Jesus' statement, "fish for people," connotes the vocation of "saving souls." I do not deny this interpretation; however, I invite you to pay attention to this text's context.

In Jewish biblical tradition, to fish for people implies a divine judgment of God's enemies. The prophets Jeremiah (16:6), Amos (4:2), and Ezekiel (29:4) used the metaphor of "hooking a fish" as a metaphor for God's punishment on the wicked. For example, Amos warns the  rich Israelites of God's judgment if they do not repent, "The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness: 'The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks.'" If the Israelites biblical tradition understands fishing for people to mean punishment, why does Jesus use this metaphor? I assume that Jesus has two reasons:

First, according to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus started his ministry after "John was put in prison" (v. 14). Herod Antipas was responsible for beheading John the Baptist, possibly at his royal palace in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee's shores.[2] Jesus called his first disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John, sons of Zebedee, who witnessed Herod Antipas taking the Jews' land to Romanize the region and put it under the Emperor's control.[3] Those disciples were victims of Roman oppression.

Second, the villages that surrounded the Sea of Galilee were fishing villages. The Jews depended on fishing for their survival. But Herod Antipas' romanization project in Galilee had controlled the fishing industry by imposing taxation on fishers and exporting fish throughout the empire market, which benefited only the elites.[4] It seems to me that the first disciples suffered greatly from the Romans' injustices.

Jesus called his disciples who were anticipating God’s intervention to end the Romans oppression. Jesus preached the good news about the coming of God's reign to replace the Emperor and Herod Antipas’ reign. Jesus invited his disciples to join him in participating and preparing for the kingdom of God. When he says, follow me, and I will make you fish for people, he means to invite his disciples to resist the powerful and the elites who took advantage of the powerless. In other words, Jesus "is inviting common folk to join him in his struggle to overturn the existing order of power and privilege."[5]

To be a disciple of Jesus and his follower means that Jesus is your Lord, and he rules over your life. Following Jesus might lead you to the cross. Preaching the kingdom of God and speaking against injustices led to his crucifixion. Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke, "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained, will be like his teacher" (6:40). In other words, you are not better than Jesus Christ. Since you call yourself a Christian, you come to church to listen to his word and partake in his body and blood; then you have to live like him. We are called to fish for people, which means to improve people's life. We are called to make this world the kingdom of God. It is our responsibility as Christians to be the voice of Christ in every institution, organization, school, church, home, government. You name it.

It is not enough to talk about fishing and explain the best way to fish without going fishing. It is not enough to come to church and listen to the word of God. We are called to be Christ’s voice of love, peace, and justice in our communities. To be a follower of Christ and fish for people means to be the bridge that connects divided people.

After the election and the riot in Capital Hill, some people ended their friendship with their friends who have different opinions. A friend of mine told me that she lost a longtime friend over politics—other lost family members. Followers of Jesus Christ are invited to love one another and lay down their lives for one another (1 John 3:16). Despite our differences, Jesus is calling all of us—republicans and Democrats—to fish for people. You cannot call yourself fisher, and you do not fish. You cannot claim that you love Jesus and end your friendship or oppose your neighbor who has different political views.

Fishing for people has political and spiritual meaning. Through advocating for the oppressed and challenging the hostile order of hierarchy and privilege, you share the love of God with your underprivileged neighbor. You participate in helping people to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. You help them and allow yourself to be open to receive God's grace and mercy. It also means comforting one another and "carrying each other's burdens" (Galatians 6:2). In doing so, the Holy Spirit grants you peace and comfort in a time of need and strengthens you to continue to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ regardless of what the hostile world might bring.