“Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen,” declares the LORD, “and they will fish for them; and afterwards I shall send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and from the clefts of the rocks.” (Jer 16:16). This passage of Scripture was a prophecy of judgment upon an unfaithful Judah. Habakkuk 1:14-17 pictures Babylon as the idolatrous fishermen who “sacrifice to their (fishing) net” and catch the nations they attack in their net as fish. Even Amos prophesied that the time would come when they would take the Jews away with fish hooks (Amos 4:2).

How ironic is it then, or perhaps much more than ironic, that Jesus’ first call for men to become His disciples was to some fishermen by the sea, when he said to them as they cast THEIR net, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!” (Matt. 4:19). That negative Old Testament image, picturing wicked men dragged from the Promised Land to a foreign land in shame by a hook to be punished for their iniquity, has been turned on its head, so that now, God in Christ is calling men to catch other men, not as a matter of judgment, but of grace and mercy!

Make no mistake: the judgment is still coming. But mankind has been given an opportunity to be caught in the gospel net rather than in the net of judgment and condemnation. It behooves us then, to go fishing. How embarrassing it will be to hear the voice of the Great Fisherman one day say to us, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” And to have to answer like they did, “No.” (John 21:5)! Jesus can show us where to find a catch-- “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch.” They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish (John 21:6). Isn’t it time that we sent for many fishers?