A Hook for Humans II

The other intriguing part (see earlier post for part I) of Jesus' invitation to his first followers is that it includes the opportunity to give one's life away to the mission of Jesus. This too rings strange in the ears of Christian consumers. Why would Jesus tell people He wanted them to do something for him before they've even decided they want to follow him in the first place. A couple of reasons come to mind.

As was stated in the earlier post, Jesus is good enough in and of himself to be followed no questions asked. The reason we are able to do this is because He has already shown that he can be trusted by going through the most humiliating, painful death imaginable before we said yes to anything. Whatever He asks of us will always pale in comparison to what He's already done for us - no questions asked.

But there is more to this invitation. Jesus knows that we are hard wired to be on a mission with God. From the very beginning, God and human beings are working alongside each other. When God creates Adam (6th day), the first thing Adam does is rest (7th day) but immediately after the one day rest God and Adam are on the job bright and early on Sunday morning - naming animals and tending the garden. God still sees our vocations in a similar light. Fishing for fish (or designing semi conductors or sweeping the floor) is a way to co labor with the Creator. We are wired to work with God.

Because of the fall of man, we've got an extra thing on our to do list that Adam and Eve didn't have back in Genesis 2. Those who have reconciled with God through Christ are not only on mission with God in whatever career they find themselves in at the moment, but they are also commissioned to be a fisher of humans. We get to ride shotgun with Christ as He continues to do the same kind of fishing that we see Him doing on that sandy beach in Galilee. It is one of the most exciting, challenging, stretching experiences that you will ever have and is one of the "hooks" that pulls you into a relationship with Jesus.

I'll talk more about what it means to fish for humans in the next post