The Guild Of Fishermen - God's Cracked Pots

From my observation, Jesus summoned His twelve disciples from a personality type that accepted they were imperfect and did not know everything. They may have acted like it at times, but they were teachable as compared to other kinds of people of the day like the Pharisees, Sadusees and teachers of The Law.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek (or humble) for they will inherit the earth." And Paul mentions that Jesus loves to capitalize on the quality of weakness in people. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul said, "But He (Jesus) said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"

As stated before, the twelve disciples that Jesus called to be close to Him during His ministry were not top notch scholars of Scripture with great insight on the signs of the time and expecting Jesus to fulfill the role of Messiah as prophesied. And neither were the regular scholars of the day. The individuals Jesus selected were cracked pots - flawed, human vessels with regular jobs.

However, one particular job attracted Jesus in His pool of selection - the fisherman. At least seven out of the twelve belonged to the Guild of Fisherman. The Disciples had occupations rangng from fisherman to businessman to tax collector to zealot or political revolutionalist and treasurer. But most common among them was the fisherman. Andrew, Peter, James and John, the sons of Zebedee worked as fishermen according to Matthew 4:18-22. After the resurrection of Jesus, Thomas, Nathaniel and Philip were found fishing, so they also may have been fishermen (John 21:2-8). At least they knew how to fish. 

Remember the Lord's calling of Simon and Andrew in Matthew 4:18-20?

"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'And I will send out you out to fish for people.' At once they left their nets and followed Him."

Why would Jesus need people with a fishing mindset? Because Jesus would be requiring more than just belief in Him as Savior of their souls, He would be requiring the spreading of His saving message and the training of those same people as Disciples. This demands we discern what a disciple is.

Disciples are active believers of Christ Jesus, living out the lifestyle of Jesus and helping spread His good news of His kingdom to the uniformed and equip the saints for better living. As Christ Jesus ascended to the right hand of Father God in Heaven, His believers, His disciples became His hands, feet, voice and ministry.

Let's briefly observe the journey of one particular disciple - Peter. This disciple struck me as a bold and always wanting to experience the new thing with Jesus. As stated before, he was called while being a fisherman and later tried walking on water with Jesus and was successful for a bit, but failed when fear took over. He declared Jesus, the Son of God and the next minute was influenced by Satan trying to stop Jesus' plan of salvation. Peter was one of the three men who witnessed Jesus' transfiguration but then suggested three booths of honor for - Moses, Elijah and Jesus - instead of just one for Jesus. He denied Jesus three times, yet Jesus restored him. All this for a disciple who was a major role in the Jerusalem church, wrote some new testament letters and requested to be crucified upsidedown. This was certainly a tried, true and beloved cracked pot.

So, Jesus used a bunch of cracked pots whose majority occupation was fisherman to change bait, tackle, waters and fish to that of humanity.

Christ's heart has always been for the next person to come into an intimate relationship with Him. This happens through the disciples of Christ. Whatever drew us to Him should drive us to share with others. Whether you like or dislike physical fishing, disciples must spiritually fish more for men and women of the Lord.

Similar to the motif of the planter, waterer and reaper we can divide up the duties of fishing. Some can carry the fishing pole. Some can carry the bait. Some can bait the hook. Some can cast the line into the waters. Some can scoop up the fish with a net. All of us, from all walks of life, imperfect as they come, have a role to play in The Guild Of Fishermen - God's Cracked Pots.