Bead Eight Spreading the Good News
B8 - E1 By the Sea of Galilee
The day dawned when Jesus was ready to leave Nazareth and journey towards the Sea of Galilee to look for his new friends. Retracing the path he had travelled only a few weeks before with his mother but now with a whole new purpose in mind, he made his way to Capernaum and spent the night with his relations. Rising early the next morning, he continued around the lake to Bethsaida.
Knowing that Simon and Andrew were fishermen, together with their partners, James and John and their father, Zebedee, he hoped to find them working by the lake. They had told him a great deal about their lives, describing the satisfaction and pleasure the work gave them when all went well but also, the problems and difficulties which often arose.
On reaching the town, he followed the path to the lake. As he walked by the water’s edge, he spied a boat on the shore with a group of fishermen alongside. Drawing near, he spotted Simon and Andrew amongst their men, washing and mending the fishing nets. He called out to them and, turning around, they waved back, delighted to see him, knowing in their hearts that he had come to find them.
They were finishing their work early that day, despondent because they had worked all night long and had caught nothing. Jesus called out to Simon again. “Put out into the deeper water over there and cast your nets one last time.” They had spent hours fishing in the places where the fish were usually to be found but to no avail. The last place they would ever expect to make a good catch was in the deeper water, so they were doubtful of success, but, putting his trust in Jesus, Simon said wearily, “If you say so, Master, we will do it.”
Against all their expectations, they caught such a huge number of fish that the nets began to break and they had to call out to James and John, whose boat was a little further along the shore, to come and help them pull in the catch. When they did so, both boats were so full they were almost at sinking point and the men were totally amazed. They brought the boats back to the shore and as the catch was unloaded, Simon came to Jesus and fell on his knees, saying, “Leave me, Lord, because I’m just not worthy of you.”
Jesus reached down and gently pulled him up, saying quietly, “Simon, I’m asking you to come with me, to be my follower, and I will make you a fisher of men!” and turning directly to Andrew, gave him the same invitation. They both accepted his call without hesitation. Then, approaching James and John, who were already back in their boat, mending the nets with their father and his hired men, he made them the same offer and they also agreed immediately, leaving Zebedee with his team, to join Simon and Andrew in this new life.
Each one of them had been caught up in the wonder that they had experienced with Jesus from the very first moment they had met him. On their return home from their long spell in Judea, the visit to Nazareth and the wedding in Cana, they had spoken of their experiences to their families and to everyone they knew. They felt called to follow Jesus wherever that might take them, even in the realisation that they would be leaving everything to do so.
They accepted the invitation joyfully, knowing that this was to be their destiny in life, happy in the knowledge that the enormous catch of fish would set the family business on a firm footing for Zebedee and for all the men whose livelihoods depended on it. The next task was to find Philip and Nathaniel, knowing that they too would accept the call of Jesus. So, with excitement and trust and, perhaps, some trepidation, they set off to accompany the man they would call their Master, wherever his path might take them.
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