Cast a Wide Net
Dan Kunz
Back in the middle of March, I had the opportunity to spend some time hunting and fishing with some dear friends down in southern Texas. I had several goals for the trip, and one of them was to catch an alligator gar. If you don’t know what that is, think of a cross between a fish and a dinosaur! The word “prehistoric” is a very appropriate description of an alligator gar. They can grow to massive proportions. The world record caught on hook and line is a monster caught in Texas three years ago. It weighed 283 pounds and measured over 8 feet in length! The one I caught was over 42 pounds and measured 53 inches. Not a world record, but a huge fish. The battle to land it was awesome!
Before my friend, Robert, and I could try some gar fishing, we had to secure bait. We bought some packaged bait at a local bait shop, but Robert suggested we also try to catch some live bait. Since he lives in Texas and fishes for gar occasionally, Robert had all the tackle and gear we needed, including a “cast net”. Cast nets are circular, usually 6-20 feet in diameter, with weights attached all the way around the bottom. The idea is to throw the net so it spreads out over the water and sinks to the bottom. (It takes some skill and practice to get it to spread to its full extent.) When you tug on the hand line, the bottom pulls together and, hopefully, captures the bait or fish you’re after. As you might imagine, wind and other factors can make casting the net challenging. We caught a little bait, but not much.
On the Sea of Galilee in Jesus’ day, it’s logical to assume that Peter and the other professional fishermen probably either used cast nets or trolling nets. Trolling nets are large and rectangular with floats along the top and weights along the bottom. They were let out behind the boat and as the boat moved forward with either sails or oars, fish would be trapped in the net and pulled aboard. Because of their occupation, Jesus explained their new “calling” this way - Matthew 4:19 He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” When Jesus ascended into heaven, he gave you and me the same directive. I like to think of a cast net as the perfect description of how we “catch people”.
When you and I are ready to cast our net, we could target a specific “fish”, a friend, a neighbor, a relative, or co-worker with the Gospel. We could also target a small group of people, such as the guys with whom we bowl, the moms with whom we have coffee, or the people with whom we carpool. We could even cast a broader net and share Jesus with anyone we meet. Pastors, teachers, and staff ministers are taught how to throw their net to get the best results, but that doesn’t mean that any member of God’s Kingdom couldn’t do quite well at throwing a net. It just takes patience and practice! The power is in the message anyway, not how skilled at fishing we are.
Although battling the wind, my friend, Robert, was able to make some very good casts. In spite of his efforts, though, the net sometimes came back empty. It happens when we fish for people, too. God oversees the harvest. We’re just told to keep casting! If we do that, we will have success. Maybe, to paraphrase the famous line from Jaws, “We’re gonna need a bigger net!”