Fishing for Souls
This Sunday the Scripture focus is Mark 1:14-20—the call of the disciples. In this passage we hear Jesus tell Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew “follow me and I will make you fish for people.” As I was preparing the sermon I ran across the image above, which I believe illustrates the way this passage is often distorted by human interests.
The painting is titled “Fishing for Souls” by Adriaen Pietersz van de Venne in 1614 (click here for a larger version). It tells the story of the political divide between Northern and Southern Netherlands—the North governed by the Protestants and the South governed by Roman Catholics. In the middle of the scene is a river that splits the country in two. In the river officers of each of the denominations are out in boats trying to rescue poor drowning souls. Each side is “fishing for souls.”
The scene is chaotic. People are crowded on the shore, looking concerned. But their eyes are not focused on the people in the river. Instead, they seem to be assessing the threat from the other side. They are suited up in their religious or political uniforms, like armies gathering for battle (which eventually came to fruition). In the background, the sun shines and the trees flourish on the left side of the bank, whereas the landscape is barren and foreboding on the right. It would seem the artist favored the Protestants.
Throughout the history of the church the idea of “fishing for souls” (evangelism) has been associated with recruiting members for your side (or church). I’m skeptical that this is what Jesus intended when he invited these two fishermen to follow him. I doubt Jesus was concerned with church growth or political movements. It makes more sense that the metaphor points to bringing people into the Kingdom of God, which is not located in the pews of any particular church or chartered by any government. So, what does it mean to bring people into the Kingdom of God? Only a fool would tackle that question in a newsletter article (I will give it my best try in this Sunday’s sermon). But one clue that we can take from this verse is that it has something to do with following Jesus and probably nothing to do with preparing for war.
Blessings,
Pastor Jen
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