Fishing

The concept of fishing is a rich visual (and aromatic) analogy of Biblical teachings.  We read that Jesus called fishermen to follow him, and he said to them, “I will make you fishers of men.” We often think of sport fishing when we read the text, but I am sure Jesus had in mind what we might call commercial fishing.  It was fishing as a livelihood…to support the family.  It was no trivial, entertaining thing.  That basic analogy can be played out in many ways and taken beyond the original idea it was intended to convey.  Regardless, it is a graphic, sensory pregnant concept of both fishing and the fish that are caught.

I enjoy watching videos of many life experience adventures. Fishing is one of them. I have watched as the catch is brought into the dock or pier and the often uneducated workers clean the fish. Their knife skills and hand movements are remarkable. I have watched as they fillet a fish, leaving the bones and guts on the board to be discarded.  All that is left is a beautiful slab of meat that is ready for the pan or grill.  The guts and bones are scraped off the cutting board into a pail of waste (or sea gull food).  They normally have a water hose or bucket and wash down the cutting area preparing  for the next one to be cleaned.

I feel somewhat like that dead fish that is laid out on the cleaning board. There is obviously something there worth the time and effort of cleaning, but it isn’t automatic. It must first be gutted and filleted.  The worthless elements must be washed away…into the waste bucket, and the pure, white meat of the fish is captured for exceptional purposes. I understand the concept, but in reality, I identify with the bones and the guts more than the fillet.  The secret is allowing myself to be put into the hands of the skilled one who can separate the two and save the good stuff.  That takes faith and that takes grace.  The act of being willing to extract the good stuff is called mercy. 

If you are feeling disqualified, damaged or dirty just remember the fish.  The Master fish cleaner knows what to do with you.  You aren’t all bones and guts.  There is good stuff in there and he will get it out…AND he will wash the unusable junk into the waste bucket.