Mark begins his gospel speaking of the good news of Jesus Christ. By its very nature, good news is something to be shared. Can you imagine someone getting engaged and not without to tell anyone about it? Can you picture a proud father receiving the good news of the birth of his child keeping silent about it? Yet for some strange reason, many believers think that they can receive the good news of Jesus and keep it to themselves. In fact, I have even spoken to a non-believer who told me that if she ever became a Christian, she would not tell anyone else about it. I told her that she was greatly mistaken — if she ever became a Christian, she could not keep from telling others.
In Mark 1, Mark presents us with a long list of brief testimonies beginning with his own testimony of who Jesus is. Take time to read the testimony of each and ask, “What do this testimony tell me about Jesus?”
1. The Testimony of Mark (1:1)
2. The Testimony of the Scriptures (1:2-3)
3. The Testimony of John the Baptist (1:4-8)
4. The Testimony of the Father and the Spirit (1:9-13)
5. The Testimony of His Message (1:14-15)
6. The Testimony of the Demons (1:21-28)
7. The Testimony of the Healings (1:29-34)
8. The Testimony of His Life (1:35-39)
9. The Testimony of the Leper (1:40-45)
Obviously, those who truly encounter Jesus have something to share.
That seems to be the major theme of this first chapter. Mark 1:17 sets the tone for the chapter as well as for the mission and ministry with which Jesus has left us: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” When people come to faith, the Lord may take them down different paths, give them varying gifts, and allow them to use different methods but His goal for each is the same: to make them fishers of men. Here we see the Goal of His Call. He is not satisfied just to bring us to faith; He desires to employ us in the business of bringing others to Himself.
We see this early in this gospel in the healing of the leper (Mark 1:40-45). Jesus is not content simply to be involved in healing; He desires that those who have been healed “go and show yourself to the priest … as a testimony to them.” While Jesus’ desire here is to keep the focus on His ministry on a lower key (see verse 44), He always wants a testimony to be borne. Interestingly, the leper is so overwhelmed by what Jesus has done for Him that He cannot keep silent, even at the bidding of the Lord (vs. 45).
Such was also the case with the disciples in Acts 4. Even when threatened severely by the council, Peter and John answer, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Such is the nature of good news — you cannot keep quiet about it. You’ve got to tell somebody.
The goal of His call on our lives is that we would become fishers of men. Spurgeon notes, “If you are yourself saved, the work is but half done until you are employed in bringing others to Christ.” His goal for our lives is not merely salvation but that we might be “fishers of men.”
Second, we see the Obligation of His Call. We must be careful at this point not to misunderstand what is our obligation. Notice that Jesus does not tell us to take a class on evangelism, or get a seminary degree, or even become involved in regular visitation (not to suggest that any of these are wrong!). Our job is not to become fishers of men; our responsibility is to follow Him. Jesus is saying that if we will do the following, He will make us fishers of men.
To fulfill our obligation, we must make sure that following Jesus is our priority, not doing evangelism. Don’t misunderstand what has just been said. Anyone who truly follows Jesus will be involved in evangelism. But far too often, the activity of evangelism supersedes our walk with Jesus. This is not the pattern that Jesus laid out. This is not what made the disciples powerful witnesses. Look again at Acts 4. What impressed the Sanhedrin? “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled, and they realized that they had been with Jesus.” Biblical evangelism is a matter of following Jesus.
Following Jesus demands that we keep our eyes on Jesus and not be distracted by the world. In the parable of the four soils, the third soil is not fruitful for one reason: the distractions of the world choke out any possibility of fruit bearing. Charles Spurgeon said: “I believe one reason the Church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the church.” Being fishers of men demands that we make following Jesus our priority.
Third, we see the Promise of His Call. It is important that we do not miss what Jesus is telling us in this passage. It does not contain any command to evangelize though it is often preached as though it did. It contains a great promise that Jesus is making to every believer. If you will follow Him, He will make you a fisher of men.
Again, notice your responsibility is to follow; His is to make you a fisher of men. But you say, “I could never be a fisher of men.” You are right, but do you doubt what He has here promised? He does not ask, neither command that you become one. He promises to make you one.
How? In John 15:5, Jesus reminded His disciples: “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without Me, ye can do nothing.” Think of the analogy Jesus has put forth for us. What must the branches do bear fruit? Nothing, except abide in the vine. In the same way, our fruitfulness is based upon, yes even promised upon, our following and abiding in Jesus. We must follow; He promises to make us fishers of men. What Jesus is looking for is not new methods, but new men, changed by spending time with Him. The world will never be impressed by our methods, but it will take notice of those who are recognized as having been with Jesus.
Finally, notice The Illustration of His Call. There is much we can learn about the picture of evangelism Jesus has painted for us. Let us examine three things being “fishers of men” ought to teach us.
First, it ought to create in us a sense of expectation and anticipation. Fishing is an act of faith. The fisherman goes out and throws his net (or hook) into the water to try to catch something that he cannot see. Many is the day that he returns with little or nothing to show for his labors, yet he goes out again and again. Why? Because he expects that he will one time reap a great catch.
The same is true in our evangelism. It is an act of faith. We may share the gospel again and again with little or no results, yet each time we ought to go expecting a catch. The results are not in our hands. God who has called us to this profession has not called us in vain. He says again and again, “Let down your nets” and, though we have fished all night and caught nothing, often He surprises our faithfulness with a great catch (Luke 5:1-11).
Second, fishing requires patience and perseverance. I would love fishing if I did not have to wait so long to catch the fish. The same is true in evangelism. It would be so wonderful if all we had to do was share a simple gospel presentation and never have to return to answer questions. It would be so simple to give each person one chance to respond to the gospel and then we could move on to someone “more responsive.” But such is not the case in evangelism. Evangelism often requires much time in pleading, explaining and sharing repeatedly, often over a period of years before that one comes to faith. It is a great joy whenever we see the “immediate conversion” (though most of them are not as immediate as they seem; someone else has planted and we’ve merely harvested). If all conversions were such, we would all be more excited about evangelism. A fisherman is realistic about his profession. He knows it will not be simple, quick or easy. It requires patience and perseverance. So does evangelism. We must be willing to share with people repeatedly and patiently and wait to see the work that God may do in their hearts.
Third, fishing must be our life instead of our recreation. Perhaps you’ve seen the bumper stickers that read: “A bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work.” Only a recreational fisherman could say such a thing. For a fisherman whose occupation was fishing, a bad day of fishing means no income. For us to be effective in evangelism, we must not be fishers of men recreationally; it must become our life.
Most Christians “fish” recreationally. By this I mean that they occasionally engage in acts of evangelism. But it is not their life; it is their hobby. If they catch nothing, it does not matter; they will fish again at visitation next week. But if fishing becomes our life, we will weep and cry over the days when we see no results just as the fisherman bemoans his “bad days” of fishing because it is his life.
Charles Spurgeon had that passion, that evangelism would not be his hobby, but his life. In one message, he gave a wonderful illustration of the results of such a life:
Coming, one Thursday in the late autumn, from an engagement beyond Dulwich, my way lay up to the top of the Herne Hill ridge. I came along the level out of which rises the steep hill I had to ascend. While I was on the lower ground, riding in a hansom cab, I saw a light before me, and when I came near the hill, I marked that light gradually go up the hill, leaving a train of stars behind it. This line of new-born stars remained in the form of one lamp, and then another, and another. It reached from the foot of the hill to its summit.
I did not see the lamplighter. I do not know his name, nor his age, nor his residence; but I saw the lights which he had kindled, and these remained when he himself had gone his way. As I rode along, I thought to myself, “How earnestly do I wish that my life may be spent in lighting one soul after another with the sacred flame of eternal life! I would myself be as much as possible unseen while at my work, and would vanish into the eternal brilliance about when my work is done.”
As we leave this passage, consider two things. First, Jesus calls us to follow Him. If we follow, He will make us fishers of men. Ask yourself, “Am I following Jesus with all my heart?” That is the prerequisite for being a fisher of men. Second, notice that Jesus told the leper “say nothing to anyone” but he could not keep silent. Jesus has told us quite plainly, “Go ye into all the world and make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20) and we tell few. We have been given good news. Good news … to share. Let’s share it!
Copyright Jim Ehrhard, 1999. You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author; (2) any modifications are clearly marked; (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction; and (4) you do not make more than 100 copies without permission. If you would like to post this material to your web site or make any use other than as defined above, please contact Teaching Resources International
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