Fishing Time

Kairos Halieias

Matthew 4:17–23

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Mark 1:14–22

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

Luke 5:1–11

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

John 21:1–14

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

For everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven. Do we seek Wisdom? Wisdom begins under authority. She was, at the beginning, a joyful apprentice of the Master Maker. From the beginning, she delighted in His beautiful workmanship— in His creation as He crafted what was and is from what was not, from what could be but lacked form and fullness apart from His vision of goodness. She rejoiced to see the beauty of the Master’s heart heartily at work: bringing chaos into order, discerning the good and setting it apart, creating a place fit for hospitality, preparing for the hope of abundant life, pronouncing blessing over and empowering little ones to share authority with Him; but only faithfully and exclusively through her— only by her would His children rule— through her fertile joy, through her nourishing breast, through her charitable hands, her kind teaching and delightful embrace. From the beginning, Wisdom was postured to receive the work of her Lord and to lovingly respond, truly reproducing love’s life-giving labor.

There is a season for everything, for every matter a time. Wisdom asks less about “what”, even as she presses deeper for the “how”; for she has known “what” from the beginning of eternity’s embrace, even as she knew from the first “who” was speaking, “whose” heart was creating and laboring through her— over time becoming fruitful, bearing fruit in time. Wisdom knows a promise kept, for she knows who keeps the promise; she knows the promise keeper, with perfect patience keeping perfect all His promise. Wisdom asks, “When? How long?” For she knows the One to whom she asks, even as she knows for what He asks, “What is this to me and you, Woman? If we hope for what we don't yet see, in patience we eagerly await it. It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father appointed by His own authority. The One calling you is faithful, and He will do it.”

There is a season, a time. Today, as she hears her Master’s voice, Wisdom asks, “What time is it?” Today, by the sea, as He speaks with the voice of many waters, rushing and gushing from His heart as rivers born from paradise’s highest mountain peaks, His words spirit and life moving over the face of the deep, she hears and heeds, “Your Lord is One. All of your days are in my book; I teach my children to number them, to gain my heart of wisdom. Wisdom is justified by her children; her children rise and call her blessed. This is the day your Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in Him! The time is fulfilled; the kingdom is at hand. Turn and believe. The news is good as I am good, for I am good and I do good. Put out into the deep and let down your nets. Cast the net on the right side. Children, do you have any fish? Bring some… Come and have breakfast. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Know that I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. There is a time to be born, a time to plant, a time to heal, a time to build up, a time to laugh, a time to dance, a time to gather, a time to embrace, a time to seek, a time to sew together, a time to speak, a time to love, and a time for peace. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. Do not be afraid. Follow me.”