Fishers of Men - 8/6/2010 3:20pm
In Matthew 4: 18-22 we read:
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Peter, Andrew, James and John, along with Zebedee, James and John’s father, owned a commercial fishing business on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is the largest fresh water lake in Israel. Formed by three major run-off streams from 9,232 ft. high Mount Hermon in the north, the Sea of Galilee is 13 miles long, 8 miles wide, 33 miles in circumference and approximately 140 ft. deep. In Jesus’ day the Sea of Galilee was the center of a thriving fishing industry. The contemporary historian, Flavius Josephus, writes that 230 commercial boats worked the lake, hauling in tons of fish daily. The most common fish found in the Sea of Galilee is the Sarotherodon galilaeus, a species of talapia. Commercial fishermen, such as Peter, Andrew, James and John, used nets for catching fish, and in John 21: 11 we read that in a single cast, they hauled in 153 fish!
When we travel to Israel we sail out on the Sea of Galilee in a replica 1st-century fishing boat owned by Daniel Carmel of Sea of Galilee Worship Boats, Ltd.
In this video iReport, Daniel demonstrates how commercial fishermen would have cast a net in Jesus’ day. It’s a very cool video!
Founded by Daniel and his partner, Pam Throckmorton, Sea of Galilee Worship Boats, Ltd. is the only Christian-owned tour boat company on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus called his disciples from their nets to become “fishers of men.” Through his tour boat company, Daniel Carmel has become a unique “fisher of men,” attracting tourists to Christ with his high quality, instructional and entertaining boat tours. If you have a chance to visit the Sea of Galilee, we highly recommend that you sail the lake with Sea of Galilee Worship Boats. It’s a wonderful experience! Meanwhile, you can visit SOGWB at http://www.seaofgalileeworshipboats.com. We are proud to have Sea of Galilee Worship Boats, Ltd. as a Logos Affiliate.
