Fishing vs. Hunting
Notes on Fishing for Men
“To a die-hard fisherman, hunting is like shooting fish in a barrel.”
I love both fishing and hunting. They share a lot — early mornings, patience, the outdoors, that peculiar hope that never quite dies no matter how long you’ve been skunked. But they’re genuinely different pursuits, and those differences matter.
When Jesus called His disciples, He didn’t say He’d make them hunters of men. He said fishermen. Honestly, I’m glad. “Hunters of men” conjures images I’d rather not put in print. But the more I sat with that choice of words, the more I think Jesus knew exactly what He was doing.
Consider the difference:
HUNTING vs. FISHING
Aggressive invasion vs. More subtle
Based on confrontation vs. Based on attraction
“Go out there and shoot them” vs. “Get them to nibble on your bait”
One-size-fits-all bullet vs. You get to try all kinds of lures and baits
Everything focuses on the kill vs. After you hook a fish you must still land it
Once you shoot, the hunt is over vs. Landing a fish takes time, requires give and take
Scare off the animal if you miss vs. Leaves a good taste in their mouth, gets you a second chance
The animal has no choice vs. The fish gets a choice
Requires serious training to start vs. Anyone can put bait in the water
Now — I know you have to be careful not to push an analogy too far. They all break down eventually, especially when you get to the part about filleting and mounting. But the fisherman is still a remarkably good picture of who we’re called to be in our relationships with people who don’t yet know Jesus.
Patient. Relational. Willing to try different approaches. Giving the other person a choice. And always willing to get back out on the water after the one that got away.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will show you how to fish for people.” — Matthew 4:19 (NLT)
Venture out into the waters. They don’t bite. At least not most of them.
Here’s the link to the entire series:
https://www.thisistheway.live/t/fishing-proverbs