And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 ESV

You’re out on the water waiting at the new fishing hole. A tired arm from casting. The sun is scorching down. No fish.

If you grew up on a boat, you may have a memory like this. It’s at this point you start thinking about switching back to that old spot you know has some fish. Because staying in a new spot that keeps coming up empty? It’s exhausting and frustrating.

Back to the old fishin’ hole. That’s where we find Peter in John 21. Jesus had risen from the dead, yet Peter was still uncertain about what came next. So he returned to something familiar and comfortable: fishing. The same Peter who once left it all behind to follow after Jesus went back to the life he knew before.

But even that old life wasn’t delivering. Peter and the other disciples fished through the night and caught absolutely nothing (sound familiar?)

Then Jesus appeared on the shore. And once again, He directed Peter’s net and filled it with fish. But He had not come merely to improve Peter’s fishing. He had come to restore Peter and redirect him once again toward his greater calling: to care for His people and proclaim the gospel.

Peter’s original calling was to fish for people, and it was a costly and urgent calling. People have one lifetime to encounter Jesus, and eternity is at stake. So, it would have been easier for Peter to remain in a familiar life that served him. Instead, Jesus invited him back into a life spent serving others.

This costly calling confronted Peter then, and it’s calling us today. To fish for men. To join Jesus in an adventure that He is leading us on. And we don’t have to find a new fishing spot. We don’t have to stay disoriented, exhausted, and frustrated. Rather, when we follow Jesus, the nets are full. In the words of Jesus, “the harvest is plentiful”. We get to help pull people into God’s grace. We get to haul nets of people into God’s love.

Whatever familiar fishing hole you're tempted to return to, remember that nothing from the world will ever compare to the joy of helping the lost encounter Christ. Nothing right now is needed more. So, whether you have gone back to a watering hole from your past, or you have never gone fishing for the lost, Jesus is calling you. Drop your old net. The lost are ready to be found. Follow Him. Fish for Men.