The net will hold

The gospel reading for this past Sunday that the Revised common Lectionary suggests is John 21:1-19.  It is the last chapter of John’s gospel.  Some consider it an “epilogue” that someone added to the work after its original completion.  But there is only one dubious ancient manuscript that exists without the inclusion of chapter 21.  So, the argument that it does not belong, while interesting, is suspect.

This is the account of the appearance of the Resurrected Christ to some of his disciples by the shores of the Sea of Galilee and the subsequent great catch of fish.  There is a wealth of material here, and I intend to address some of it in the coming days.  But there is one nugget that captures my attention in this moment.  When Jesus shows the disciples that their overnight labor has been fruitless, and he instructs them to cast their net over the other side of the boat, the catch is enormous.  At this point the gospel writer is quick to point out that, according to verse 11, (they) hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.  It should not be lost on us that this is a tremendous load of “large” fish (what fisher is going to tell his audience about the puny fish that s/he caught?).  We can infer that these professional fishers had never had such a haul in a single cast of the net in their lives.  It is important on the reporting for the author to tell us that in spite of the size of the catch, the net itself endured.

In other gospel accounts (not in John, interestingly enough) Jesus summons some of these disciples by charging them that they will some day catch folks instead of fish.  It is the call both to discipleship and to evangelism.

“Evangelism” is a word that desperately needs rehabilitating in our world.  For a lot of people, it carries with it images of tent revivals, or of fanatics shoving tracts under folks’ noses on street corners.  We use other terms, of course.  “Making disciples” is the current hot label.  “Faith-sharing” as a description had its day.  “Witnessing,” though a sound biblical principal, carries with it a sense of the aggressive.  People undertake certain (ineffective) practices like scattering tracts in the post office.  Putting a fish on the bumper of cars is a favorite, although I have never – not once – heard a story of someone coming to faith because they saw a fish on an automobile.  In point of fact, that symbol may have the opposite effect from what the driver intends, if that driver operates their vehicle in a discourteous manner.

So, there is a lot wrong with “evangelism.”  But, as I said, the solution is rehabilitation, not abandonment.  There is no more direct charge from Jesus than “Go, make disciples of all nations…”  What I am here to say is that, for the determined fisher, the net always holds.  It is sufficient for the task.  “It is a poor craftsman who blames his tools.”  There is nothing wrong with the net.  It is the fisher who needs examination.