Fishers of Men.

Fishing is unpredictable. There is no guarantee of reward. It requires patience and risk. In faith, the fishermen would throw their nets into the deep water, letting it sink into the lake out of sight, and hoping that the reward for their efforts would be a catch .

The call of the first disciples of Jesus is surely a key passage in the gospels. The scene is told in the three synoptic gospels (that is, Matthew, Mark, and Luke) in almost the same manner (although Luke includes it in the first miraculous drought of fishes).

It is in the Gospel of Mark, however, where this calling and the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry appear as inseparable, as explained in his introduction to the Gospel according to Mark, thus highlighting its ecclesiological dimension.

The Gospels of Matthew and Mark ( Matthew 4:18–22, Mark 1:16–20) report the call of the first disciples by the sea of Galilee:


If you’re anything like me, you want to follow the Bible, especially the words in red print where Jesus was talking. If you’re also like me, sometimes there are biblical phrases and “Christianese” expressions that can confuse you. One such phrase is when Jesus calls us to be “Fishers of Men.”

What does this “fishers of men” mean? In the Greek original text, one reads halieis anthropos Whereas we might all be a bit more familiar with the meaning of the word anthropos (Greek for “men”), halieis is more complicated to translate. Halieis applies not only to fishermen, but to all those who work at sea. It implies fishing — but also sailing, boating, roaming, and the like. In sum, it implies a set of skills that do not refer only to catching fish.

Preachers love to call this phrase out from the pulpit, quoting Mark 1:17 where Jesus himself said, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” But we can’t literally fish for people, so what are we supposed to do with that?

Whenever I am confused by a passage, I first look at the context surrounding it. Taking a look at the few verses before this one, we can understand more. Jesus is walking up to two fishermen, who were in the act of throwing their fishing nets into the water.

I love how Jesus always seems to meet people where they are and speaks to them in a way that they can understand. They did not go to school so they wouldn’t necessarily understand educated speech. They did not go to the temple often , so wouldn’t know expressions used by the religious leaders.

This tells me that no matter your career, education, or understanding, Jesus is calling you to go and follow him.

They were fishermen, doing their regular everyday jobs when Jesus came to them and called them to come to follow him with an analogy they would have understood.

They would have known better than anyone what Jesus was asking them to do. But what is he asking us to do in this analogy?

"Fishers of men" 'fishermen of men', from 'seaman . A phrase used in the gospels to describe the mandate given by Jesus to his first disciples . Two brother fishermen, Simon called Peter and Andrew, were casting a net into the Sea of Galilee. As he commenced his preaching ministry, Jesus called them to follow him and told them that in doing so they were to become "fishers of men". The phrase is mentioned in Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17. Matthew's version states:

He said to them, "Follow me,
and I will make you fishers of men."

— Matthew 4:19 ESV
This calling of the first Apostles, which eventually become a group of twelve, made the two fishermen early followers of Jesus. There is a parallel account in Mark 1:16–20 and a similar but different story in Luke 5:1–11, the Luke story not including the phrase "fishers of men" (or similar wording). The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges calls Matthew 4:18 a "condensed parable", drawn out at slightly greater length later in the same gospel

The phrase “fishers of men” was spoken by Jesus when He was calling two of His disciples, Simon Peter and Andrew, to follow Him. “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew 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” (Mark 1:16–18 ; Matthew 4:19).

The idea behind fishing is to know the fish you are looking for and attract it so you can make the catch. To catch a fish we must know what equipment to use, the habitat and depth of the water we are fishing in, as well as the kind of bait the fish will go after. After we understand everything we need for real fishing, then how do we relate that to being fishers of men?

God asks us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). Just as we need equipment to be fishermen, we need equipment to be fishers of men. Putting on the armor of God is one way to be ready at all times with everything we need (Ephesians 6:10–18).

Especially important are the shield of faith with which we ward off the opposition from demonic forces who don’t want to see men saved by the gospel of Christ (v. 16) and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (v. 17). Without these two pieces of spiritual equipment, we will find fishing for men’s souls impossible.

Not only must we have the armor of God as our equipment, but we must also know the fish we are trying to catch. Knowing the lost condition of the people around us will help us to understand that, no matter how good we are at fishing, we will never “catch” the fish on our own.

No reasoned argument will convert the soul of a darkened mind, because “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

But God can and frequently does penetrate the darkness with the glorious gospel, and He uses us to do it. He knows which “fish” are His; therefore, we are to seek His wisdom and His guidance on all our fishing expeditions. Prayer is essential.

Lastly we must offer the only effective net—the gospel of Jesus Christ. To those who are perishing, the message of the cross is foolishness, but to us, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). The gospel message has the power to change lives, shine light into darkness, and deliver evil men from hell.

Some biblical scholars claim Jesus was referring to a passage found in chapter 16 of the Book of Jeremiah, which refers to the restoration of Israel. The passage reads as follows:

Yet behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when men will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’ Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their land that I gave to their ancestors.

But for now I will send for many fishermen, declares the Lord, and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill, even from the clefts of the rocks.

If scholars are right when pointing out Jesus used the phrase “fishers of men” as evoking Jeremiah, then in doing so he was telling Andrew and Peter that he was indeed the Messiah, and that they were to participate, following his lead, in his own salvific mission.

That is, that Jesus was not simply trying to connect with Andrew and Peter, using words that matched their occupation. By using the prophet’s expression, Jesus was presenting himself as the one who would restore Israel (as the text from Jeremiah explains) while also describing the apostles’ own calling: that of co-participating in the history of salvation .

These halieis would then not only “catch” men, but would take them to a safe harbor in the bark , as the Church has been referred to since its early days.

What Does It Mean to Be Fishers of Men?

Cast Our Nets

As a fisherman, casting his net out into the water, Jesus was asking them to cast the gospel message out to people and try to catch men’s hearts.

Fish will not jump into the boat. Fishers must search for them and take a risk by throwing their nets into the water. Could they possibly go through a bunch of work and never get a single fish? Absolutely. That happened multiple times in Scripture. But the risk was worth the reward.


If you’re anything like me, you want to follow the Bible, especially the words in red print where Jesus was talking. If you’re also like me, sometimes there are biblical phrases and “Christianese” expressions that can confuse you. One such phrase is when Jesus calls us to be “Fishers of Men.”

Preachers love to call this phrase out from the pulpit, quoting Mark 1:17 where Jesus himself said, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” But we can’t literally fish for people, so what are we supposed to do with that?

Whenever I am confused by a passage, I first look at the context surrounding it. Taking a look at the few verses before this one, we can understand more. Jesus is walking up to two fishermen, who were in the act of throwing their fishing nets into the water.

I love how Jesus always seems to meet people where they are and speaks to them in a way that they can understand. They did not go to school so they wouldn’t necessarily understand educated speech. They did not go to the temple often, so wouldn’t know expressions used by the religious leaders.

This tells me that no matter your career, education, or understanding, Jesus is calling you to go and follow him.

They were fishermen, doing their regular everyday jobs when Jesus came to them and called them to come to follow him with an analogy they would have understood.

They would have known better than anyone what Jesus was asking them to do. But what is he asking us to do in this analogy?

What Does It Mean to Be Fishers of Men?
Cast Our Nets

As a fisherman, casting his net out into the water, Jesus was asking them to cast the gospel message out to people and try to catch men’s hearts.

Fishing is unpredictable. There is no guarantee of reward. It requires patience and risk. In faith, the fishermen would throw their nets into the deep water, letting it sink into the lake out of sight, and hoping that the reward for their efforts would be a catch.

Fish will not jump into the boat. Fishers must search for them and take a risk by throwing their nets into the water. Could they possibly go through a bunch of work and never get a single fish? Absolutely. That happened multiple times in Scripture. But the risk was worth the reward.

In the same way, this is our model for evangelism. We take the story of Christ and the message of what he has done for us, and we speak it out into the world around us.

Can we always see under the surface and know if the message is working? No. Do we sometimes share the gospel and see no response? Yes, it happens all the time.

Like fishing, speaking out the gospel is a risk . Sometimes people will get saved, and other times they won’t . I have had moments when I shared the gospel with a crowd, and 50 people came forward to give their lives to Jesus . I have had other times when I shared, and not a single person responded.

Is the reward of winning a heart for Jesus worth the risk and effort of getting out there and sharing? Absolutely. Fish will never be caught unless a net is cast, and people will never get saved unless we speak out.

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? (Romans 10:14).

There is power in no other message and no other “net” can catch the fish of God. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Romans 1:16). This was Jesus’ message to Peter and Andrew—follow Me, learn of Me, know and understand My mission and My message. Only then will you be able to be fishers of men.