FOLLOW ME AND BECOME FISHERS OF MEN
June 1, 2009
by Claire-Lise Walk – Ontario, Canada
For the sake of space, I have taken only the relevant portions of scriptures, but it would be best to read them in there entirety and do your own study. I pray that as I share with you a peace of the beauty of the ornament the Lord, my Bridegroom, has graciously given me, that you would also desire to dig your pearl of great price as well.
Even from Torah, YHVH (Yahveh) is calling us to be and to exist as fishers, to be a kind of people that are fruitful and a people who multiply. Now, in order to obey His commandment, one might ask how do we become fishers of men? It is a progression which is further explained in the following books.
Step 1 – Mathew 4:19-20 – And He said unto them, Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed Him.
In this, Yeshua is inviting the future disciples to the service of the Most High God. Many are called, but would they be those who follow?
Step 2 – Mark 1:17-18 – And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after Me and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets and followed Him.
In this passage they [the disciples] have decided to leave their trade of fishermen, that is all of their past, never to touch again their nets, symbolic of their own religious ideologies of how to bring people to salvation. They were being transformed, and they were stepping into a place with Yeshua (Jesus) where they would be fruitful and would multiply.
Step 3 – Luke 5:1-10 – and Yeshua (Jesus) saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them.
Vs 3: and He sat down and taught the people out of the ship
Vs 4 when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, launch out into their deep and let down your nets for a draught.
Vs 5-6: Peter tells Him they already tried, but obeys nonetheless and draws a net so full it breaks.
Vs 10: after realizing the depth of his lack of understanding, Peter humbles himself before Jesus who encourages him saying: Fear not; from henceforth you shall catch men.
For 3 years Yeshua (Jesus) showed them how to become fishers of men (Luke 5:1-10). He taught them the mysteries of the Kingdom through the teachings of the parables (Luke 8:10) and He revealed and manifested the name and character of YHVH to them (John 17:6).
Step 4 – John 21:1-14 – after these things Jesus showed Himself in this manner to the disciples.
As the disciples had gone fishing all day, and had caught nothing by morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but He was veiled or unseen to them. He was unseen because of their unbelief. There with them, Jesus calls out to them for meat, but they have none. Jesus commanded them to set their net on the otherside of the boat and draw a multitude of fish, and they obeyed Him.
By this time, John realizes who it is that is speaking to them and he told what he had realized to the others. Peter put on his fisher’s coat, which is symbolic of the call and covering he has on his life, as he wanted to look good before the Master. But it would be later on when Jesus had asked Peter 3 distinct times, “Do you love me?” Peter had only a (phileo) love, a brotherly love or a fondness of heart for someone, but Yeshua was looking for Peter as well as all of us to have (agape) Love. This love can also be defined as brotherly love, except that it is a love borne out of the understanding of the deeper Truth of the Word, the understanding of the prophetic nature of the parables, and by being transformed into God’s very image and not the defilement of religion. (Col.3:10) Hence, this love can only come from God.
Moreover, as we go on about the “fishermen” we learn that the disciples sailed the ship to land and had set up a fire made of coals and put the thereon and had bread as well. Yet even after this, Jesus still tells them to bring some of their fish! A very eager Peter goes to draws the net to shore. Hope rises in his heart. As they were physically seeing the Lord standing there, that He was and He still is standing amongst us, Jesus takes the bread and gives it unto them and the fish likewise. If you want to be a fisher of men, this is the pattern: Take bread in the Greek is G2983 and it means to take possession, to appropriate for one self. The bread is the Word of God and the flesh of Yeshua that is broken for us. That bread is a word that must be broken and opened up to attain what is on the inside. The definition of Word or logos in the Greek G3056 which is symbolic of the outer shell of a seed. We understand that the seed is the word according to Luke 8:11, That seed shell must die and come off so that one may receive the rhema Word G4487 that which is symbolic of the meat inside (John 12:48)
For further confirmation of this pattern read the full accounts of the feedings of the multitude.
I pray that you have seen the progression thus far, yet it progresses even further.
Step 1 – In Matthew 14:15-21, there where 5 loaves and 2 fishes which multiplied by12 baskets. The 5 loaves of the bread of the Word. Bread is first refined into flour and then mixed with the olive oil, that which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit, along with frankincense, representing the purity or unadulterated essence of that Word, (Lev.2:1). The two fishes are symbolic of Spirit and Truth, (for we must worship Him in such – John 4:23) . The definition of the word fish in the Strong’s dictionary is G3795 and means a relish to other food, presumably salted and dried as a condiment. It comes from the root of G3702 which means cooked i.e. roasted or broiled.
So, when the disciples came to shore and noticed the fire that burned under fish, they had just received the revelation that Jesus was to resurrect after 3 days, just as He had been teaching them. The word is a seed and it takes time to germinate; it has to grow, be cracked open, and eventually ground into flour, kneaded, baked and then eaten. This entire process is symbolic of pressing into the narrow way, but when the broiled fish (which symbolizes the testing by fire of that Truth) is added it gives it the ‘flavour’, or brings the removal of what veiled us to the deeper Truth of God’s Word. It reveals and manifests Yeshua in us; it transforms and renews our mind, tearing down those idols we have formed for ourselves. The 12 baskets full speak of a true prophetic-apostolic people who have been initiated into the mysteries of the Kingdom by a God-appointed Father of the Faith. A mystery (G3466) is the secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men but plain to the godly (1 Corinthians 2:6-7).
Step 2 – In Mark 6:37-44, Jesus tells the disciples that since He taught them, and they have received His instructions, now He was sending them to bring those 5 loaves and 2 fishes to feed the people. They were putting in practice what they had learned.
Step 3 – In John 6:11-13, there is no mention of how many loaves or fishes they could gather. They were becoming the loaves-fishes. Become-G1096-to come into being, existence- to cause to be ‘generate, or at Genesis again, in the image of God. They gave of themselves, because no greater Love (agape) has one but to lay down his/her life for others – John 15:13. They gathered the new converts after God’s heart as their first fruit, the five barley loaves, for isn’t it written “You shall know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:20).
Step 4 – Matthew 15:32-37 shows that NOW is the time of the end. We are in the third day, about to step into the seventh and the multitudes are starving for Truth. The spirit of religion is ruling, being established in many denominations, both Christian and secular, each declaring their own brand of worship to a god, a baal. But, the Lord has reserved for Himself, 7000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal (1Kings 19:18- Romans 11:4 ), the few fishes, the remnant who was willing to pay the price, wholly consecrated unto God. These are those who have been perfected by the Word of God, the seven loaves (John 17:23). Those who have resurrected, having passed from death onto Life (1 Corinthians 15:42-44), the Seed of Christ, the elect by adoption whereby we cry Abba, Father. (Romans 8:15).
As Jacob, who’s name was changed to Israel, commanded the blessings over Joseph’s sons, (Genesis 48:14-16) let it be passed on to us. Let us be fruitful and multiply, for those who have the Spirit of the Lord, walk in the prophetic function of fishers of men.
To Him Who sits upon the Throne, even our Head, Yeshua the Lord, be praise and honour and glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
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