Men Called Him Master | Page 8

so much about this Rabbi whom they had first met in Judea!
Attracted by the crowd, many more people had come down from the
road. They were pressing in on Jesus so much that he turned to Simon
and asked abruptly, "May I use your boat?"
Simon was taken by surprise but he quickly recovered himself and said,
"Certainly, Rabbi."
Jesus asked him to push out a little way. Then he turned around and
spoke to the people on the shore. "The Kingdom of God does not come
like a flash of lightning so that you can say, 'Here it is!' The Kingdom

of God is right now in your midst."
"Does that mean that our enemies will be destroyed soon, Rabbi?"
asked Simon eagerly.
"The Kingdom of God does not come by violence and bloodshed,"
answered Jesus, "but by the power of God. It is not his will that you
should kill persons whom you hate. You should love your enemies! Do
good to those who hate you! Pray for those who abuse you. If a man
slaps your cheek, let him slap the other one too. If he steals your coat,
give him your shirt too.
"If you love only people who love you, what does that amount to? Even
bad men do that! It is your enemies that you must love and help. You
must give without expecting to be paid back."
"That is impossible!" exclaimed Simon in dismay.
"God's Kingdom has power to change all kinds of men," said Jesus,
looking straight at Simon. "His power is like a piece of yeast in a bowl
of dough--the tiny bit of yeast quickly works its way through all the
dough until every bit is changed. The Kingdom of God is also like a
tiny mustard seed. It is so small that a farmer can hardly see it mixed
with his wheat. But this tiny seed is so powerful that when it is planted
it grows larger than most trees."
Simon shook his head. He did not say anything, but he doubted if any
such power existed.
"Will you push the boat out into deep water?" asked Jesus. "I want you
to lower the net for a catch of fish."
"Rabbi, we fished all night and took nothing," protested Simon. "But if
you wish, I will try again." Much puzzled by this sudden request, the
two fishermen pulled toward deep water. The people on the shore
watched them put up the oars; the boat drifted slowly in the wind. The
two men lowered the net. It had hardly sunk below the surface of the
water when the fishermen knew that they had dropped it directly in the

path of a great school of fish. Startled into action, they pulled
desperately at the net, but it was too heavy. The cords began to break.
In great excitement Andrew stood up and shouted to James, "Come and
help us!"
With James and John drawing the opposite edge of the net into their
boat, the four men succeeded in saving the huge catch. Jesus sat quietly
watching from the back of the boat, which was now filled with fish to
the point of sinking. Simon looked at Jesus and a strange fear took hold
of him. There had been no fish all night--and now, at the bidding of this
Rabbi, they had caught hundreds! Impulsively he fell on his knees at
Jesus' feet and said: "Lord, I do need to be changed! I am a sinful
man!"
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that catches all kinds of fish,
Simon," replied Jesus. "You must follow me. From now on you shall
fish for men." From the other boat, James and John had been listening
to every word that Jesus had spoken. He now turned to Andrew and the
two others. "If you will follow me, you too shall become fishers of
men."
When the boat came to shore, the people looked in amazement at the
great haul of fish, but the catch meant nothing to the four fishermen.
Without a single word they left Zebedee and followed Jesus back to
Capernaum.
[Illustration]

3. A MAN OF AUTHORITY
It was not long before reports of the new Rabbi at Capernaum had
traveled to all the cities around the Lake of Galilee. At Bethsaida, a
little town three miles across the lake from Capernaum, farmers
gossiped about the news as they worked in the green fields on the hills
above their town. The name of Jesus was on the lips of everyone in the
noisy market place; but the fishermen on the beaches knew most about

the Teacher who said that the Kingdom of God was very near.
One Friday afternoon, a fisherman from Bethsaida, named Philip, was
netting fish from his small