“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'” (Mark 1:16-17).
Behold, a man went forth to fish. “But before you wet your hook,” someone counseled, “you must be sure you have mastered the fisherman’s fundamentals.” So the passionate would-be fisherman who lived in a land of lakes and streams that were alive with hungry fish set his heart to study the joyous art of fishing.
He bought books about fishing and read pamphlets about the glories of fishing. He even got bumper stickers that sang the praises of fishing and put them on his car.
In addition to regular fishing meetings of the local club he joined, he also traveled to seminars and training sessions — all devoted to fishing. Some of them were held in fancy training centers that cost a lot of money to build. He even donated money to help pay for some of them. But he had not yet gone fishing himself.
As he entered more deeply into the language and lore of this noble movement, he began to study the history and philosophy of fishing. He was thrilled at the reports of great catches of fish by net-casters and cane-and-corkers. He affirmed the critique of those who said, “It is fishermen who have turned the world on it’s ear!”
Learning of other streams in foreign places where fish were being caught, he longed to share the joy. So he sent money. And he read the glowing reports. And he thought, “How wonderful this thing called ‘fishing’ is!”
At one of the meetings where a fellow fisherman aroused the crowd with a stirring lecture on “The Reason Why We Must All Go Fishing,” one young man went forth, caught four fish, and reported back to the group. So thrilled were those who heard his report that they sent the young man to lecture across the country on how he had done it.
With the passing of time, the would-be fisherman became so ardent about his fishing club that he saw himself become increasingly impatient with anyone who dared miss one of the meetings that meant so much to him. Oh, what passion! What love for fishing! What affirmation of fishers!
One day he died–never having wet a hook.