On a Boat

There I sat after a long night of fishing with my two sons beside me. We were just headed back to the house after a long night of fishing. I had always loved these late night fishing trips with my two teenage sons. I knew on day they would take over my legacy as a fisherman. It was a good job, I got to own my own business and spend time with my two sons at the same time. Just us and the nets and a nigh of fishing. It was a good job, with a steady income and lots of good hard work.

We were just heading back in the morning, just needed to mend the nets and then off to get a little bit of much needed sleep. That's when I saw him coming down the beach. This carpenter they have all been talking about, the one who has been causing all the fuss around town. He was walking with two of my sons good friends Peter and his brother Andrew. Those two knuckle heads always had a knack at getting my boys into trouble. They were nice boys but unfortunately none too bright.

I thought to my self what have those two boys gotten mixed up in now with a trouble maker like this Jesus fellow. they were all coming down the beach toward us. I looked down the beach and saw Pete and Drew's boat was thrown up on the shore and turned over.

As they came closer the rising sun was in my eyes and all I could see was the foot prints in the wet sand as he came closer to us. In a few minutes they would pass my boat and my boys and I could get back to work. As he passed our boat he looked at my boys and said come with me and we can catch men together.

I thought what is he rambling on about, my boys aren't going with him anywhere they have work to do here with me, and you can't just drop everything when there is so much work to be done. That is just not how the world works.

To my great surprise from behind me I heard the sound of my boy's sandals hitting the wet sand with a plop. where the heck do they think they are going. James looks over at his brother John and they both look at me and say "what do you think dad lets go".

"Absolutely not. we have work to get done. What does this lunatic mean fishing for men." To my great dismay I watched my boys walk away. Just then I thought about going after them and dragging them back from to the boat. Then i thought better of it to myself "No Zebedee let them go. It won't be long before they realize you can't make any money fishing for men or whatever they are about to do, they will be back in less than a week, with all of this silliness behind them."

I just sat there in my boat all alone, watching my boys walk away. Soon all that was left was their footprints in the sand. The tide was coming up and soon even those would be gone. Well for me all there is to do is get back to work fixing my nets.



When I think about this bible story found in Matthew 4: 18-22 I think there is a man who life was changed forever by Jesus. Not the two boys who left everything they had to follow their destiny in one of the worlds greatest adventures, but the man who was left behind. The man who could have gone too but was to preoccupied with his own life to start something bigger.

Through out the rest of scripture, he never comes up again. His boys are referred to as the sons of Zebedee but his legacy is forever as the man who was called to follow Jesus but ended up staying where he was, safe ans secure in a place where he knew. His sons went on in history as an elite group of Christ followers, while he was left sitting alone on his boat.

We have all gotten this same invitation, to follow Him and leave the safety of the boat and be part of something bigger or stay where we are. I choose to leave my foot prints and the sand and walk with Jesus. What are you going to do?