I will make you fishers of men.

Matthew 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

In this gospel reading, Jesus asked Peter and Andrew to follow him and he would make them fishers of men. He spoke to them in a language they would understand and they understood him and followed him immediately. I know Jesus is speaking to me now as he speaks to all of us but I usually don’t understand the language He is speaking to me. That is because I speak in a language of my own when I am not open to His will. My language is an “I” language because I can’t use it to do anything but define my own wants and desires or to express my own will. When I speak in that language it is impossible to hear Him much less understand Him. He understands me when I speak in the “I”, of course he understands me but it fills him with sadness because I have chosen to separate myself from him. My hope is to forget the “I” and focus on the “we” so that I can count myself as one of His people. So I can I count myself as one of you who know you are His people and that He is our God.