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This
characterisation of the Apostles by Christ may, at first glance, not surprise
us, nor could it be thought of as provocative. We consider it to be to
some extent a very natural, i.e. expected, metaphor, since most people’s
daily lives involved “fishing”.
Without the given “professional” framework, it would
of course have been provocative to name simple, everyday people —
who were called to preach repentance and salvation to fellow human beings
“fishers of men”. For, whenever “humans” are sent
to serve “humans”, the link between them is common “human
nature”.
This common foundation is precisely what the Apostles appeal to
initially, so as to become acceptable and credible. The “resemblance”
is the “common language” which ensures communication, dialogue,
understanding and solidarity.
Accordingly, when people where at one stage moved to see the Apostles
as “strange” or “exotic” beings, Sts Paul and Barnabas
stated in all humility: “Men, why are you doing these things?
We are also of the same nature as you. And preach to you that you should
turn from these vain things to the living God” (Acts 14:15).
If the sacred protagonists among the Apostles considered it unheard
of to be regarded as having a nature other than that of fellow
human beings — for whose sake God Himself became human — how
much more scandalous, if not blasphemous, would it be for us to view the
preachers of the Gospel “fishermen”, and the ones to
whom they are sent “fish”!
By keeping this effectual image in mind — especially since
Christ Himself gives it — we must make some important observations
right from the outset. Otherwise, it is inevitable that we will not only
fail to appreciate it as much as we should, but that it may also become
a “trap” and “scandal” in our hearing
of the Word of God.
The first thing we must remember is what exactly is meant when
people say “fisherman”. With the same word we describe both
the professional who earns his living by fishing, as well as the person
who, while having another means of living, likes to go fishing often for
recreation, in the same way that someone goes hunting or plays football,
backgammon and chess.
At any rate, whether a “profession” or “hobby”,
fishing is known through our intense desire to catch edible fish that
are alive, even if we are not the ones who are going to eat them (there
are fishermen who never eat fish!).
In both cases there is a certain degree of effort and recreation,
and this almost contradictory combination makes fishing a kind of hidden
“bet”. But betting and the so-called games of “gambling”,
apart from causing dangerous addiction (the degree of dependence
corresponds to that of drugs, which Dostoyevski described in a unique
way in his work “The Gambler”), also leave open the infinitely
greater possibility of one losing rather than winning. Representative
of this truth is the saying of our people “Nine times empty and only
once full is the dish, of those who gamble, hunt or fish”.
If we also take into consideration that fishing begins with bait,
then the whole model of the fisherman as a “model” of the preacher
of the Word of God not only loses credibility, but also becomes highly
suspicious, or at least of “bad taste”.
The “negative” factors mentioned above, and any others
that we could perhaps discover by analysing the image of the fisherman,
lose their “abominable” character under one condition, and are
automatically transformed into “positive” data. Not only that,
but it is precisely these data which literally “sanctify” this
image, provided we remember the basic presupposition according to which
Christ made the bold comparison. The presupposition is that those who
assume the task of being a “fisher of men” are like the people
to whom they are sent in every respect, yet not through their own initiative,
nor on account of any capabilities or virtues that they may
have. The task here is “not of him who wills, nor of him who runs,
but of God who shows mercy” (Rom 9:16).
We therefore underline the fact that what is involved is not an
“award” or a “distinction” of honour, but rather the
“mercy” of God, which is loving charity and condescension. This
was known and contritely confessed by all those who were “sent”
by God, from the Prophets and Apostles to the New Martyrs of the faith.
St. Paul, the former persecutor of Christ, insisted upon the “charismatic”
nature of the task, seeing it as an inexhaustible obligation and duty,
which is why he expressed it as the highest priority of his life:
“Woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel” (1 Cor 9:16).
In explaining further the inner relationship between “calling”
and “obedience”, St. Paul epigrammatically shows
us the development of the spiritual task in its characteristic scale:
“Those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified
he also glorified” (Rom 8:30). Only in this way is the other
central position of St. Paul affirmed that “it is God who is at
work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for His good pleasure”
(Phil 2:13).
This absolute dependence of the one who is “sent forth”
upon God who sends forth was always the basis on which the mission was
considered to be conducted “in the name of the Lord”.
However, we know that, in the language of the Church, the phrase
“in the name of the Lord” does not have the same meaning
as the words “prevalent in the name of the law” which are used
by judges, or “in the name of the people” which became prevalent
after the French Revolution (1789).
The “name of the Lord” is God Himself whom, according
to the 10 Commandments, we are not to call upon “in vain”. Therefore,
the words “in the name of the Lord” presuppose the direct presence
and energy of God who, although invisible, is “everywhere present”
and “fills all things”. This is why it is only natural for the
personage of the “chosen vessel” to disappear before the divine
Majesty. The Prophets knew this when they dared to identify absolutely
their own preaching with the Word of God, by always using the familiar
prefix: “The Lord said”. But Christ Himself, in sending
His disciples to preach the Gospel “to all the creation”, developed
a “spiritual equation” on the one hand between them and Himself,
and on the other between Himself and His Father: “Whoever welcomes
you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me”
(Matt 10:40).
From the moment that those who are “called” and “sent”
to preach are placed on “the same level” as the Lord who is
preached — by divine condescension — the image of the “fisherman”
used by Christ to encourage them to be “fishers of men” could
not possibly remain the same as the world knows it.
Now the image of the “fisherman” must change radically.
Not, however, in order to simply acquire a “more spiritual content”,
as we are accustomed to saying when using a term of limited practical
use “with a metaphorical meaning” or “in parables”.
It will change to the point where things are literally turned “upside
down” with a radical overturning. To the point, in other words,
where the “fisherman” himself becomes the “fish”!
Is this not also a case of turning things “upside down” when
the one who preaches is “likened” to or “equalised”
with Christ who is preached?
It is self-evident that, in order for the “fisher of men”
to invite fellow human beings to become “conformed to the death
and Resurrection of Christ” (Baptismal prayer), it is first necessary
for him or her to undergo the “good transformation” and “conformation”,
namely the “transfiguration” in Christ.
Yet no matter how much this theory may sound like a logical consequence
of the “demand” placed and guaranteed by God, it in fact appears
to be “paradoxical”, if not mythical and totally unheard of.
Since Christ Himself was called the “Fish” and the “Bread”
and the “Lamb” — so as to emphasise that He is ultimately
the “food of the entire world” — the one who is “sent”
in the name of the lord must also become “Fish”, “Bread”
and “Lamb”.
This Christological and soteriological rule which the God-man
established as the final and highest sign of the love of God for humanity
and the world, was enduringly followed by the host of Saints and Confessors
of the Faith, both in their personal lives and in their teaching and
kerygma to others.
The Apostle Paul epigrammatically expressed this rule, with contrition
but also while boasting in the lord: “I have become all things
to all people, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor 9:22).
When the highest goal of the “fishers of men” is “salvation
in Christ”, and then no amount of effort or sacrifice is too great
to achieve what is sought after. Indeed, the Apostle Paul himself goes
as far as to say that he would accept to become “anathema” for
the salvation of his brothers (cf. Rom 9:3).
At this point, however, some explanation is needed so that one
does not reach dangerous exaggerations through misunderstanding. For,
the spiritual life is always like walking on a “tightrope”,
as the Fathers always underline.
This tightrope demands a mystical “balance” between the
point to which the preacher of the Gospel, the “fisher of men”,
must “open himself up” to others, and the point after which
he must “guard himself” against others.
It has been wisely observed that the skilful fisherman must take
care that his face is not reflected in the water, otherwise the fish will
go away. The same is true in the case of the “fishers of men”.
The personal features must never become an obstacle to the Gospel. We
therefore avoid concealing who we are and hypocrisy, so that others
do not think that we are better than what we are in reality. Nor do we
display exaggerated honesty regarding matters which are of no benefit
or which would not be a helpful example to our listeners.
One of the most fundamental gifts of the “fisher of men”
is what the Fathers call “discernment”, described as the “
greatest of the virtues”.
Discernment is the sensitivity and perceptiveness of the one preaching
to guess, right at the outset, the ability of each audience to “bear”
the message, and to express it accordingly. In so doing, he will not cause
tedium and weariness in those who vigilantly await more, but he
will also not tire and scandalise those who easily misunderstand
and become fatigued.
However, it is not only the contents and the method of
formulation of the sermon, but also its duration, which influence
its effectiveness. It has correctly been observed in this regard that
“the measure belongs to the hearer, not to the speaker”. Let
us not forget that, when speaking to His disciples about the most crucial
things, Christ Himself felt the need to “interrupt”, on account
of their inability to follow anything more at that moment: “I
still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now”
(John 16:12).
By way of summary we must observe that the lord gave us another
very characteristic image, taken from His vast Kingdom, of the moral,
spiritual — and even technical — demands placed upon
the labourer of the word of God due to the superhuman nature of the mission.
He therefore exhorts epigrammatically: “Be as wise as serpents
and as innocent as doves” (Matt 10:16).
If the serpent is considered as being wise because it has established
the priorities of its life once and for all, as it has trained its body
for lifelong manoeuvring in order to avoid danger and guard its head,
which is the “headquarters” of the body. And the dove has become
the symbol of spotless integrity, precisely because the colour white
is not a momentary cleanness, but a firm and constant characteristic.
Since we have mentioned the characteristic symbolism of the serpent
and the dove, let us also see the corresponding symbolism of the other
three images of the Fish, the Bread and the Lamb. The
symbolism is of interest to us, given that — as we have already said
— all three images relate directly and to the same degree both to
the “fisher of men” and to the God-man who is proclaimed.
The fish, apart form the well-known meaning ascribed to the letters
of that word in Greek (which form the acronym for Jesus Christ Son of
God Saviour), are the symbol par excellence of silence. This is not only
the distinctive “language” of the one who is “dead to the
world” (cf. Gal 6:14), but also the only and perhaps most eloquent
response to the profane noise we live in, just as Christ Himself had to
remain silent in order to put a stop to the verbosity of impiety. And
so should the one who proclaims the Gospel of salvation in His name know
when to be silent. This is true for two reasons: On the one hand to reprove
through silence those who speak thoughtlessly and profanely and, on the
other, to listen more clearly to human suffering which is sometimes murmured
with “unspoken sighs”. In any case, we comfort our fellow human
beings in the most bitter moments of life by remaining by their side,
not so much with words and rhetoric as with silence which is so full of
meaning.
Bread, the most common food of our daily diet, naturally came to
symbolise the body of Christ sacrificed for every member of the human
race. Furthermore, bread — especially if we recall the works of the
Apostolic Fathers does not simply stand for food. It also reminds
us directly of the crushing and sacrifice, which the grain of wheat
underwent, by being grounded and baked, in order to become
edible. The addition of wine and the vine ensures for us the entire
setting of the Divine Eucharist.
The lamb is first and foremost the symbol of goodness and
purity. We recall the strong distinction made by Christ, when speaking
about the final judgement, between the sheep that will be separated
from the goats. But the lamb is also the most expressive symbol
of humility and silence with its “non-negotiable” obedience
right up unto the slaughter. For, the slaughtering of one makes possible
the revelry of many. This is why Christ could quite easily say to His
disciples: “behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves”
(Matt 10:16).
We should however remind ourselves that these three central images,
with deep symbolic significance, were already expressed in the Old Testament
as “pre-figurements” and “predictions”. Christ is
sometimes described as the “Wisdom of God” which has “built
her house ... mixed her wine and also set her table” (Prov 9:1-2),
vividly inviting all to revelry with the words “come, eat of my
bread, and drink of the wine I have mixed” (Prov 9:5). Similarly,
the image of bread in the Book of Exodus (16:4) “l am going to
rain bread from heaven for you”. And of course, everything that
is mentioned in the Old Testament regarding the “manna” is
directly related to the bread (cf. John 6:58).
All that is said concerning the “servant of God”, who
is characterised by boundless obedience and self-abandonment to
the will of the Father, just as the fish does with its silence, and the
lamb which shows no resistance.
If we turn again to the New Testament, we see that there are another
three vivid images with which Christ characterised both Himself and those
are sent to proclaim His Gospel to all the world”. With these we
fulfil more fully and approach more closely the rule of the Apostle Paul
(“being all things to all people”). We refer here to
the images of “light”, “salt” and “water”.
Knowing the vital power that these three elements (light, salt
and water) have to transfigure the world and life, it becomes more clearly
apparent what the word of God accomplishes, or should accomplish, in the
world when proclaimed by “fishers of men”. People who are prepared
at every moment to see the logic of this world overturned by the
logic of God in the most amazing dimensions and interventions,
as we have tried to outline, in speaking about our sacred mission in obedience
to Christ.
from Voice of Orthodoxy, vol 21/11-12, November - December 1999
the official publication of the Greek Orthodox Archbiocese of Australia
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