Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” – Mark 1.16-17 (ESV)
Jesus beckoned a couple of ordinary fishermen to follow Him and to learn how to catch people for the Kingdom. Among those men was Peter, who would become the most well-known among the disciples. Despite his many mistakes and oft-ailing faith during his time with Jesus, this man would go on to spread the gospel message widely.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter made a proclamation that reached three thousand souls, and with the other Apostles he began training them how to follow Jesus. Their numbers grew daily, demonstrating the ongoing witness of these faithful ones. Later, during a time of great persecution, all those new believers were scattered and preached everywhere they went. Among the outcomes of this fire-fueled movement was the birth of the church in Antioch by Barnabas, who had likely been converted upon hearing Peter’s message.
In his encounter with Cornelius and his family, Peter unwittingly opened the floodgates of mission to the Gentiles which propelled the message of Jesus into all the nations. Barnabas invested in Paul and accompanied him on the first missionary journey, and Paul consequently reached hundreds of new believers who in turn passed the message forward. Paul found Timothy and trained him, and through his influence, many other people were reached and trained in the mission of Jesus. By this point in time, the number of people who had given their lives to the Lord Jesus was beyond comprehension.
But let’s go back to that familiar scene by the Sea of Galilee. As tiny waves lapped the shore of the sea on that uneventful day, Jesus looked into the eyes of those smelly fishermen and saw amazing potential. He saw everything that Peter would accomplish, through multiple spiritual generations in which countless people had been touched with the gospel message.
Now I urge you, go look in the mirror and ask, “What great potential does Jesus see in me?”