The Fisherman Read Online Free PDF

younger brothers and cousins also joined the pack. Though Mary’s permanent home was still in Nazareth, she was determined to stay as close to the Master as possible. Her husband, Joseph, had died several years earlier, leaving Jesus as head of the household and directly responsible for her care.

    Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, James, and John all did their best to stay close to Jesus. I, on the other hand, was well content to follow at a distance. Too much was happening too quickly. I needed time and space away from this man. I just wanted to get back to my boat, my business, and my wife and leave all this prophet stuff to someone else. I felt suddenly trapped in a world I didn’t understand and couldn’t control. I needed to get back to real life. I needed to feel the spray of the sea on my face and hear the squawk of the gulls above my head. I needed to be free.

5

    Jesus found a house in Capernaum for himself, his mother, and several other family members. Word of this fascinating newcomer swept through the city. His popularity increased daily as he taught publicly in the marketplace. Though he chose not to perform any additional supernatural acts during the days immediately following the incident with the wine, his teaching alone was more than enough to draw the crowds.
    None of us had ever heard anything like it before. Our nation was well acquainted with the teaching of those within the religious mainstream. It consisted of little more than an ever increasing list of rules and regulations defining, expanding, and applying the law of Moses to the most intricate and obscure areas of daily life. How many yards could a person travel on a Sabbath day without it being considered “work” and thus violating the commandment? Was it necessary to count the exact number of mint leaves from each plant harvested and tithe exactly one-tenth of them, or was it permissible to simply count the number of whole plants in order to determine the required tithe? And they wondered why I had trouble staying awake!
    The Prophet John, on the other hand, brought a dramatic contrast. His simple, clear, powerful call to personal repentance and submission to God deeply impacted those who heard him speak.
    Jesus’ teaching, however, was unlike anything we had ever experienced before. He didn’t yell. He didn’t plead or whine. He just talked, the way you would talk with a good friend in your own home. It was impossible for us to listen to him without feeling as if he was reading our minds. He knew what we feared. He knew what we lusted after. He knew all the things we were clinging to for security. He didn’t excuse. He didn’t condemn. He simply, powerfully pointed us back to the only source of true freedom, forgiveness, and security—to God himself. John was calling us to repentance before God. Jesus now called us to trust in God. And he did it in a way that made trust seem like the most natural, logical, reasonable thing a person could ever do.
    I tried to stay away. I really did. There were so many obvious reasons why it would be ridiculous for me to get involved. I wasn’t the student type. I didn’t have the temperament. I had a family to support. I had a business to run. A disciple like me would ruin Jesus’ reputation. I had a way of blasting and blundering that didn’t work well in the religious world. Any further close personal involvement between me and this man was clearly out of the question.
    Andrew, James, and John, on the other hand, lived for their times with Jesus. They were always pushing to bring the boats in early, and once the duties were done for the day, they nearly ran the few miles between Bethsaida and Capernaum. I encouraged them to do it. But not me. I could be an excellent support person for people like them who were more the disciple type. After all, somebody had to work. Somebody had to make a living. Somebody had to feed all of us. That was the best role for me.