The Inner Net

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Matthew 4:19)

Those first disciples left their nets at once and followed Him. That’s pretty amazing considering they left all they knew to follow Jesus into the unknown. That was the first of many accounts of where we see Jesus take the disciples out of their comfort zones.

They were in His presence when He healed on the Sabbath.
They had to have been confused.
They were there when He turned over the moneychanger’s tables in anger.
The disciples were more than likely nervous.
They saw Him talking to the Samaritan woman at the well – alone!
Scripture tells us the disciples were unnerved and shocked.
They were within earshot of His criticisms of the Pharisees.
The word “squirm” comes to mind.
They were on stormy and dangerous seas several times.
They felt outright fear in those boats.
Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.
He was met with protests.
The disciples were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ peaceful surrender of His life to unjust and wicked men.
They scattered, betrayed Him, and went back to their comfort zones!

Jesus is still calling out to His disciples (us) to follow Him. Some are called into some very uncomfortable places. They are called into poor, dangerous countries, into relationships with ungodly neighbors, and some are called to be a voice in a culture that mocks God! Yet there is one place that He invites each of His disciples into - a place that is far more uncomfortable, painful, and possibly more dangerous than any of the places we’ve read about or imagined. It is a place so scary that we often react as many of Jesus’ disciples did.

Many of His disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?” (John 6:60)
At this point many of His disciples turned away and deserted Him. (John 6:66)

What is this place that Jesus calls us to follow Him into that causes so many to turn away?

That place is our own story – our inner world.

Jesus invites us deep into our own souls to see what needs to change. His invitation is found in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). Jesus beckons us to follow Him - look into our own lives and assess if we truly need Him, if we mourn our story, if we are humble about our story, and if we really hunger and thirst for a right relationship with God. He asks if our hearts are filled with mercy, purity, and peace. Jesus describes His inner world, and asks if ours matches His. He does not ask this for His benefit; He asks for ours.

It was the inner world of Jesus that compelled those first disciples to leave their nets and follow Him. It was His inner world that caught them – His inner net. It was because of His inner world that the disciples chose to follow Jesus into the depths of their own stories in order to learn about fishing for people. Likewise, I am being shown that if I want to follow Jesus and really learn to fish for people, I need to see that my inner world will never work for the fishing Jesus has called me to do. I need to leave my inner net behind and ask Jesus for a matching net. Per my request, He is rearranging my inner world and giving me a net that matches His. If you ask, He will bless you that way too.

Grace to You.

Dave Paukner