Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/239

16* and everyone seeks God on his own terms, as he likes and when he likes and where he likes, not giving much heed to whether God likes it or not.

The third implication of the story is this: "And when they had done this, they enclosed such a great shoal of fish that their net neganbegan [sic] to break." These words portray the physical miracle (resulting) from the power of Christ's words. Through (these words) they caught so many fish that Peter's net began to break. The se external physical manifestations can throw light on other spiritual realities: on Peter's spiritual 'fishing,' on his spiritual nets and spiritual spreading of the net. For it is apparent in this reading as well as in other passages that our Lord Jesus, calling him from (the profession of) catching physical fish, had said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." So, because he made Peter and other apostles into fishers of men, he gave them also nets for this different kind of fishing. And these nets are first of all Christ's, then Peter's, andntheyand they [sic] are the work of Christ or his law, as well as the holy Scripture given out by God, from which men willing to learn can be instructed. In the original,, literally "side."

Matthew 4:19