153 Full . Net

Jesus Walks Softly With A Big Net, But With A Big Stick Too!

Version1b, Oct. 26, 2006. Copyright 2006 by Roddy Kenneth Street, Jr.
Street Tracts International   -   excerpt from a tract in the Truth For East Asia series

    Here's a surprising fact that you maybe haven't ever realized: Did you know that Jesus fishes? He still fishes, even today, even in our modern world. Yes, indeed! He walks softly and carries a Big Net!

    Jesus was once in human form as a humble carpenter on our planet Earth, but today He is a lot more like a fisherman who is casting out a worldwide net!

    If you are a borderline nut-case in need of medical help, you can be glad that Jesus is the One Who is after you with a net, instead of those guys in the white coats, who chase people with another kind of net.

    On the other hand, if you are simply a stubborn jackass or a stiff-necked idiot, God may instead surprise you by walking up softly and walloping you in the head with a big stick! Or He may even hit you in the head with a 2" x 4" board, in order to get the jackass finally moving in the right direction. That usually happens only when you are a really sinful unbeliever or "a lazy and worthless servant." You really need to start giving Him your full attention!

    I know what you're thinking. Jesus probably learned that little trick with the 2" x 4" board during his early years, back when He was just a humble carpenter in Israel! Maybe so!

    Here's an explanation and elaboration of our humor, made for everybody, but especially for people in foreign countries who don't quite understand the humor of the above paragraphs!

    You will recall that Teddy Roosevelt once advised that a person should "walk softly and carry a big stick." I think maybe God has a stick too... a rather long one that he uses to wake up people who keep falling asleep every time they listen to a sermon! Sometimes God may have to tap you on the top of your head rather forcefully, just in order to get your attention-- to get you to wake up and see the real world.

    Now, how can I say that Jesus walks softly with a Big Net, but that He also, at the same time, "walks softly and carries a Big Stick"...? It's like this: Jesus is not only trying to catch a lot of fish-- He is also gathering a lot of sheep, and He's trying to lead these very dumb animals toward the safety of Heaven!

    God can take a few fishes (a group of Christian believers) and some bread (the Word of God, the True Manna from Heaven) and with these, through Jesus Christ, He works a great miracle. God takes these few fishes and not only multiplies them but transforms them. The (human) fishes that Jesus seeks to catch are soon transformed into sheep that seek to follow after Him. We follow our Good Shepherd in the path as He leads us. As we do so, amazingly, we start to resemble-- just a little bit-- the wonderful Lamb of God!

    But sheep are really stupid animals, and that's why Jesus carries not only a Big Net but a Big Stick.

    In fact, the Bible tells us in Zechariah 11:7 that our Good Shepherd carries 2 staves (long wooden rods) very similar to the ones carried by ancient shepherds two thousand years ago. A shepherd then had one staff used to fight off wild animals, and another that was used to guide the sheep carefully through tight spots and difficult places. Zechariah says that our Good Shepherd has one staff named "Beauty" (or "Grace") and another called "Bands." It looks to me like He must use the first staff to fight off devils and dark forces that seek to steal/kill His sheep. The other stick, "Bands," is the one He uses to guide stupid sheep through the difficult places in our lives. That's the one that He uses to hit you on the head occasionally.

    It helps you to keep going in the right direction, to stay on the path. It helps Him prod us so that we keep moving in the direction of Heaven, that safe pasture that is waiting for us at the end of our lives.

    I'd say that when Jesus is leading a bunch of stupid sheep (often-erring Christians), it's a bit like a human being trying to ride a stubborn jackass. The donkey just doesn't want to go where it's supposed to go... and neither do His stupid sheep. That's where the Big Stick comes in mighty handy.

    You see, Jesus expects of us that we help Him catch a lot of fish, whether it's by hook or by rook or by nook! He wants us to become fruitful trees in His Garden. He can use a former crook, or even a former snook... if He can just get you to pay attention! He's always after the big catch-- whether it's a full net, loaded up with a big catch of "153 fishes"... or a giant pen filled with a lot of rescued sheep that were saved from death just in the nick of time... or the many millions of people He can gather in through a system called the World Wide Net.

    Jesus fishes with a big net. He knows the right spot to throw a net... just exactly where all the fish are hiding. So should we. You can get an awesome catch that way. You can get a big haul of fish and surprise yourself! You can catch a lot more than you will ever get by quietly sitting with an old fishing pole, by just waiting around for hours with a single fishing line dropped in the water... but, sadly, in the wrong spot. So I guess we'd all better get busy doing as He commanded...