Catch and Release

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” — Matthew 4:19

In our encounters with God, we are formed by him, and we make disciples of him. Here, Jesus relates evangelism to fishing. In Jesus's time, fish were gathered in nets and held. Today, sport-fishing rewards catch and release. Jesus' commission to make disciples assumed his followers would gather people and hold them in Christian community. We moderns must strive for the same. We shouldn't be satisfied with catch-and-release methods.