Rocking the Boat of Full-Time Ministry
Written by Jason Mills
Most of us have heard brilliant sermons based on John 21:1-14. They go something like this: after Jesus died, Peter and the other disciples gave up hope, picked up their nets, and went back to plying their trades. Jesus showed up on the shore, encouraging Peter to once again become a full-time preacher leaving the fish in the sea.
Does that sound familiar? It is a good interpretation but only partly true. Jesus indeed invites Peter to follow him, but I don’t think his trade-practice was at all problematic; I think there is a compelling case to be made that the fishermen never fully abandoned their trades when they followed Jesus. Let me show you what I mean:
1. If the disciples were just going to fish for themselves, why did they use so many nets? In Matthew 17:27 Jesus uses the example of line fishing when trying to catch a single fish. If the disciples were hungry, they could have used a hook and a line. Nets were reserved for commercial fishing. Net fishing would have yielded such large quantities of fish that they would have needed to be processed and sent to market to sell.
2. Where did the boats and nets come from? The Greek text indicates that they “went into ‘the’ boat”, not ‘a’ boat. This seems to point to a boat that was in their possession. Did they steal it? Did the families they abandoned allow them continued access to their boat(s) and their equipment? If the fishing disciples—James, John, Andrew, and Peter—had left their nets and family businesses, it seems like a reach to assume those families would have continued to give free access to the equipment after they had been abandoned by their sons. Furthermore, if the disciples had left their trades, their fishing quotas would have gone too, no longer giving access to a right to fish with their nets.
3. Peter’s invitation, “I’m going out to fish” was met with an immediate and communal “we’ll go with you” (21:3). Nothing in the text indicates this exchange is any sort of departure from the norm. If they had fully left the trade when Jesus called, why were Peter’s comrades so quick to respond in the affirmative? Their answer was immediate. There is no indication of reluctance or inner tension, the sort of conscious disequilibrium we might assume if being asked to consider disobeying their master’s wishes. Instead, it seems like a routine day in the lives of these fishermen.
4. If Jesus was dissatisfied with their decision to fish in his absence, rather than preaching the kingdom, why did he request some of their catch when he welcomed them on the beach (v. 10)? He enables them to catch an overwhelming number of fish, then invites them to bring some of the fish they caught for the meal. Is this not a tacit acceptance of their trades work? But you might say, what about the scene in Luke 5:1-11, when Jesus says to Peter, “from now on you will fish for people” (v. 10) and they “left everything and follow him” (v. 11)? Perhaps Jesus’ invitation there was a invitation for Peter to think about people and the new kingdom, not just fish. The fishers’ abandonment of “everything” could have been a recklessness and faith-filled response in the moment. In other words, they didn’t wait to wash their nets and secure their boats but determined to follow Jesus immediately. Later in the day, however, they may have returned to clean the boats and nets once Jesus released them for their night.*
Co-Vocational Canada is committed to constructing a theological and biblical foundation for those considering pastoral work while working outside the congregation. John 21 is one of many examples of Jesus and the disciples’ commitment to people doing kingdom work that includes being in pastoral leadership and working a regular job. If you want to know more, please reach out. We are happy to help.
* These ideas arise from a larger book project in progress. The project focuses on rethinking paid pastoral work through the lens of the New Testament.
Jason Mills serves as the Dean of Briercrest Seminary and Assistant Professor of Spiritual Theology. He has pastored churches, educated pastors, shaped seminary education, and loves working with denominational, chaplaincy, and academic leaders, rethinking theological learning and credentialling. He has research interests in bi-vocational ministry models in the early church, co-vocational ecclesiology, and online education that focuses on virtue formation.