The Rev. Dr. Brandon Perrine
Epiphany 3A
Matthew 4:12-23
January 25, 2026
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles—the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
~o~
Perhaps you’ve heard the fisher’s prayer: “God grant me strength to catch a fish so large that even I, when telling of it afterwards, may never need to lie.” If you’ve ever talked to a fisher, then you know that there is no such thing as a small catch—and fishers love to tell about their catch.
One Sunday morning, a minister awoke to the perfect spring day for fishing: the air was chilly, the sun was shining, and he couldn’t resist. After notifying the associate minister that he was “under the weather,” he headed off to the trout stream—no one would know. But God was watching. It was no time at all before the minister felt a tug on his line, then a pull, and then the fish was flying downstream. After what seemed like forever, the tired minister finally landed the even more exhausted fish. It was a beauty—the biggest trout he’d ever seen. And he’d caught it. He couldn’t wait to tell everyone.
He made it back to the church for the evening service, grinning ear to ear. But the congregation was concerned. “How are you feeling, Reverend? Are you sure you’re alright to preach?” Excitedly he began, “You wouldn’t believe what I just caught!” And then he remembered: “the biggest… cold I’ve ever had.”1
Fishers are a strange bunch. Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose them for his first disciples? It seems like an odd choice. Jesus was not a fisher. He belonged to a class of more skilled laborers—tektōn, in Greek—that included woodworkers, stonemasons, thatchers, and others. But for some strange reason, after his baptism, Matthew tells us that Jesus moved to Capernaum in the region of Galilee, by the sea. There he began his public ministry, largely among the food-producing peasants known as fellaheen.
At the time of Jesus, the region of Galilee was a tense place with multiple religious and cultural identities present—all oppressed by the iron hand of the Roman Empire. According to ethnobotanist Gary Nabhan, “We now know that the Galileans were suffering from one of the worst farm and fishing fleet crises recorded in the Western world.”2 The peasants were buckling under a host of taxes, tributes, land rents, tithes, and religious dues. “Within a span of a single generation, the Galileans had seen nearly two-thirds of their annual catch at sea and their harvest from the land shunted from them in order to support the urban elite and a distant aristocracy.”3
And yet, that is where Jesus went. That is with whom Jesus ministered. Not the urban elites, aristocrats, or oppressors. His ministry began with those shouldering the heaviest weight for the least return under the crushing oppression of his day.
So what did Jesus do, then, to address the societal ills of his time? Nabhan reminds us that he did not side with the powerful or the oppressors. He did not advocate or embrace violence. And he did not overtly vilify or revile his opponents. Instead, he preached. He taught. He told stories in language that farmers and fishers could understand. He offered “both the intangible gift of hope and tangible options for survival. [He] guided his hearers into rethinking how to survive and build community at the very moment they felt overwhelmed by unprecedented pressures.”4
When Jesus proclaimed, “Repent, for the realm of heaven is near,” he was not calling individuals to private guilt or moral perfection. He was inviting whole communities to turn—to reorient their lives, their loyalties, and their economies—because heaven’s just and healing reign was already breaking into their midst.
But I keep coming back to my question: why fishers? I suppose that’s not really a fair question—it should be broader. Why fishers, tax collectors, sharecroppers, prostitutes, orphans, lepers, widows, tent-makers, cloth merchants, and so many others? Maybe it’s because fishers rely on something that can’t be seen—until it’s caught—but is definitely present, like the realm of heaven. Maybe it’s because fishers are patient, hardworking, and discerning. Maybe it’s because they were the most likely to hear his words. But my guess, if I’m completely honest, is that he chose fishers—and all the rest—because they were the ones who most needed to hear good news.
As churches, though, it’s tempting to go after the big fish, isn’t it? The ones with impressive careers, growing families, good connections, and deep pockets. The ones who already know how to navigate systems that work in their favor. But if we are to follow Jesus, as Peter, Andrew, James, and John did that day, then our calling is not to chase prestige, but to carry good news where it is needed most—among those living paycheck to paycheck, those whose labor is essential yet undervalued, those caught in systems where the nets grow heavier while the catch grows smaller.
Following Jesus means casting our nets alongside those who are exhausted by unjust economies and fragile livelihoods, trusting that heaven’s realm is already stirring beneath the surface.
May it be so. Amen.
1 Bird Nest Ben. “Preacher Goes Fishin,” Bassresource.com, May 27, 2008: https://www.bassresource.com/bass- fishing-forums/topic/52337-fishin-joke-preacher-goes-fishin/.
2Gary Paul Nabhan. Jesus for Farmers and Fishers, Minneapolis: Broadleaf Books, 2021, pg. 5.
3 Ibid, 7.
4 Ibid, 29.
