above the hills on the other side of the lake, shone down upon a
busy scene, fresh with the dew and energy of the morning, on the
beach by the little village of Bethsaida. One group of fishermen was
washing their nets, their boats being hauled up on the strand. A
crowd of listeners was thus early gathered round the Teacher; but
the fishermen, who were His disciples, seem to have gone on with
their work, never minding Christ or the crowd. It is sometimes quite
as religious to be washing nets as to be listening to Christ's
teaching.

The incident which follows the words of my text, and which is called
the first miraculous draught of fishes, is stamped by our Lord
Himself with a symbolic purpose; for at the end of it He says: 'Fear
not! from henceforth thou shalt catch men.' And that flings back a
flood of light on the whole story; and not only warrants but obliges
us to take it as being by Him intended for the instruction in their
Christian work of these four whom He has chosen to be His workers.
However many of our Lord's miracles may not come under this category
of symbolism (and I, for my part, do not believe that there are any
of them which do not), this one clearly does. We have His own
commentary to compel us to interpret its features as meaning
something beyond what appears on the surface. I take it, then, that
we have here a first vivid code of instructions which our Lord gives
to all His servants who do work for Him; and I wish to look at the
various stages of this incident from that point of view.

If there are any of my hearers who think to themselves, 'Ah, well!
he is not going to say anything that I have anything to do with,' so
much the worse for you, if you are not a Christian; or, so much the
worse for you if, being a Christian, you are not an active servant.