Jesus chose twelve disciples for His earthly ministry. Of all the things that He could have done and all the people He could have taught, Jesus spent the lion’s share of His life discipling these men. After His resurrection, Jesus entrusted them to carry His message to the world. At least four of His disciples were fishermen. Did their profession, which God gave them, have anything to do with their selection?
By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA
Whether from church, work, or other sources, we at the MDHI get many questions on a variety of topics. Earlier this month, a reader wrote about a question about Jesus’ disciples that he and his brother had discussed, “why were 1/3 of the disciples fishermen by trade?” Given the fact that most people in Israel engaged in agriculture at the time, the query is valid. While we cannot know for sure, as the Bible does not directly tell us, we can derive a reasonable answer. First, we require a summary of Israelite society in the first century.
The Disciple’s Occupations
One-third of Jesus’ disciples (4/12), including Peter, Andrew, James, and John, worked as fishermen (Matthew 4:18-22). Nathaniel and Philip were fishing when Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection (John 21:2-8) and may also have been fishermen by trade. The other disciples’ occupations were…
- Matthew (Levi) – Tax Collector
- Simon the Zealot – Revolutionary
- Judas Iscariot – Unidentified
- Thomas – Unidentified
- Thaddeus – Unidentified
- James (Son of Alpheus) – Unidentified
None of Jesus’ disciples were identified in Scripture as farmers. This seems odd, since agriculture was the most important economic engine in first century Israel. Jesus spoke often about farming, as in the Parable of the Sower, but He did not pick even one farmer to be His disciple, as far as we know.
Geography of Ancient Israel
The geography of Israel varies widely for such a small country. The Plain of Sharon in the southwest is fertile, as is the Plain of Jezreel in the north. The central mountains, running north to south, block clouds moving east from the Mediterranean Sea. This results in a desert between the central mountains and the Jordan River. The rest of Palestine includes the mountains around Jezreel and the southern hill country (Shephelah) between the central mountains and the western plains. The northernmost part of Israel is the Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon, and the southernmost portion of Israel is the Negev Desert.
Excepting the Jordan River, which lies to the east, Israel has few rivers. As a result, water for irrigation comes from precipitation from the eastern Mediterranean (1 Kings 18:41-45). The Sea of Galilee lies in the northeast. It is fed by runoff from Mount Hermon (9232 ft, 2814 m) and discharges its water into the Jordan River, which empties into the Dead Sea (- 1434 ft, – 437 m). The water falls 10,666 ft (3251 m) over 120 air miles (193 km), making the river fast and turbulent (2 Kings 5:12).
Economics in Ancient Israel
For much of its history, Israel has imported food to feed its people, usually from Egypt (Genesis 12, 26, 41, Rut1, 2 Samuel 21, 1 Kings 18, 2 Kings 4,6,8,25, Nehemiah 5, Jeremiah 14, Acts 11). Israel has only two major ports: Haifa on the Mediterranean and Eilat on the Red Sea (Gulf of Aqaba). Israel built trading ships but hired Phoenician sailors and never became a maritime power (1 Kings 9:26-28).
Sitting on the land bridge between Europe, Asia, and Africa, Israel became an overland trading nation. Trade from Europe (via modern Turkey) came down the Via Maris (Way of the Sea). Trade from Africa came through Egypt and the Sinai desert. Trade from Asia followed the Euphrates River to the northwest, then turned southwest at the King’s Highway through Damascus. The King’s Highway passed west of the Sea of Galilee at Capernaum, through Galilee, and to the Plain of Sharon on the coast.
Jesus’ Ministry
Jesus’ ministry was concentrated in towns on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee at Capernaum in the north, and in Jerusalem in the south. Jesus picked the towns near the Sea for the majority of His work on earth. He did so for several reasons:
- The trade routes (Via Maris, King’s Highway, Ridge Route) and the associated stops attracted a large number and wide variety of people. Dozens of languages, religions, and cultures were represented. For small, ancient cities, the population density on the coast of the Sea of Galilee was high.[1] For example, those who heard the message and saw the miracles of Christ while traveling through Capernaum would take their knowledge and experiences to their destinations and then back to their homelands.
- Traders required food, lodging, fodder, weapons, and a host of wares for their journeys. Whole towns and economies sprouted up. Traders provided wares, weapons, and luxuries from all over the known world.
- The Sea of Galilee provided fresh water and food (fish) to all those around. It also provided quick transport to the cities on the sea, creating an economic node in which goods and services could flow swiftly and safely. Roads are slow and must be maintained and repaired. Carts cannot carry much weight. By contrast, the seas need no maintenance, ships can carry ten times the weight of carts, and seas don’t have highwaymen.[2]
- A quiet body of water reflects sound waves from its surface into the atmosphere. If a temperature inversion layer is present, sound waves bounce from the origin back and forth between the water’s surface and the inversion layer. Sounds can travel one or two miles in such conditions, which explains how Jesus’ teaching could be heard by thousands of people on shore while He was sitting in a boat on the Sea of Galilee.[3]
By contrast, the area around Jerusalem was more homogenous, lightly populated, and had no comparable trade routes or body of water. Jesus was limited to teaching smaller crowds in Jerusalem. Jesus would attract early ire and opposition in Jerusalem, and less and later ire and opposition in Galilee. He wanted to stay away from His antagonists until His time had fully come.
So why did Jesus choose so many fishermen to be His disciples?
The first reason why Jesus chose so many fishermen is that, given His chosen place of ministry at the Sea of Galilee, more fishermen were available. Being concentrated in towns by the sea, fishermen were plentiful. Farmers were dispersed in their fields and manual laborers (like Jesus) were dispersed on their job sites. Merchants had stores and warehouses to keep and journeys to plan and execute. Besides, merchants were usually wealthy enough that they would not be interested in becoming wandering mendicants for Jesus (Matthew 19:23).[4] The fishermen were the obvious choice for His disciples.
The second reason is that fishermen had useful skill sets. Fishermen had to be physically strong, able and willing to work for long and unremunerated hours. They could sail swiftly across the sea to a new city (as opposed to a slow cart ride encumbered by fans). Fishermen could anchor so Jesus could speak to a crowd. They could catch dinner (John 21). Fishermen facilitated Jesus’ ministry in ways rarely considered.
The third reason is the work schedule. Farming requires constant care of the crops, while fishing only requires constant care of the boat and nets. Fishing provides food immediately, while farming feeds over the long haul. Fishermen are forced to work together every day while a farmer can act alone. Perhaps it is a bonus that the phrase “fishers of men” aligns with Jesus’ theme.
Conclusion
Everything written above is an inference based on lots of assumptions. The Bible simply does not tell us why Jesus picked so many fishermen to be the key messengers of His Gospel on earth. However, given the facts noted above, Christ’s followers can engage in “sanctified speculation.” Jesus picked more fishermen than any other occupational group. The reasons include availability, skill set, and work schedule.
One can’t help but notice that Jesus chooses us for the same reasons that he chose His disciples. If we are available to Him, develop the skills that He gives us the opportunity for, and keep time available for His service, Jesus will use us. The Lord will make us “fishers of men.”
References
[1] The tax collector Matthew may have been a toll booth operator collecting shipping fees and travel taxes.
[2] There is no evidence of significant or prolonged piracy in the Sea of Galilee.
[3] A word shouted by a young human male voice (85 to 100 decibels) can be heard and understood about 600 feet (180 m) away. A crowd of 15,000 sitting people requires about 5 sq ft per person, or 75,000 sq ft. If the crowd was utterly silent and there were no ambient noises, a person with normal hearing could hear the shout up to 100 meters away. But humans can maintain shouting for only a few minutes. A spoken voice by the same person is 55-65 decibels, which can be heard a bit more than half as far.
[4] Matthew was a glaring exception. He probably gave up more than any other disciple to follow Jesus.
