People today are fascinated with the greatest at everything. Countless articles have been written about who is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) at football, basketball, business, etc. Pick your endeavor and you can probably find a GOAT list. On most GOAT lists I have read, the author always tells why the person they picked is the greatest, based on their choice’s accomplishments. The author usually lists other “greats” and then tells us why they are good but not the “greatest.” So, who is the greatest fisher of all time? Jesus Christ is greatest fisherman of all time. But before I list some of his accomplishments, let’s talk about some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mention List:
Jonah - We put Jonah on our honorable mention list because he has a whale of a tale. He also has his own book in the Old Testament. However, Jonah doesn’t really qualify because technically he was fish bait instead of a fisherman!
Peter, Andrew, James and John - I lump these four together to keep our article short and because they were fishing partners. While each in his own right was a great fisherman, they all had the tendency to fish all night and catch nothing!
Why Jesus is the Greatest Fisherman Ever:
1.) He created fish. (see Genesis 1:1, John 1:1-3, Genesis 1:20)
2.) He doesn’t need modern fish-finding equipment, like depth finders or GPS. (see Matthew 8:27)
3.) Fish listen to what he says. (see Jonah 2:10)
4.) He loves to teach others about fishing. (see Matthew 4:19)
5.) He always pays his guest's way. (see Matthew 17:27)
John 21:6-7
“And he said unto them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the ship,' and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord.”
One More Thing to Make You Think
In John chapter 21, how did John know it was the Lord standing on the shore? Because John, being very quick-witted, put together all the pieces of the puzzle faster than anyone. John remembered that the first time they had all met Jesus, they had fished all night and caught nothing, just like this time. At their first meeting, Jesus asked them to go out and let down their nets one more time. Obeying Jesus' command, they caught a miraculous catch, just like this time. There are other similarities between the Disciples' and Jesus' first and last meetings too numerous to mention in our short article, but I want to point out one final similarity: When we listen to Jesus, good things happen!