“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19
“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and you’ll be looking for a new fishing spot.”
Irish Proverb quoted by Carl Safina at Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in 2012-2013. See his notes here on Overfishing.
Jesus taught the disciples to fish for people. Let’s see how this relates to the “give a man a fish” proverb we have been exploring.
Many people say “education” is the cure to solving the issue of “poverty” and then they cite the “give a man a fish” proverb. This Irish variation tells us that some will use the skill for selfish reasons and take the very spot where you fished.
This explains why instruction must be taught in the context of stewardship with standards and sustainability in view. Without the latter, the former will result in overfishing. The person will use the skill seeking their own good rather than the good of others, both now and into the future.
Those who know me know that I like fly fishing. I have visited Colorado mountain lakes or streams yet this year . There was heavy snow all winter and, as a result, there is lots of runoff right now.
Soon I will go practice”catch and release” fly fishing. Why do that? Each fish I catch is a gift from God, and each on I release is a gift to the next angler. In between I may snap photos like this one taken a few years back.
With this knowledge, let’s go catch people and release them to catch others following the example of Jesus. Find receptive people, teach them everything Jesus commanded (which includes generosity) and release them to catch others.
And if you want to see videos of my son, Sammy, and I fly fishing, visit his SammysFlyShop YouTube page.