Soul Fishing
“Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
There are layers to gazing at the allegorical painting Fishing for Souls by the Dutch renaissance painter Adriaen van de Venne (1614). Van de Venne is obviously inspired by Jesus’s call to his apostles; his identification of them as “fishers of men.”
But, we’re a long way from the Galilean shore. Here, everything is crowded: the boats, the beaches, the water: it seems there’s not enough of anything to go around. The “fishing” in this scene seems comical and almost pointless.
One doesn’t need a lot of historical insight to recognize that Van de Venne depicts the Netherlands torn by the Protestant Reformation, as Catholic and Protestant leaders vie for religious authority. Here is an artist jaded by the bloodshed of the Twelve Years War; and although he depicts the grass as (literally) greener on the Protestant side of the lake, the continuity in heaven and earth that holds the image together in the midst of the chaos hints that he has a bigger picture in mind.
As much as this image conveys division, the artist is also gesturing towards reconciliation. The clouds give way to light, and a rainbow bridges the divide. The passion in the fishermen's faces, the charity in their nets, and the abundance of their catch all suggest a shared calling that transcends church politics. The Spirit winds through these waters, whispering unity and rebirth to all who have ears to hear it. In troubled times, the painting urges us to reach for the better angels of our nature. By emphasizing what unites over what divides, it prophetically calls for peace between brethren.
O Israel, trust in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption; And he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
— Psalm 130:7-8
Third Sunday of Epiphany
Texts for this Week
Prayer
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Improvisational Discipleship
A gift of Providence, I recently stumbled across this virtuosic group Swedish musicians, the Woodpeckers Recorder Quartet. According to their own self description, “their aim is to present the recorder as an important concert instrument of our times.” So doing, they are trying to “kick the age-old image of the recorder being merely a stepping-stone to something else.”
Many people in our culture look at Christianity in the same way: a childish system of beliefs and morality to be outgrown along with Santa Claus to adopt a more sophisticated, modern, adult worldview. But, parallel to the Woodpeckers, we contend that the Christian faith is deep, vibrant, and complex. But also, as with this interpretation of the Allegro movement from Vivaldi’s Concerto in C, this claim that it is deeper and richer than many people think doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily more serious. Indeed, “fun” can be a profound proof of versatility.
Watching this performance made me think about discipleship. Discipleship is often taken to be a straightlaced and serious business. Like music, it takes focus, and discipline. To be sure. But that focus and discipline is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end — namely, delight. Observe how the musicians play off of one another: how their performance opens into conversation, and invites a new way of experience, not only this piece, but music itself.
