Make You Fishers of Men

The Christian Scriptures relate the following story:

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-21)

The following is an excerpt of Pastor Mike Winger's explanation of the above passages:

There is a common belief in Christianity which states the exclusivist worldview of the Pharisees in contrast to the inclusivist worldview of Jesus. This is perhaps best explained as the Pharisaic mindset as one that sought to horde God all to themselves, as it were, and to make admission in the fold of Judaism or observance difficult and elitist for people who were not learned.

And while there is certainly truth to the concept that Pharisaic Judaism before and after the time of the Second Temple placed a high value on level of education and erudition in understanding and observing Jewish Law, it is equally true that their approach was much more accepting that most Christians would like to admit. Christian attitudes generally tend to ignore indications of wide-spread inclusivist approaches among these very Pharisees. Challenging these notions would imply that Jesus was more like the Pharisees than most Christians would like to accept.

For example, the very first passage in the Pirke Avos (Ethics of the Fathers) opens with the the following:

Moses received the Torah from Sinai and gave it over to Joshua. Joshua gave it over to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gave it over to the Men of the Great Assembly. They [the Men of the Great Assembly] would always say these three things (1:1):

• Be cautious in judgement.
• Establish many pupils.
• And make a safety fence around the Torah.

It is noteworthy that a text's opening statement usually sets the tone for the rest of the content. This is certainly true with the opening of the Pirke Avos, and the majority of its statements are taught within the context of the active creation of tight-knit, intimately connected, and charismatic students.

Another aspect of this approach is summarized by the following:

Yossei the son of Yoezer of Tzreidah, and Yossei the son of Yochanan of Jerusalem, received the tradition from them. Yossei the son of Yoezer of Tzreidah would say: Let your home be a meeting place for the wise; dust yourself in the soil of their feet, and drink thirstily of their words. (1:4)

We see here an emphasis on opening one's home as an informal and impromptu communal center for rabbi's to gather and teach crowds of people. This verse paints a starkly different picture than the one described in Christian thought regarding the elitist nature of the Pharisees.

Verse 5 goes on to say, "Yossei the son of Yochanan of Jerusalem would say: Let your home be wide open, and let the poor be members of your household," (1:5) as well challenging the notion that the Pharisees sought to rub shoulders with wealthy, powerful people.

Among the maxims found in this work are the following:

• ... judge every man to the side of merit. (1:6)
• When the litigants stand before you, consider them both guilty; and when they leave your courtroom, having accepted the judgement, regard them as equally righteous. (1:8)
• Hillel would say: Be of the disciples of Aaron—a lover of peace, a pursuer of peace, one who loves the creatures and draws them close to Torah. (1:12)
• Shammai would say: Make your Torah study a permanent fixture of your life. Say little and do much. And receive every man with a pleasant countenance. (1:15)

One finds numerous examples of this mindset throughout the entire corpus of the Pirke Avos, but the above are just a few notable examples.

Regarding the assertion that the rabbi's lorded their Torah knowledge over the heads of the unlearned, "Rabban Yochanan the son of Zakkai received the tradition from Hillel and Shammai. He would say: If you have learned much Torah, do not take credit for yourself---it is for this that you have been formed." (2:8)

To this end "Rabbi Tzaddok would say: 'Do not make the Torah a crown to magnify yourself with, or a spade with which to dig.' So would Hillel say: 'one who make personal use of the crown of Torah shall perish. Hence, one who benefits himself from the words of Torah, removes his life from the world.'" (4:5)

A general parable about judging people was brought down by Rabbi Meir, who said, "Look not at the vessel, but at what it contains. There are new vessels that are filled with old wine, and old vessels that do not even contain new wine." (4:21)

When reading through the statements made in the Pirke Avos one is able to conclude that the spirit of Jesus' teachings seem to mirror that which is found within this body of text. Further, one can even conclude that Jesus own teachings were influenced by it, or even that he believed in it to the extent that he sought to emulate it on his own.