Chizuk Emunah (Pt 2) Under the Microscope: Chapter 9

Troki gives a brief attack on the language "fishers of men" 

Matthew 4:18, 19, "And Jesus, walking by the shores of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen, and he said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." The same is related in Luke 5:10, "And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men." This metaphorical language employed by Jesus, appears most inapt and undignified. The net catches the unwary by stealth, and those who are caught are destined to death by those who spread the net.

The objection need not be discussed in detail. The language of Jesus in the New Testament was filled with imagery and figures of speech. It was part and parcel of the time for Jewish teachers to use easily memorized pieces of oratory to make their points. This is why Jesus used expressions like "I am the door" and "chew my flesh and drink my blood" and "you must be born again." People at the time did not have an abundance of stationery to take notes, so they had to learn everything by memory. Those of us who have learned mnemonic devices know that the more extreme the imagery, the easier it is to remember the material.

Peter and Andrew were fishermen by trade. Just as they had spent their careers catching fish, they would now recruit people into the kingdom of God. Troki's attack is a classic fallacy called the false (or weak) analogy.

X is like Y.

Y has property P.

Therefore, X has property P.

Life is like a box of chocolates. A box of chocolates should not be eaten by a diabetic. Therefore, life should not be eaten by a diabetic. People who buy stocks are no different from people who bet on horse racing. They both risk their money with little chance of making a big profit. Lots of jokes are based on false analogies. Why is a raven like a writing desk? Because Poe wrote on both!

The disciples knew who Jesus was before they encountered him. Luke gives a more detailed account of Jesus' recruiting efforts. John the Baptist had preached for years to prepare the people for Jesus, and Jesus had already been known as a miracle-worker before he called his first disciples.