(This is the third in a five-part short story by Jim Brewer called “Let Down Your Nets”)
There was a knock and Nathan went to the door. It was Simon.
“What, sir, can I help you with,” Nathan asked.
“May I speak to your mother, Shaina,” Simon responded. “I have a favor to ask.”
Shaina had been baking bread as the next day was the Sabbath, but went quickly to greet Simon.
“Again, I am so sorry about Abbas,” Simon stated. “He was a fine man and a fine fisherman, and I will miss him. But I will be glad to have Nathan fishing with us. I know that Abbas taught him well.”
“Thank you. You were kind to take on my son. He is excited to be fishing with you and your men,” Shaina said. “And how is Ruth, your mother-in-law?
“She’s still very sick,” Simon remarked. “We hope that rest will reduce her fever. We are doing all we can, but it doesn’t look good. Thank you for your concern, but the reason I came is to ask if you will make us two of your fine casting nets for our boats?”
Simon knew that Shaina’s nets were superb and he needed to replace two older ones for his upcoming fishing trip for sardines. One net in Simon’s boat with Nathan and another for Abner and Boaz, the two other men fishing with Simon.
“I would be honored to fish with your nets and will gladly pay the top price,” he said.
Shaina, too, was honored that the finest fisherman in Capernaum wanted to fish with her nets and she readily agreed to weave two casting nets for the men. She would make them with finer mesh to catch the small fish. Each net would be 12 feet in diameter and weighted on the ends by small rocks. The net was cast into the air like a circle over the fish, then sank quickly and trapped the fish. It was a most difficult net to cast, but Nathan had learned quickly and was excellent with the casting net. Simon was aware of the young man’s skills.
Shaina had agreed on the price and would begin work on the nets after the Sabbath. By week’s end, the nets were complete and Nathan draped them over his arms as he met Simon and the others at the shore. They shoved off in two of Simon’s trawl net boats at first light – destination, the mouth of the Jordan River. The sardines were spawning in that area and the schools would be thick.
The lake was calm and beautiful, a perfect day to fish. The Sea of Galilee, or Lake Gennesaret, was by far the largest in all of Israel at 13 miles in length and 6 miles at its widest. It formed at the mouth of the Jordan and was fed by numerous underground springs, which attracted plant life and fish. One of the springs was at the northern end of the lake and that’s where Simon’s two boats were headed. Sailing along with a favorable wind, Nathan drilled Simon with questions. Simon was the best fisherman of all and Nathan was eager to learn from a master. Simon, James and his brother John had taken over the fleet and fishery of Zebedee when the old man retired and they had prospered, owning many boats and employing many men. Simon lived in a fine home in Capernaum with his wife and her parents. Nathan hoped that someday he would be so successful. Fishing was good and the market strong.
The sardines they hoped to catch were just one of the many species in the lake. The netted sardines were salt-cured and formed the basic lunch fish for the working class of Galilee. A few sardines and some small loaves of bread, and a fig or two when in season, was a tasty and healthy lunch.
Another prized fish was the musht, a larger fish with very few bones. The flesh of a musht was white and sweet and the best tasting of all the fish in the lake. The fish grew to as many as three pounds and brought a good price on the market. A third fish sought by the men of Capernaum was the briny, a carp-like fish that was often served at feasts because of its large size.
Simon and Nathan were eating a lunch of sardines and loaves when Nathan asked a direct question.
“Simon, I know you have studied the Scriptures. The Sadducees say there is no heaven and that there are no miracles. Do you believe there is a heaven? Will I ever see my father again?”
“Yes, my young friend, I believe in miracles,” Simon answered. “God did many great miracles as taught to us in the Scriptures and he has promised us a deliverer, a Messiah, who will give sight to the blind, liberty to those oppressed and release to the captives. When the Messiah comes, yes, I believe we will then have access to God in heaven and you will see your father again.”
While Nathan pondered the hopeful words of Simon and wondered about this Messiah, the fishermen spotted the schooling sardines ahead.
“Ready your nets,” called Simon.
Next week: The Fever is Gone
