I have written a short story: Let Down Your Nets. Like the first such story I wrote – While Shepherds Watched – it is based on a Biblical account, but with fictional characters – my thoughts on how it might have been at that time.
I will print each of the five chapters in CvilleBuzz, beginning this week. I hope you enjoy it.
Nathan: A Young Fisherman
Nathan was a fisherman, a young fisherman. He was an apprentice, learning his craft on the lake of Gennesaret, sometimes called the Sea of Galilee. The 16 year old had learned much from his father, Abbas. Abbas, Nathan and his mother, Shaina lived a comfortable life in their home at Capernaum, a small fishing village on the north shore of the lake, the most beautiful land in all of Galilee.
Less than fifty miles from the Mediterranean, the valleys and farmlands bordering Gennesaret were lush and fertile, producing bountiful crops of figs and dates, bananas, grapes, citrus fruits and other crops. For much of the year, this was a tropical paradise, and pleasant throughout the year with mild winters. Sitting in a bowl of earth nourished and fed by the Jordan River, the beauty of the hills and plains overlooking this land of milk and honey were breathtaking. Gennesaret was a lake, a freshwater lake, not a sea at all, but many used the word sea to describe any large body of water. The lake was filled with fishes of many kinds and the fishing here was good.
Abbas fished with the fleet of Zebedee and his sons James and John along with Simon, a partner in the business. The fleet included a number of boats ranging from the trawl net boats for four men to the larger 30 foot carrier boats which held as many as 15 men.
Nathan was a strong young man, able to help his father haul the heavy nets into the boat. Abbas had taught him the skill of casting a net to schooling fish. He had taught his son about the different fish of Gennesaret and their habits, where the underground springs drew life. Some day they would fish together as partners.
Fishing had been good and the family lived a comfortable life until news came of the accident. Abbas and three others had set out late one evening to fish at night in the deep waters off Magdala. A sudden storm from the violent winds to the east turned the once calm waters into a froth of crashing waves. Before the fishermen could turn and head for shore, the boat had swamped and was found the next morning in broken parts scattered on the beach. The fishermen’s bodies were never recovered. The lake, at that point, was nearly 150 feet deep.
It was devastating news for young Nathan and his mother, Shaina. Life, for them, would never be the same.
Nathan well understood the plight of a widowed woman in Galilee. Shaina would be an outcast without a man to protect her and uphold her honor and now her young, 16-year old son would have to be that man.
A few days after the accident, Nathan went to Simon’s home to ask about work. Simon, after checking on his sick mother-in-law, came to the door and knew immediately what the young man wanted. He wanted a job, he wanted to fish. Abbas and Simon had been close friends and often fished together. Simon had known Nathan since he was a child and knew that his father had taught him much about fishing on the lake. As it happened, Simon needed a man on one of his trawler boats and was happy to accommodate the young fisherman.
“We will be taking two boats next week, casting for sardines at the mouth of the Jordan,” Simon said. “You can fish in my boat.”
Nathan returned home with the good news, but the young man’s life had been shaken.
How would he, how could he possibly cope without his father, a rock in his life? The pair had been so close, but now he was gone. Completely gone. The Sadducees in the synagogue had said repeatedly that there was no heaven, no life after death. Abbas was dead and gone forever and that was that. Nathan had been raised in the Jewish faith, circumcised as a child and brought into the church, but his faith – weak before – barely existed. Though he had been named for Nathan, a mighty prophet in the time of Kings David and Solomon, he was forlorn and felt forsaken by God. His mother, a strong believer, tried to reassure her son, but to no avail.
Shaina, which means ‘beautiful’ in Hebrew, was beautiful indeed. She had long flowing, raven black hair and piercing brown eyes. She would have had no problem finding another husband, but at this point, she didn’t want another husband. Unlike many couples who married for convenience of the families, Shaina and Abbas had been in love since they first met in their teen age years. Their life had been happy and complete, especially with she conceived and gave birth to Nathan, her only son. Somehow, they would make do.
They sat in silence at the dinner table that night, both were relieved that Nathan had found work so quickly, but concerned about the future. Would the good fishing continue into the summer? Would another storm come along and take Nathan, too? Would the nets that Shaina wove hold for another catch?
Yes, Shaina was a master at constructing the nets.
Next week: The Fields of Flax