Gospel in Art: I will make you into fishers of men

Fishing for Souls, by Adriaen van de Venne, 1614, © Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 21 January 2024
Mark 1:14-20

After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. 'The time has come' he said 'and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.'

As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake - for they were fishermen.

And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.' And at once they left their nets and followed him.

Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.

Reflection on the painting

Our painting by Adriaen van de Venne titled 'Fishing for Souls' was painted in 1614, during the Twelve Years' Truce (1609-1621) between the Protestant Dutch Republic and Catholic Spain. It depicts an allegory of the tensions between the two Christian denominations. We see a vast river landscape with large numbers of people standing on either side of the river: to the left the Protestants with the Princes of Orange and James I of England; to the right are Catholics with Albert and Isabella.

The rowing boat in the foreground contains Protestant 'fishermen' with fishing nets marked with the words Fides, Spes and Charitas (Faith, Hope and Love). They are drawing in a good number of people to bring them to their faith. The Catholic boat, on the right, holds priests who are fishing too, while being overseen by a bishop. That boat is almost sinking and looks less stable. At the time this was painted, Adriaen van de Venne showed the Catholic nets empty. Only years later after some fierce criticism of the painting, were some figures added to their nets too. The Protestant boats in the background are seen with people swimming towards them, whilst the Catholic boats in the background on the right are seen with no-one swimming towards them… The painter further conveys that the the Protestant Dutch have a promising future: the sun shines there, the trees are full of leaves. Not so on the Catholic side.

Whilst this painting is meant as a fierce criticism by the Dutch Protestants towards Catholic Spain, there is nevertheless a sign of hope, the overarching rainbow, linking both sides.

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus is asking all of us Christians to be fishers of people. In order to fish, we need to understand what equipment we need. We can't just go to sea hoping for the best. We need to be prepared. And we need to work together, also ecumenically. We will never catch large quantities of fish on our own. We need a boat, nets, a navigator, a fellow fisher, a sailor, etc… All these tools and instruments we can only find in prayer. Prayer is the only way to find God's guidance for all our fishing expeditions…

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-1-14-20-2024/