According to the Collins English Dictionary, “if you mend something that is broken or not working, you repair it, so that it works properly or can be used.”[1]

In Galatians 6: 1, the apostle Paul references this meaning of the word “mend. He writes “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” I’m told, the word translated from the Greek as “restore” was also used for mending a net.

While previous generations of men and women learned to mend as a domestic necessity, for most people today, mending is a distant choice. In practice, many millennials, gen Xers and even some boomers know very little now about mending and in today’s throwaway society, there isn’t much reason to mend a torn sock or pants or handbag. Socks are relatively cheap; pants are still affordably priced; and handbags, well, very few people think about mending those.

That being said, there are several benefits to mending torn things.

Mending repairs what is torn and the result of a good mend is an unnoticeable fix to what we already have.

Mending re-positions and re-orients those who take up the habit, helping them to solve problems that usually happen on our way out the door or after machine washing a load of clothes.

Mending reflects environmental stewardship. The recent rush to follow Marie Kondo and declutter our closets allows us to cast out disposable stuff like clothing from our homes to a landfill site. Mending, on the other hand, requires us to choose to fix what we have without casting out one set of disposables and buying another.

Mending, however, takes a lot of time just like God’s mending of a spiritual life also takes time, a lifetime.

Casting and Mending

In Mark chapter 1, Jesus encounters two different pairs of brothers who were fishermen. While walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he first passes by Simon Peter and Andrew who in verse 16 were “casting a net into the sea.” As the Saviour walked further along, he sees James and John, two other brothers who were “mending their nets” (Verse 19).

Although, the four were all fishermen, they were not all occupied in the same activity of their profession. One set was casting; the other, mending. You may ask, which is more important – casting or mending? I say both are equally important.

In this blog, I’ve teased out a few important lessons about why this is so.

       1. Casting is a necessity for the Christian.

In Luke Chapter 5, after Peter (with his partners James and John) reluctantly let down or cast their nets into the water, “they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break” (Verse 6).

In the first century, nets were used for fishing. If they became broken, the fishermen could not fish. Whenever a fisherman came back from fishing, he would examine his nets to ensure there were no torn or broken places. If he found any, he would mend them; to make them as good as new.

God wants to do the same with members of His household of faith. As broken vessels, God is continually examining us carefully to find our weak spots, and to restore and purify us. He wants to heal hearts, a lengthy but necessary process, if we are to attain holiness and the character of Christ.

Moreover, like fishermen who throw their nets out to fish for cod, snapper and salmon, God wants his servants to be fishers of men. If as Christians, we encounter men and women are broken spiritually, God wants us to cast our ‘gospel’ nets into the water to rescue them.

We should keep in mind, however, that nets do not become worn by lying at the bottom of a fishing boat. They must be used. They are torn when they are cast, and when they are cast productively. This suggests that the nets that James and John were mending must have been a testimony of more successful and productive fishing times.

       2. Casting is a requirement for mending and vice versa.

Although a fisherman/woman may not be catching fish while s/he is mending, without a mended net one cannot venture out to catch fish. It’s the same for ministry. There are times when we may feel that things are going very well with us and other times when there is a struggle. We must allow God to mend us so we can be whole as we serve others.

Likewise, as we cast our nets, we must also realize that not everyone we witness to will accept the truth about the gospel; not all those who accept salvation will grow and bear fruit; and there will be times when we won’t grasp the biblical truths that are hidden in God’s word. When we feel wounded, God will be there to mend us so we can go on fishing.

      3. We must not give up during mending time.

I’m glad, James and John were mending their nets rather than abandoning them or looking for a place to dispose of them. Mending meant they were planning to fish again and not to give up altogether. They could have looked at their competitors Simon and Andrew and could have become discouraged by the fact that they were casting, but they didn’t. They knew mending was a necessary part of net restoration and, once completed, they would fish again.

Similarly, rather than giving up, we must embrace the times of mending. Many Christians often forget past successes during times of difficulty but no matter where we are, we should always remember to look back to those times when we thought things were better. we must thank God for every past victory rather than be discouraged by the need to stop and mend others, or to be mended ourselves.

4. Whether casting or mending, we must respond to the call of Jesus.

As Simon Peter and Andrew were casting their nets, Jesus bids them “Come, follow me” and immediately, “they left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1: 17, 18). Similarly, when he interrupts James and John, the Bible says “… they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him” (verse 20). Regardless of whether they were casting or mending, Jesus called all four men because he loved them, and they followed him immediately.

It must be the same for us. Jesus loves casters and menders equally. We live in a success-driven society and it’s natural for us to become fixated on our failures, seeing them as obstacles. But whether we are facing difficulties or experiencing victory, we must heed the call of Jesus. We must turn our attention from our nets and focus on the Saviour. He wants us to be with him; to walk with him; and to tell others about him. So, in the big picture, it doesn’t matter whether we are casting or mending as long as we are willing to say “yes’ to Jesus.

I trust that as casters we are also “on the mend.” I know I want Jesus to fix me. I hope and trust you want the same too.

[1] https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/mend