False Occupations, Divine Authority, and the Call to Spiritual Triage: Matthew 4:18–25 Reflection through the Lens of Alcohol Recovery
Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.” They immediately left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them. They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them. Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
Alcoholism is not just a disease—it’s a false occupation. It’s a full-time job with no paycheck and no retirement plan. The alcoholic becomes a master planner: scheming, hiding, omitting, and maneuvering like a criminal casing a bank job. The bottle becomes the idol. The obsession breaches the Second Commandment. It’s not just unhealthy—it’s spiritually treasonous.
Jesus walks into this chaos with divine authority. He doesn’t negotiate. He commands: “Follow me.” And the disciples drop their nets. Their boats. Their livelihoods. Not because they were sinful—but because they were secondary. That’s the model.
For alcoholics, the boat is the lie. The net is the obsession. The sea is the secrecy. And Jesus says: drop it. Now. Not later. Not after detox. Not after one last drink. Now.
This call is costly. The disciples left income. Alcoholics must sometimes do the same. Recovery may mean stepping back from work, from family obligations, from social roles—because if you’re dead from liver failure or suicide, you can’t earn, serve, or love. Sobriety, after God, becomes the next priority. That’s not selfish—it’s sacred logic.
Jesus doesn’t just call us to sobriety. He calls us to mission. “Fishers of men.” AA gets close with Step Twelve—carrying the message—but it misses the deeper doctrine: this is spiritual triage. Recovering alcoholics are uniquely equipped to spot the wounded, the hiding, the spiritually bankrupt. We’ve lived the darkness. We know the signs. We are the field medics of grace.
But this gift comes with cost. Time. Energy. Emotional bandwidth. Spiritual stamina. That’s how grace is earned—not through comfort, but through service. Through showing up. Through walking beside the Sea of Galilee and spotting the next broken soul.
And here’s where AA shines: it doesn’t discriminate. Jesus healed Jews and Gentiles. AA serves all—rich, poor, young, old, believer, atheist. The rooms are sacred ground. The circle is the net. The coffee is the communion. The stories are the Gospel.
So if you’re in recovery, and you’ve dropped your net—good. Now pick up your mission. Be a fisher of men. Be a spiritual triage specialist. Be the one who walks beside the sea and says, “Follow me. There’s light ahead.”
This article is a chapter from Jason Bresnehan's book A Catholic Gospel Journey Through the Lens of Alcohol Recovery — Jason Bresnehan.
What does Jason Bresnehan do?
Jason Bresnehan is a Business Consultant and conducts due diligence, systems development and commercialisation consulting through Evahan Group.
Jason Bresnehan is a Recovery Consultant
Jason Bresnehan is a Songwriter and you can find his music on his independent label Seventh Ribbon Music, YouTube Channel, Apple Music and Spotify by Searching for "Jason Bresnehan" and or "Seventh Ribbon Music".
Jason Bresnehan is an Author and you can purchase his books on Amazon
A Catholic Gospel Journey Through the Lens of Alcohol Recovery — Jason Bresnehan.
The AI Orchestration Engineer — Jason Bresnehan
BOLD SWOT - Jason Bresnehan