This morning, we turn to another story of Jesus calling his
disciples to follow him. Today, we focus on a group of Jesus’ disciples who had
previously been fishermen. They did not hesitate to follow Jesus when he called
them. Listen to the story of their call as we read Mark, chapter 1, verses 14
through 20:
Scripture Mark 1: 14-20
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming
the good news of God.
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has
come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his
brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you
out to fish for people.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee
and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.
Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee
in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Message
Follow Me
This
morning, the Old Testament reading for the day is the second part of the book
of Jonah. The book of Jonah is very
short – only 4 chapters -- and it tells the story of the reluctant prophet
Jonah who lived in Galilee in the 7th century. God told Jonah to go
and warn the people of Nineveh that their city was going to be destroyed
because of their sinfulness. Instead of
listening to God, Jonah decided to run away --- to run away to the farthest
place he could go – Tarshish in modern-day Spain.
What happened to
Jonah when he disobeyed God has been thrilling children’s imaginations for
centuries. God became alarmed that Jonah disobeyed and ran away, so God stirred
up a storm that scared the heck out of the sailors and other passengers on the
ship Jonah was sailing away on. Jonah
confessed that he was running away from God and made the sailors throw him into
the Mediterranean Sea. A big fish
swallowed Jonah….he prayed and asked God to forgive him. God forgave Jonah, the fish spit him onto dry
ground, and then Jonah went to Nineveh. There, the people repented and turned
their lives to God.
This morning’s
gospel passage about Jesus calling fishermen to become his disciples is quite a
contrast to the Jonah story. Jonah was a
Galilean like the fishermen, but that is where the similarities end.
Jesus found the
fishermen at the Sea of Galilee – Simon and Andrew were on the water casting
their nets; James and John were in a boat and were preparing their nets for the
day. Jesus invited the men to follow him, and they immediately dropped
everything, left it all behind -- even left their dad behind -- and followed
Jesus.
There was no
hesitation on their part. They didn’t
question Jesus. They didn’t make any
excuses. They didn’t look for an alternative place to go. They didn’t decide to
run away and get as far away from Jesus as they possibly could like Jonah. Instead, they met Jesus, dropped everything,
and followed him.
We hold up these
fisher men disciples as the pinnacle of faithfulness. They followed Jesus the
moment he invited them. But, when you talk to fellow Christians, most of us
have stories that sound more like Jonah than the fishermen. We hear the call of
God, we hesitate, we avoid, we perhaps run in the opposite direction, and,
then, after we hit a few obstacles or get swallowed by a fish, we succumb and
follow God’s calling on our life.
Sometimes, we
have to leave things behind when we choose to follow Jesus. We may have behaviors, friends, and
relationships that we need to give up in order to become more faithful. We may
need to change professions or hobbies if they are keeping us from living
according to the teachings of Jesus. When we commit to Jesus, we may need to
detach from behaviors or relationships that are not helpful or wholesome.
Sometimes, we
hesitate to follow Jesus because we are not ready to give up those things.
Sometimes, we hesitate to follow Jesus because we are not ready to commit all
the way – we want to keep one foot in our old lives and one in our new lives.
Sometimes, we are afraid – we are afraid to let go of our past selves and our
past lives because we are not sure what faith-filled lives will be like.
But, we can look
to people like Jonah, and Simon, Andrew, James and John and see that they felt
immense relief when they listened to God and Jesus and gave their lives to
them. They were about to connect with God and know their past sins were
forgiven. They received guidance and wisdom from Jesus and God. They felt the
satisfaction of knowing their lives were being used for a purpose greater than
their own needs – their impact on the world extended far into the future. And,
for the disciples, they left their former friends and family but became part of
a community where they were supported and loved by other believers.
When we decide to
follow Jesus and listen to God, we also feel relief – we can take comfort in
knowing that God is watching over us, supporting us, and cares about us. We are
assured that our past sins, present sins, and future sins will be forgiven. We receive guidance from God, Jesus, the Holy
Spirit, and God’s word, the Bible. Through our work on behalf of God, we know our
lives are being used for a purpose greater than our own needs. And, for us, we
find community, support and love among other members of the church, other
followers of Christ.
Jesus is calling
everyone on earth to follow him. For the people who have gathered in this room
today, and our friends on facebook, we have decided to listen to Jesus and
follow him. Part of our work is to guide and encourage others to listen to
Jesus’ call, to hear Jesus and embrace his teaching and embrace the Christian
faith. Sometimes, people will be like the fishermen disciples, ready to follow
at the drop of a hat. Others will take a lot more time, like Jonah. But, our
work is to invite others to follow and be assured that by our choice to follow
Jesus, we have made the best decision of our lives.
Amen.
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