Matthew
4:12-23
God,
illumine our minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the
Scriptures are read and your Word proclaimed our eyes may see your kingdom, our
ears may hear the call of Jesus, and our hearts may know the joy of your
salvation. Amen.
Joe Garagiola, former major league baseball star and TV personality, tells about a time when Stan Musial came to the plate in a critical game. As a super hitter, Musial was at the peak of his career. The opposing pitcher in the game was young and nervous. Garagiola, as the catcher, called for a fastball and the pitcher shook his head; Joe signaled for a curve and again the pitcher shook him off. He then asked for one of the pitcher's specialties and still the pitcher hesitated. So Joe called time and went out to the mound for a conference. He said, "I've called for every pitch in the book; what do you want to throw?"
"Nothing," was the pitcher's shaky reply. "I just want to hold on to the ball as long as I can."
How many of us know how that pitcher felt?
In recent years, the statistics show how Christians and their clergy have been steadily losing credibility in the culture. Despite the mission and service we do, it is not widely perceived as important or effective. The fastest growing religious group in the country right now is not the Mormons or the Muslims or the Methodists, but the “nones” as they are called. The “nones” are those who claim no religious affiliation whatsoever. When asked why they don’t affiliate with any religion, they confess they are “spiritual, but not religious”. They have no need for religious institutions and the Christian church in particular. Though they themselves do not adhere to a religious faith, they do respect those who take the risk of practicing what they preach. They respect those Christians who fully embrace what they believe, who follow biblical teaching and live it out every day. They may not believe the words of the Bible themselves, but they admire people who are authentic and who act on their beliefs. This requires taking risks and dare greatly.
Jesus certainly acted on his beliefs when he called his first disciples along the banks of the Sea of Galilee. He sees two fishermen, the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, casting their net into the sea. Jesus says to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they leave their nets and follow him (vv. 18-20).
Jesus is bold enough to walk up to two complete strangers and challenge them to follow him in a life of discipleship. Moving on down the road, Jesus sees two other brothers, James and John, who are in a boat with their father, mending their nets. He calls to them in the same way, and they leave both their boat and their father, and follow Jesus (vv. 21-22). He cannot control their response, but he believes in what he is doing and is willing to act on his beliefs. They sense that he is so authentic and committed to his mission that they drop their nets and follow him. They discover something that’s worth living and dying for. Jesus calls to himself an alternative community that reflects the coming reign of God, what Matthew regularly called the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus insists that the kingdom of heaven is not a passive place, but is God’s active, powerful, table-turning, world-changing reign.
The disciples’ decision is impulsive. These four disciples abandon the normal forms of human security: their family, their career, their livelihood, in recognition of Jesus’ authority. They risk everything, but it was a risk worth taking. Are you willing to risk it all for the sake of the call?
Our world thrives on impulsive decision-making. I have been told that you should never go food shopping on an empty stomach. Every store across the nation, especially food stores, displays non-essential items directly in the path of weary shoppers. Why? Because the store owners know that shoppers will buy things on impulse. We have all impulsively thrown something in our cart or basket we didn’t plan on getting when we walked in. Stores in the mall always place a large table or display right in front of the entrance to the store, so you must confront what has been thrust in front of you. It also forces you to enter the store more slowly and deliberately, guiding you to the other areas of the store to entice us to buy more than we planned on buying before we walked in the door. Impulsive shopping can get us in trouble if we are not careful. But are all impulsive decisions harmful to our well-being? Simon-Peter, Andrew, James and John make a decision that was immediate and rash. As the reader, you have to wonder did they know Jesus already? Had they met him before? Did they pray about it first so they could make a prayerful decision? Their decision is difficult for us to understand today. We live in a world where making and confirming appointments is a regular part of our lives. We live in a world of day planners, play dates, seat belts, and child safety seats until you’re 4’ 9” tall. We are a part of a “Is that your final answer?” culture.
I think it is safe to say that these four disciples had always been fishermen. Their fathers had always been fishermen. Their fathers were fishermen and their fathers were fishermen before them. They expected that their children would be fishermen, too, and their children’s children and so on.
But Jesus comes and blows that all out of the water transforming all this predictability into a call to ministry and service.
If the disciples had stayed in their boat, taking the safe, secure course of action, history would have forgotten them. Yet 2000 year later we are still talking about them and perhaps trying to emulate them. We can’t be afraid to risk it all. We must be willing to dare greatly.
What if Martin Luther had decided to be more cautious and not nailed his Ninety-Five Thesis to the Wittenberg church door? What if John Wesley had not, on a whim, decided to attend a church meeting on Aldersgate Street in London in 1738? What if Dietrich Bonhoeffer had not decided to stand up to the Nazis? What if I had decided not contact D’Anna after meeting her at our friends’ wedding almost ten years ago? What if I had decided to not the wedding in the first place?
As stewards and disciples of Christ, when we contemplate whether to be bold and impulsive or play it safe, whether to be willing to be in the arena or standing on the sidelines for what we believe, we are to simply remember Christ’s promise to his disciples. “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and receive eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29).
To be his loyal and faithful disciples – we are to be people who follow Jesus faithfully and invite others to do the same. We can each be clearer about the Christian mission and message. We can make efforts to connect Christ more closely to real life. We can offer more thoughtful answers to life's difficult questions. And we can take the Bible seriously and invite others to follow Jesus.
The light of Christ has come into our lives, and we should never hide it from others. Jesus has called each of us to follow him, and to "fish for people” (Matthew 4:19). We are being complacent, and perhaps even cruel, if we don't share our excitement about Jesus and the life of discipleship with others.
Being impulsive can be a good way to practice discipleship. Amen.
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