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Called Series:
The Born Identity Isaiah
9:1-7; Matthew 4:12-22 3rd
Sunday after Epiphany, Year A A sermon preached at First UMC, De Queen, Jason Bourne I’m reminded in the last
of the Bourne series, when Jason has been on a cat and mouse chase through
the city streets. He has an opportunity to kill his enemy, however, he
doesn’t. Through the trilogy we slowly see Jason resisting the behavior to
kill. He never used to hesitate. Now, he stops and thinks about his actions. His
behavior is slowly changing – from a person who believes he exists to kill
others, to a person who longs for another way of life. Jason begins to
respond to the deafening call of another, another way of being, another way
of life with different possibilities, with different consequences. Today, Jesus is calling
us by name to another way of life, different from the ones we live day to
day. The consequences are wide-open. For some of us it will cost us greatly.
For others it will not seem like
things have really changed all that much. For some of us, the call will be
abrupt, the shove of the spirit, the thumb of God on your back, as clear as
the clanging of two cymbals. For most of us, the call will be gradual, a
whisper, a delicate nudge, a slow process of change. For Jesus’ first four
disciples the call was very abrupt, in the mundane, ordinary day to day work
week of tending the family fishing business. But before we get to the nature of the call, we should spend a little time tending to Matthew’s story.
Before Jesus calls his first disciples, Matthew wants us to come to grips
with the nature of Jesus’ commission. This will give us some
clue as to what would make a few ordinary fishermen on an ordinary work day
immediately drop their nets to take flight in a different direction, drop
their nets to enlist in Jesus’ kingdom business, drop their nets to learn how
to catch flesh and blood people rather than boney fish. Jesus’ Commission Matthew tells us that
Jesus’ commission follows on the heels of Jesus’ baptism (which we’ve
covered), Jesus’ wilderness temptation by the devil (which we will visit
during Lent), and John’s arrest. John
has been arrested. He has preached one too many sermons and now, he will
pay for it with his life. This is a foreshadow
of what will happen to Jesus at the end of the story of Jesus’ commission,
but for now, John is out of the way, and Jesus is beginning his ministry. To emphasize the nature
of hostility that Jesus will encounter in his ministry at the very beginning,
Matthew tells us that Jesus “withdrew
to This is all because, God
has a claim on “ Galilee may have been
ruled by Assyrians in the past and
ruled by Matthew wants us to know
that God’s presence is manifested in Jesus at the very beginning of Jesus’
commission. Jesus is the light in the dark dangerous corners of “Repent,
for the kingdom (the reign/empire) of God has come near.” It’s not here in its full, but it is dawning into the world. Its dim
light is piercing the darkness. The
kingdom is leaving its footprint in the world. So we best be getting on board
with God’s agenda, God’s kingdom business, because this kingdom will have no other rivals. Repent. Turn. Change
the way you think and live in light of God’s coming kingdom in Jesus. At the beginning,
Matthew clarifies, once again, who
Jesus is and what his mission
will entail – he embodies the very light of God’s presence in a dark world
(he is Immanuel) and he proclaims the promise of God’s coming future in the here and now, which will mean getting
involved with the sinful world that he is all about saving, setting free (he
is Jesus who will save us from our sin) (1:21, 23). Jesus’ Call The nature of Jesus’ commission then, sheds some light on the nature of Jesus’ call. First,
notice it is Jesus who is doing the calling. God never calls us to do a task
alone. Before the call there is always the grace to perform God’s request.
Grace is the initiating factor in Jesus’ call. The one who is calling them is
Immanuel (the with-us-God). Secondly,
notice that Jesus calls by name. (We talked about the power of names last
week). Jesus calls ordinary people by name
to do God’s extraordinary work in the world. He calls Marys,
Johnnies, Bills, Jimmies, Rebeccas, Sues and Lorettas. He calls, not
in precincts of power. Rather he
calls peasants who live lives of
precarious existence, trying to eke out a meager life of catching fish. They
are just minding their own business, living as peaceful life as possible,
taking care of their own, living responsible lives, when God’s call comes to
them in Jesus. The one who is calling them makes the call personal. Thirdly,
notice that the call suggests a different direction for them, changing
vocational pursuits, leaving the family business to follow God’s direction.
This is a picture of the nature of repentance. Repentance means turning from
one way of life and pursuing God’s agenda for all of life. Following God’s
call may mean for some us to quite literally change vocational pursuits, but
for all of us it is a definite call
to discipleship. The call means
following after God’s agenda for the world. Lastly,
notice that the call reveals how much it will cost these fishermen. It separates them from their father, Zebedee. It separates them from the hand that feeds them
– The image of “fishing”
echoes prophetic indictment on corrupt power and injustice in the Old
Testament. The prophet Ezekiel uses the fishing image as promise of God’s
judgment on And these disciples
leave everything to follow, responding with unwavering loyalty to the call of God upon their lives to a life of costly
discipleship. It seems to me, we live in a society where “following Jesus”
hardly costs us much. The most difficult thing for most of us today may have
been trying to get the children ready for church without an argument, or
simply the difficulty of getting out of bed for another week of worship. Leaving friends and
family is hardly what we signed up for when we decided to follow Jesus.
Catching fish? Okay, Jesus, I’ll try to live a good enough life to attract a
few people to the gospel. Costly Call However, this call may
turn out to be more explosive than simply living a good moral upright life.
It cost John the Baptist his head. It cost Jesus crucifixion. It will cost
these four disciples their lives. At least three of them died as martyrs for
the faith. Signing up for Jesus kingdom campaign may cost some of us deeply. I know of a young man
whose father was insistent that he enlist in the military. This decision
would help him get off in life with a good start. Earn a little money.
Prepare him for college. These are all the things a good father would want
for a son. The young man responded to a call of God to become a preacher
instead. His dad was disappointed with his decision. Preaching was hardly
what his father expected. He expected so much more from his son. Following Jesus can
become a costly enterprise. I know of a young lady
who lived from foster parent to foster parent. Finally, her aunt, out of
sheer compassion, took her in. While in high school the young lady became a
Christian. Her aunt made life miserable for her until her aunt gave her the
ultimatum – it is either our family or the church. She was orphaned by her
biological family. Another family in the church adopted her into their own
family. Following Jesus can
become a costly enterprise. Gregory Jones, a UM
professor and the dean of Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina
shares the inspiring story of one of his students. “A few weeks ago,” he
writes, “a divinity student was reflecting on her life and her vocation. This
remarkably gifted and talented young woman described her conversion and sense
of calling to become a minister. Since her parents are secularists with no
interest in the church, she did not attend church until she went on her own
as a teenager. She indicated that although her parents are supportive of her
in many ways, they cannot comprehend why she would seek ordination. She said,
‘The waters of baptism have to run deeper than the blood of family ties or it
just doesn’t make any sense for me to be here in divinity school’” (L.
Gregory Jones, “Secret of Nyamirambo,” The Christian Century [Chicago;
December 13, 2005; Vol. 122, No. 25], 45). Following Jesus can
become a costly enterprise. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr.
loved to tell his story. He didn’t want to be a national civil rights leader.
He had gone into ministry mostly because his father was a pastor and he
always did what Daddy King wanted him to do. Martin wanted a quiet life as a
professor, possibly President of Morehouse College someday. Through an odd
turn of events, as a young pastor, he was thrust into the forefront of the Martin Luther King stood
in his kitchen, frozen in fear. He wanted to call Daddy King for reassurance
and advice. But Daddy King wasn’t there. Then, he said, it was like a voice.
“Martin, you do what’s right. You stand up for justice. You be my drum major
for righteousness. I’ll be with you.” He had heard his name called. He knew what God wanted
for him. His life was forever changed and through his life, used so well by
God, was the world changed. (adapted
from a sermon preached by Bishop Will Willimon,
“The Dangers of Going to Church,” January 19, 1997; 1 Samuel 3:1-10[11-20]). Invitation: To Follow The One Who Calls Today, the Lord is calling your name and mine. “Follow me, and I will make you fish for
people.” Sounds like a pretty costly transaction if you ask me – a risky
business proposition. But then again, the one who calls is Jesus, Immanuel –
the God who will always be with us. In the name of the Father,
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
