Pastor Tom Johnson, January 24, 2021
Jesus comes to Galilee to fulfill his call to preach the good news, call us to repentance, and believe the good news of forgiveness, the coming of the Kingdom of God, and God’s love for the whole world. Even Jesus is not called to do it alone. He expands the Kingdom, forgiveness, and love in his sphere of influence. But he now inspires others to participate and multiply this expansion of grace, love, and forgiveness exponentially. Jesus sees Simon and Andrew casting their nets into the sea. Jesus uses the language of their trade to call them. “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” They immediately leave their nets to sink to the sea floor and follow him. Jesus goes a little father and calls James and John. They were in the boat mending their nets. They immediately leave their nets unmended on the floor of the boat along with their father Zebedee and his hired workers.
Their call is now to follow in the steps and example of Jesus. These four former fishermen will learn from the Master how to fish for human beings—how to hook them with forgiveness, the unconditional love of the Father, and adoption through Baptism. They will learn how to draw people into the net of God’s grace. They will be experts in fishing for people like their Master. They will teach others how to fish for people. The four will teach their own number. And each of that company will teach masses of people. And those masses of people, whom we call the holy catholic and apostolic Church, will teach people all around the world. Kingdom ministry is built by equipping others. Jesus’ strategy is to multiply God’s work exponentially beginning with a few. Given a little time and many transformed lives, this quickly becomes a global movement of the people of God.
But with this call is cost. There is a cost of discipleship in this account of the calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John. God calls these two pairs of brothers away from their livelihood and their families. Maybe Jesus calls these brothers two by two to remind us of Noah, his family, and the ark. Just as Noah was called to rebuild the world two by two and to be fruitful and multiply, so Jesus rebuilds a new world through these pairs of brothers. They leave their nets. No one takes the time to tidy up, roll and fold their nets for someone else to easily pick up from where they left off. When Jesus calls, it may appear to the outside world that we have abandoned our duties, are no longer useful, and have even failed to be loyal to our own families of origin. It may appear that way. But what really has happened is that in Christ, we have found a higher call. We are no longer employed by that which will feed the stomach. Our vocation is now to feed the soul. These fishermen will no longer gather hundreds of fish to feed hundreds of humans. They will now gather and equip dozens of people who will, in turn, gather and equip dozens of people, and so on and so forth until there is a multitude that no one can number from every tribe, nation, tongue, and people.
It is a heartbreaking image of their father Zebedee left in the boat that he worked a lifetime to build—a business that was doing well enough to hire additional workers to assist him and his sons. On the surface, it may look like they have wronged their father, dishonored their parents, and despised their inheritance. But in Jesus’ call these two pairs of brothers with different parents now share the same Heavenly Father. They are no longer just brothers to one other sibling in the Sea of Galilee. They have now joined a family of sisters and brothers in the great sea of humanity—all those for whom Christ died and rose.
So God calls each one of us. He calls us to forgiveness by the Water and the Word of Holy Baptism. He calls us to be set free from sin’s guilt and set free from sin’s power—to repent—to have a change of course toward life and salvation. He calls us to build a new identity—not in our differences but in our shared humanity. He calls us be participants in his work to share the good news with the whole world. And don’t miss the great encouragement of Jesus’ words to his disciples and to us: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Our journey—no matter what we believe—is a journey into the unknown.
How great a comfort it is to be invited to embark on this journey with Jesus—to be a journey into the unknown but not be alone. He goes ahead of us. He blazes a trail before us. He overcomes our sin, evil, and death for us as he leads us to the Cross and the empty grave. He calls us to trust him. We will only follow those whom we trust. And as he calls us to follow him and trust him, he first expresses his faith and trust in us! “I will make you fish for people.”
You, dear Christian, have been hand-selected by God. You are worthy. You are fully known and loved when he calls you. He adopts you into his Holy Family. He is confident that we will become all that he has worked for and promised. He calls us out of love for us. He calls us out of love for the whole world—so that, through us, we extend that same call to be part of Christ’s global family and equip the whole world. We all get to participate in building up the Kingdom because of him who says, “I make all things new.”
“Come, follow Me,” the Savior spake,
“All in My way abiding;
Deny yourselves, the world forsake,
Obey my call and guiding.
O bear the cross, whate’er betide,
Take My example for your guide.”
(“Come, Follow Me,” the Savior Spake, LSB 688 v. 1)
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