Today is part 2 of a message from my time in England this year. If you were here 3 weeks ago you will remember I was staying with my brother and it was good to be with him through this sad time as he goes through a divorce and finalised his life there.One of the things we did enjoy was observing all the nature around him and especially the frog and fish in his pond, the squirrels and the foxes coming and going from his garden.
We talked about how foxes have come to represent cunning and trickery and even the Devil himself. And we talked about Esau who was born with red hair all over like fur who got tricked into selling his inheritance for a bowl of soup to his sly fox brother Jacob. For anyone who's lost everything through the Devils tricks we know that Jesus comes with the reverse exchange - eternal life in exchange for your bowl of soup of sins.
But today is Fathers Day and I want to talk about a different type of exchange that Jesus offers - the offer to be his disciple.
Growing up as a young Christian, there were a few scriptures that had an impact on me that were foundational to the journey I have been on in the last few years which started with me breaking my leg in October 2008 - now nearly 9 years ago;
- Parable of the Sower : Mark 4:1-20
- Parable of the Talents : Luke 19:12-27
- Giving up everything: Luke 18:29-30
- Taking up your Cross: Luke 9:23-26
This morning I'd like to look at the real life example of the calling of the disciples - Simon and Andrew, James and John. These guys really did fulfill the words that Jesus spoke in those 4 passages.
One of the Gospel versions of the calling of the disciples has more detail than the other.
The first one lacking in detail is in Mark. It's possible that Mark was Peter's son as Peter called him his son;
1 Peter 5:13 The church here in Rome—she is your sister in the Lord—sends you her greetings; so does my son Mark.
I'd like to more research on that but in any case Mark really plays down the event - it's like he's relaying the same old story from Dad that he's heard a 1000 times before because he leaves out a few crucial facts...
Mark 1:16-20 One day as Jesus was walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew fishing with nets, for they were commercial fishermen. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me! And I will make you fishermen for the souls of men!” At once they left their nets and went along with him. A little farther up the beach, he saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat mending their nets. He called them too, and immediately they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went with him.
I don't think many people would do what those guys did based on the information Mark gives us. That leaves us with too many questions! If some bloke who I didn't even know shouted that out to me while I was working with my colleagues - "heh, come follow me and I will make you fishers of men", do you think l'd be leaving my business, my home and family, would you?
But Luke fills us in with the detail we need;
Luke 5:1-11 One day as he was preaching on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the Word of God. He noticed two empty boats standing at the water’s edge while the fishermen washed their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push out a little into the water, so that he could sit in the boat and speak to the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets and you will catch a lot of fish!” “Sir,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, we’ll try again.” And this time their nets were so full that they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, sir, please leave us—I’m too much of a sinner for you to have around.” For he was awestruck by the size of their catch, as were the others with him, and his partners too—James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus replied, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for the souls of men!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and went with him.
It sounds like Peter wasn't having a lot of success with his fishing business. 2 empty boats on the shore and nothing caught last night. Probably the usual case. Any of you guys relate to Peter and his work?
This gives us some understanding of why they left everything to follow him. Jesus had just given them the catch of their lifetimes. There were so many fish that the boats were sinking and the nets were breaking! That catch was worth far more than a weeks wages!
Some would say that was just a good business decision. Of course they followed Jesus! The guy had just brought them money beyond their wildest dreams.
But this is not about money. This is about finding a different kind of treasure, the thing they had been looking for their whole lives.
This was a no-brainer. They didn't even think about the money they were walking away from nor their businesses, their homes, their families. They had found something of far greater value.
Unless we understand who Jesus really is like Peter, Andrew, James and John did, we won't leave our nets behind like them. Our nets - jobs, houses, pension plans, relationships make us feel safe but they also have a price. Nets have to be held and repaired. Why don't we let go of our nets to follow Jesus?
Is it because we are afraid of what others think? What did Peters wife make of it? "He did what? He's gone off with with the brother-in-law AND his business partners on some wild goose chase with a stranger and he's left the boats sinking in the water with 50 tonnes of fish? Is he coming home for dinner???"
Jesus' offer to the disciples seems like an offer that they could not refuse. But we all know how life works. Taking that first step of faith can be very hard.
After the initial excitement of deciding to follow Jesus, reality bites
- Where's the money going to come from now that I've left my job to follow Jesus? The Devil comes in with his doubts. He does not want us to take one step forward with Jesus. And it can be really hard to push through those thoughts, they can be crippling.
- I don't think I'm the right guy Lord. Peter was overwhelmed by the call of Jesus on his life - "When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, sir, please leave us—I’m too much of a sinner for you to have around.”
That's real what Peter experienced, I've felt like Peter did in that moment many times. I'm not good enough. It's not real. That's embarrassing, I'll never be able to do that! It's impossible. But Jesus called them because he knew them and he knew what they were capable of.
Fortunately Peter does the best thing in expressing his doubts to Jesus. Underneath he is looking for encouragement. What does Jesus say? Same thing he always says to you and me. "Don’t be afraid!" That's just the Devil you're hearing, don't be afraid of him.
In Luke 9:57-62, 3 would-be disciples also had big doubts come their way and the suspicion is they declined the invitation because of their doubts.
As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, “I will always follow you no matter where you go.” But Jesus replied, “Remember, I don’t even own a place to lay my head. Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Messiah, have no earthly home at all.” Another time, when he invited a man to come with him and to be his disciple, the man agreed—but wanted to wait until his father’s death. Jesus replied, “Let those without eternal life concern themselves with things like that. Your duty is to come and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God to all the world.” Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will come, but first let me ask permission of those at home.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Peter doubted but Jesus told Peter how it's going to be. "From now on you’ll be fishing for the souls of men!”. A word of encouragement does wonders. A hope for the future gets us started.
The truth of the situation was that Peter was about to embark on the adventure of his life. The discouragements come for a moment but if you push back, they slink away again.
But Jesus doesn't say it will be easy.
Luke 9:23 Then he said to all, “Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me!
"Take up your cross" Luckily, Jesus does not reveal our whole future at once, we only have to deal with today. If Peter had known all the future in that moment, the suffering he would go through and that he would die for his faith, he may not have been able to leave the security of his home and business to follow Jesus.
Following Jesus is step by step.
Following Jesus requires self-discipline
"Keep close to me" I'm guilty of running ahead. I always did it even when I was young. I got lost once in Queens street when I was 11 years old because I was so keen to get where we were going that I just kept walking paying no attention to where my family was. Very soon I was lost and scared.
Don't be like me! If things aren't moving at our pace or are going in a direction that doesn't make sense to us we have to listen what Jesus is saying. If I don't, that gets me us in a lot of trouble believe me.
As I said, taking the first step is often the hardest. Jesus tells his would be disciples to count the cost but if we focus on that it can put us off.
Yes it costs to be a disciple. But the treasure is priceless. The man who found the treasure in the field sold everything he had to buy the field so he could get the treasure too! (Matthew 13:44).
The exchange we make when we give up everything to become Jesus disciple is our resources in exchange for the Fathers resources. Liam Foster shared a passage from Matthew in his communion 3 weeks ago and I promised I'd tie it back to this message about the exchange we make with God our Father.
Matthew 6:31, 33-34 “So don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to. “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.
I'm part way down that track and I can't go back but I know I have a long way to go yet. Fortunately, Jesus doesn't call anyone to be a disciple unless he knows they can do it.
In fact all of the disciples fulfilled those passages I first described; - They were the good soil in the parable of the sower - They were the ones who used their talents to be fishers of men and bring 1000's into the Kingdom of God even up until today through their writings and examples - They all gave up theirs families, homes and businesses to follow Jesus - They all took up their crosses and were martyred for Jesus except for John who was exiled and of course Judas
It's about having the courage to take the next step...
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