“Come and I Will Make You…”
Isaiah 9:1-4, Matthew 4:12-23
The Christian Struggle
I know that there are many struggles we Christians experience because we do not understand the scriptures the same. And we have aligned ourselves with the Gnostic movement more than we might think by becoming so committed to confusing understanding with living the faith.
Struggle with Faith Issues Is Not New
I suspect the struggles that surround us have always been present. The Bible begins with the story of pre-creation where there was chaos. When we humans are made in the image of God we find ourselves ready to believe that walking and talking with God is not enough – we have to have more and better – the best. This same struggle goes on between brothers as one kills the other because of jealousy.
The Disciples
Those original disciples that surrounded Jesus were not void of these struggles. At times, they squabbled about who was the greatest. Then there are those times when they told Jesus that he did not know what he was talking about. They had times of high levels of fear where they hid themselves. And no matter how hard they tried to understand Jesus they just were not able to reconcile themselves that the Messiah was not going to be the Messiah they had been expecting all those centuries.
Surrounded by Constant Struggle
We are surrounded by constant struggle every day of our lives. Within our families, old and new values clash. Within our areas of work, whether in or outside one’s home, there is the struggle of what am I doing and am I doing the best I can. In our communities, nation and world, it is easily evident that there is struggle of great proportions.
There has never been a time that this is not the case. And hearing the call of Jesus does not mean that our struggle will somehow magically go away. In fact, is may be that when we say “Yes” to God our lives become more intense and deeper in the human and Christian struggles.
Being Called
We are a gathered called people. God has called us to be a peculiar people and to take this peculiarity to the entire world. We have a job to do and it is not an easy one but it is one that is to be completed with God’s help and in God’s way.
The Mobile God
Our passage begins in the Gospel according to Luke. Jesus is invited to preach in his home town and he does. He tells them the Good News and it is not what they expected to hear. The result, he was dragged to the edge of town where they wanted to throw him off a cliff.
That’s the trouble with us religious folk, we know what we want to hear and when we hear something different we really get upset. We have pretty well figured out what God expects of us and when those expectations are challenged it’s just about more than we can stand.
Well, God just move from Nazareth, a highly religious community, to Capernaum, a highly Gentile community. There, we’re told in Matthew’s Gospel, the people who lived in darkness and a shadowy life of faith now had a light they can see by. Jesus, Matthew tells us, collects some really close associates and he preaches the Good News – The Kingdom of God is Near.
The Disciple Response
According to Matthew, Jesus called his followers and they immediately stopped what they were doing and followed him. What I know is that their life became something totally different from what they expected and characteristic of God, life didn’t get easier. I know we have all been taught that if we believe, or have enough faith, life will be a bed of roses, we will become happy, wealthy and wise. All we have to do is believe that Jesus is Lord.
There is a long history of folks becoming disciples and the transformation was not one of ease and all their problems solved.
Abraham
Here’s a fellow who was just minding his own business when God shows up and calls him into discipleship. He tells Abraham, an old man at the time, to pick up his family and everything he has and start following the way God wanted him to go. Oh, and God would tell him where and how along the way. Abraham did as God told him to do and his life went from settled to terribly unsettled.
Moses
A Hebrew raised by Egyptians living in a life of luxury was called to lead God’s People out of Egypt. He went from settled and powerful to being a wonderer. And he didn’t get to lead God’s People into the Promised Land.
David and Solomon
No doubt, these two are counted in that group that we call most fortunate. Certainly, they enjoyed wealth and power but even their lives very often were defined by their struggles.
Jesus Calls for Persons to Follow Him
If you will notice, Jesus promises that he will make those he calls into something….”Fishers of People!” He will make those early followers into something impossible to achieve on their own. Try as they might, they never quiet get it together. With all his teachings, all his parables, with all his explaining those early disciples continue to miss who Jesus is and what he is about.
Folks, I believe it is the same today as it was on that day he called those fishermen to follow him. Today, Jesus calls and then we respond. It is Jesus calling rather than the disciples deciding whom to follow. He calls and they respond! It’s the same for us!
Their Troubles Begin to Intensify
Now, one might think that a called by Jesus would end life’s struggles. In fact, many Christian preachers promise this very thing and have for years. However, if one looks at the scriptures a very different picture is painted.
Disciples Singled Out
Jesus and his disciples become to focus of the religious folk of that time. They are not acting right and the church leaders want an explanation. They pull food right off the plants in the field on the Sabbath. They pull food right off the plants and eat it without washing their hands. They join Jesus in associating with the wrong kind of people – those Gentiles, us. A serious explanation is expected.
Then, the ceiling falls in on top of their heads. Jesus is arrested, crucified, dead and buried. Could it be any worse? Where is this promise of making us into fishers of people rather than fish? Rather than comfort, peace and power, the disciples have fear and locked doors because they are followers.
Conclusion
Well, we know the rest of the story don’t we? We know that they will grasp the transformation and fulfill that first calling. Their struggles intensify but their cause does so as well. Ultimately, they will give their lives for their fishing trip but that seems to be okay with them.
There are two great lessons in this call by Jesus: 1 – No matter how difficult our struggles are or become, Jesus will walk with us. 2 – We are transformed from thinking of ourselves first to thinking of others.
Now, it’s clear that I don’t believe in the healthy, wealthy and wise result of following. Indeed, following Jesus may mean that life becomes more rather than less difficult. However, Jesus makes it clear that following him is a means of living in the Kingdom of God today. We can live in God’s Kingdom at this moment and we can realize God’s presence with us even in the midst of our struggles. This is not something that is going to happen someday, or after death, it is living in the Kingdom today.
Also, in the midst of our hurts and pains, our confusion and understanding, and our wondering through this life we are assured that the transformation of our souls is being taken care of by Jesus. In the midst of all our struggles, Jesus transforms us from having to think about ourselves to a new way of living where we think about others. It is as if Jesus says to us, “I’m taking care of you. You are mine. You are in the Kingdom. You need not think about yourselves but of others.”
After his resurrection, those first disciples catch on that they are free to think about others rather than themselves. Our call is to know we are in the hands of God and that we are to focus on others rather than ourselves. Jesus calls for us to follow him and become fishers of a new sort.