Come Follow Me

Matt 4:12-23                                                                        January 23, 2004

         When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali– to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the way to the sea, along the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles– the people living in darkness

have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.”

         From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

         As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

         Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

         Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

CCI: To follow Jesus is to find a new purpose, a new direction and a loyalty.

Intro: As we journey through life, if our lives are to have purpose and direction, we must at some point stop and ask three very personal questions, “What am I accomplishing? Where am I going? And Who am I following?” Some would suggest that these are the questions of mid-life, and perhaps they are, but even more important than mid-life, I believe these are questions of life. When we honestly ask them and then seek the answers with an open mind, life becomes an adventure with purpose.

         As Jesus began his ministry, he asked these very questions and then he invited others into the adventure of discovering the answers. I said he asked these questions at the beginning of his ministry, but it seems there was a specific event that opened the door to this exploration. This passage begins with the words, “When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison. . .”

         Jesus had looked to John when it was time to enter public life. He had listened to John’s message, he had been baptized by John and when he heard that the political powers were trying to silence John, Jesus went into action. He relocated to Capernaum and then he began gathering people around him. And when he called his followers he invited them to ask the questions that matter.

I. A New Purpose

         First, he asked them questions of purpose. “What are you accomplishing with your life?” “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” These were men who had made fishing their life. The first people Jesus called were two sets of brothers, Andrew and Peter were poor fishermen. They were casting their nets in the shallow waters. If you have seen how fishermen in the South Pacific throw their nets into the sea, then you understand what was happening here. As they stood in knee-deep water, they wrapped up their nets and then flung them into the shallows and retrieved them, hoping that there would be fish in the nets. Throughout the night they would continue this process, sometimes they were very successful, other nights were futile.

         As they were working, Jesus came by and said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus offered them a new purpose. And immediately they left their nets which was everything they had and followed Jesus letting him teach them to become fishers of people.

         To cast your nets for people is whole lot different than casting your nets for fish. Early in 2001 Kjell Wilhelmsen discovered what it meant to fish for people. Jens Oveson was fishing for salmon in central Norway's Gaula River when he was swept away by a strong current. Kjell spotted the man's struggle. He had fished the river for 25 years and knew where the current would carry Ovesen. Wilhelmsen ran across a bridge, waiting for Ovesen as the current carried him downriver. Wilhelmsen later told a newspaper, "He seemed paralyzed. Only his face and the tips of his boots were above water. I decided to start casting." His homemade lure hooked Ovesen's rubber waders on the first cast of about ten yards. But Oveson weighed nearly 250 pounds. Wilhelmsen used every trick he knew to reel in the big man without breaking his light line. He landed the half-conscious Dane and hauled him onto the shore. Oveson survived the ordeal.”

         That is fishing for people. Jesus introduced Peter and Andrew to men and women who were struggling in the current of life. And he showed them how to cast their lures and bring them in.

         Today, many of us are casting our lines for nothing more than fish, while men and women are being swept away by the current right in front of us. Haddon Robbinson wrote, “A new kind of arithmetic has been spawned in the counting rooms of hell. This kind of arithmetic is always interested in reaching the masses but somehow never gets down to a man or a woman. This kind of arithmetic always talks about winning the world for God but doesn't think much about winning a neighborhood for God. That arithmetic makes it valiant to cross oceans and never really crosses streets.” If we are to learn to fish for people as Jesus invites us to do, we need to open our eyes to the people who are being swept away by the currents of life right in front of our eyes.

         You know who they are. They are the people you work with whose marriages are falling apart. They are the neighbors who are days away from losing their house to the mortgage company. The people who are being swept away are your friends who are struggling to care for their loved ones, or the college students who are trying to balance their studies and their work. They are the people who learn of cancer and parents who hear of accidents.

         All around us are people who are being swept away by the currents of life and Jesus calls us to stop looking for fish, and to stop looking only at the deep water and to start casting our nets for them. The lures that will bring them to safety are lures of love and compassion and listening and service and sacrifice. If we would follow Jesus and find new purpose, then we have no choice but to become fishers of people and through faithful witness pull those in danger from the currents of destruction. So this morning, I ask you, “What are you accomplishing?” When Jesus called Peter and Andrew they immediately left their nets find a new purpose.

II. A New Direction

         Then as Jesus continued to journey around the lake, he came to two more brothers. James and John were the sons of a very successful fisherman. They had a very promising fishing career in front of them. When Jesus found them on their father’s boat they were repairing the deep water nets that they used when they fished. While Peter and Andrew were casting into the shallows, James and John were dropping nets in the deep water searching for schools of fish. They had direction and careers that would take them a long way. But when Jesus passed by, “Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” We don’t know what Jesus said to them we don’t know how he challenged them, all we know is that he called them and they followed. I tend to think Jesus may have asked them, “Where are you headed? Come follow me.” And they too, left everything to follow him.

         We often think we have clear direction in our lives. We have a career that we are pursuing, we have goals that are firmly established. But then something happens and we begin to question our destination. Does it really matter if I earn 6 figures by the time I am 35 if I have lost my family? Is having a vacation house on the lake really going to satisfy me if it means I lose the freedom to spend weekends with those I love? Even if I do succeed in the new business, will I be happy for more than a few days when I can’t get away from the business?

         James and John were successful as fishermen, but their success had consumed their life. Even in the middle of the day they had to be thinking about preparing the nets for the night. And so when Jesus challenged them to follow Him, they left it all and never looked back. If you are seeking direction in your life, if it seems like everything you have tried has left you empty, then come to Jesus and let him give you a new direction and new goals.

III. A New Loyalty

         You see, it all about being Jesus disciple. It is about a new loyalty. Earlier we read from 1 Corinthians 1. In this passage Paul tells the people that he understands that there was division among the believers. In fact, the people had begun taking sides and forming little rooting sections for the various leaders of the young church. Some loved the great preaching of Apollos, others thought the Passion of Peter was the best thing that had ever come along. Some wanted to go back to the days when Paul was in their midst and others were really holy, they only followed Christ. The loyalties of the early church were being torn apart and Paul’s call to the church was not that they become loyal to him or anyone else, rather, he invited them to place their loyalty in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news which appears to be “foolishness to the lost, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God!”

         To be a disciple of Jesus, is to be loyal to the gospel. When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he began preaching and his message was simple, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” And then he followed that message with actions that pointed to the Kingdom that he preached. The last verse we read this morning said that when the disciples left everything to follow Jesus, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” The message of the gospel was not just words, it was a powerful message that brought healing and peace and comfort and health. Jesus did not simply pull people out of the dangerous currents of life’s rivers, when he got them to shore, he restored their lives. I believe we suck the life out of the gospel when we define it as the way for to get saved. The gospel that deserves our allegiance does not simply ‘get people saved,’ no, the gospel of God restores lives, even more, it recreates lives that have been destroyed. The gospel to which we are called to be loyal is the message of Jesus that is the power of God to heal broken marriages, to embolden the fearful, to strengthen the weak, to heal the sick, to guide the lost and to free the prisoner and the oppressed. When the New Testament speaks of salvation, it is speaking of creating a new creature.

APP: As we consider what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, each of us must ask, “What am I accomplishing? Where am I going? And Who am I following?”

         The fact is, if my accomplishments will not outlast me, and if my goal will only bring temporary satisfaction, and if I am following anything but the gospel of Jesus Christ, then all that I am doing is heading down a dead end.

         If you would find purpose and direction and meaning, then accept Jesus invitation to follow him and to let him teach you to fish for people.