Lay, Ordained, And Orders Called To Follow Him

Matthew 4:12-23

Many stories within the Bible are known as ‘call stories.’ A call story tells how God invites someone to become something new and unexpected. God calls this person to begin and not only begin but persist so that this new thing can occur.

One day Andrew, Simon, James, and John got up before the sun came up, walked

down to the sea, and hurled nets into the water, anticipating a catch of fish. It was a day like every other day – it was dark and probably cool, and the nets were smelly and heavy. They were, after all, fishermen. They were doing what they did every day.

Jesus comes down to the seaside amid the water and nets and fresh fish, roughly hewn boats of wood, the rhythm of the waves. He stands on the bank watching these men throw out the nets and then haul them back in, loaded with fish. He looks at these men and, in a very commanding voice, announces:

Follow me, and I will make you fish for people. (Matthew 4:19)

I imagine they looked at this man on shore as if he was a little crazy. He knew nothing about fishing – the idea that they could fish for humans!

Who is the crazy man, this itinerant preacher who calls them to ‘fish for people’?

And where did he come from?

They were fishing near Bethsaida, an outpost of Palestine. This area was far removed from the country of Judea, part of Israel. What was this man doing there? And why had he come all this way from his home in Nazareth?

Jesus had come to the area around Capernaum, which is close to the Grand Trunk Road leading from Damascus to India, Afghanistan and China. Along the coast beside the Mediterranean Sea was the Via Mares, connecting Cairo to Asia Minor. This was the trade crossroads of the existing world. What better place for Jesus to escape to after the arrest of John the Baptist; here he could preach and teach to all sorts of people traveling through Galilee.

Jesus said to them:

Follow me and I will make you fish for people. (Matthew 4:19)

Why did he choose these men?

We know that Jesus did not read resumes before he calls people to be his disciples. He didn’t care what their history was. And as we now know, sometimes he didn’t always make the best decision on who he called. Simon, who became known as Peter, denied Jesus three times during his trials. James and John, often called the Sons of Thunder, think this calling will enthrone them in glory, quite the opposite of what Jesus taught. But Jesus called them, and despite their deficiencies, he still made them his partners. So, when he called, they left their old life, its security, and even their families; they may have been afraid, but not so afraid that their faith in Jesus does not lead them forward.

And why did they follow Jesus?

When Jesus called them, they must have felt the joy of the new world that Jesus was preaching. They were about to see miracles performed and illnesses cured. Jesus was going to show them a wonderful new world, touch everyone who heard him, and then make the ultimate sacrifice to bring about the new world.

If Jesus called this group of imperfect humans to be His fishers of men, why wouldn’t He call each of us to follow Him? Jesus comes to us and chooses us, and sends us out to do something new. Our discipleship means the same kind of new beginning; each of us are called to go to that edge of safety so we can bring people to Christ.

We Christians are called to be evangelists. . . to look for and bring people to Christ. We are called to say to others ‘Come and See’. But we can’t be fishers of people until Jesus has caught us. We need to ‘fish’ for others using our own personal experience as bait.

I remember giving a testimony at a church as part of the stewardship campaign about how the church and God had gotten me through a very rough time when my partner of 27 years was dying of cancer. After the service, a young man approached me and thanked me for my testimony. He seemed so depressed and sure that God hated him that he had been planning to go home and commit suicide.

Imagine how I felt at that moment. I certainly had not given the testimony with the intent of fishing for people. But with God’s help and direction, my little testimony was the bait that brought a young man back to God and salvation.

We are called to bring others to the kingdom of Christ. . . where we are all one in His love.