“Fishers of Men”—Mark 1:17
A subtitle for today’s sermon could be: “Simple Church”—because the Scriptures teach of a faith that is less complex, more simple, less religious, and narrower in scope than the church in its history has often portrayed…
Read: Mark 1:14-20
Focus on v. 17… (slide)
Lit: “I will make you become fishermen of men.” (ðïéÞóù ὑìᾶò ãåíÝóèáé ἁëéåῖò ἀíèñþðùí)
INTRO Video: “The Lifesaving Station”
INTRO “The Fishermen”(special reading; see below)
1. So I’m going to give you a definition of “DISCIPLE” and I want you to take it to heart: A disciple/Christian is (someone who does what Jesus does, says what Jesus says, and is becoming who Jesus is)
• I’m saved because Jesus Christ imparted a saving faith in me. When I decided to follow Jesus, He instilled something remarkable in me. And accordingly I am now compelled to go and MAKE a disciple…
• In Matt. 28:19-20, Jesus said WE must go and MAKE disciples, and we do that just how Jesus MADE you & me to be fishers of men…
• Replicating your faith in the life of someone else; walking together with Jesus, sharing the abundant life w/others. This is the Great Commission: “Go, ye therefore and make disciples.”
ILLUST’n: The “BullsEye”—what if our idea of “church” was this huge target, but Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples was just this very simple circle, the bullseye… and we have 2,000 years of complexificated religious stuff and ALL Jesus said was: go about your daily life making disciples, making friends and doing it just as Jesus did it…
ILLUST’N:
Mark Twain loved to go fishing, but he hated to catch fish. The problem was he went fishing to relax, and catching fish ruined his relaxation, since he had to take the fish off the hook and do something with it. When he wanted to relax by doing nothing, people thought he was lazy, but if he went fishing he could relax all he wanted. People would see him sitting by the river bank and they would say, “Look, there’s Samuel Clemens, he’s fishing, don’t bother him.” So Mark Twain had the perfect solution: he would take a fishing pole, line, and a bobber, but he wouldn’t put a hook on the end. He would cast the bobber in the water and lay back on the bank. That way he could relax all he wanted and he would be bothered neither by man nor fish.
Mark Twain is like a lot of Christians I know. They have their pole in the water, but there is no hook on the end. They are not fishing; they are relaxing. Do you think this is what Jesus had in mind when he said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”? (Matthew 4:19).
In Mark 1 (//Matt. 4) Jesus, who is just beginning his public ministry, came into Galilee and He’s passing along by the Sea of Galilee, walking along the lakeshore, when he calls these fishermen to become fishers of men. Both Mark & Matthew record this call narrative…
Notice the technique Jesus used to call them to discipleship. The text says, “he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed him."
Can you feel the urgency, the immediacy, the conviction, of these men.
He tells them He’s gonna make them become fishers of men…
…there is emphasis on the thing Jesus does here: “I will do/make something…”
…but that leads to the enigmatic part: “…become…”
I think we all get the evangelistic aspect. The text is preceded by Jesus’ preaching (v. 14-15)—the phrase “fishermen of men” refers to the kingdom preaching & teaching that Jesus was doing.
But what we need to see here, in my opinion, is that Jesus has to do something… And we have to become something… in following Jesus.
2) The question I have asked of those I am discipling: WHAT IS CHRIST DOING IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW? …and HOW ARE YOU BECOMING LIKE HIM?
There is a warning here. We sing the song, “I will make you fishers of men,” but when the King James and NAS Bibles correctly tell us that Jesus is going to make them become fishers of men we should see that this will be a slow and painful process: The Greek grammar is difficult to convey into our language (thus the variations among the different English Bible versions) and here we have a special tense in the Gospel that shows Jesus is going to do something with these men; he’s going to cause them to become something that, in the present, they are not. Literally, “Fishermen of men.” They are already fishermen of fish. But Jesus’ calling will change everything they know; his calling will transform everything they are!
Later in His ministry Jesus would explain that “anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple. Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? ...If you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it goodbye, you can’t be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-33).
With a recruiting program like that it’s really amazing that anybody followed Jesus at all! And yet verse 18 (Mark 1:18) tells us, “…immediately Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed Him.” A few verses down we read that James and John jumped right out of their dad’s boat and came straight away after Jesus—like, they swam after him!
Look at the verses where it says, “They followed him…” Remember the Bible here is written in Greek, not English, and we always lose some of this if it’s not interpreted properly. Let me help you: The Greek verb, “follow” has a special tense that speaks of a once for all action. No questions asked, no answers offered. He called, they came.
Philip Yancey, commenting on this episode, feels like he’s been lied to by Hollywood films and feel-good preaching about Jesus where Jesus recites his lines evenly and without emotion. Jesus is portrayed as a passionless automaton, devoid of feeling and anything but excited about connecting with these fishermen. He strides through life as the one calm character among a cast of flustered extras. Nothing rattles him. He dispenses wisdom in flat measured tones. He is, in short, the Prozac Jesus.” Then Yancey gives us the real picture by reminding us that “the Gospels present a man who has such charisma that people will sit three days straight, without food, just to hear His riveting words.” Paul wrote, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8). Jesus is just that compelling.
And when I consider the condition of the church in America today, I wonder: Do we really know Jesus?
Because the American Evangelical Christian’s experience is that it takes every last ounce of our will-power to pull ourselves away from what we want to do and follow after Him. When we finally leave the nets behind or jump out of the boat we follow Him around the block and then we swim right back out to the boat. One of the reasons we fail again and again and again and again is because we have in our minds Philip Yancey’s concept of the Prozac Jesus—the mild-mannered Jesus who doesn’t really care what I do and will forgive me anyway if He does. (note: image of Jesus gently knocking at the door… Rev. 3:20)
But when Jesus called these fishermen they immediately drop EVERYTHING and follow-after Him… He begins that process of transforming them from one thing—fish-gitters… into something else: his disciples; followers who mirror his every move, who echo his every words… Fishermen of men…
There was a saying back in Jesus’ day: “May you be covered with the dust of your rabbi’s sandals.” Disciples follow so closely that they would actually accumulate a layer of dirt as their teacher kicked it up on their way along life’s journey. Disciples do what their rabbi does.
…they become who their rabbi is…
What would compel these guys to do what they did? To follow Jesus in this radical way? To desire Him to MAKE THEM become fishers of men? Did Jesus have a supernatural “zap” that he used to get these guys to do what they did?
And what about us? If we are not going to where the fish are, practicing our cast, studying the habits of the fish, baiting the hook, getting the lines wet and actually LANDING the fish! …are we fishermen?
CLOSING VIDEO: “LifeGuard” (Swimmer in Boat, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO_TIAHDAxM)
Jesus said, “Freely you have received…freely give!” And to those disciples, he called them to follow in His steps and he said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.
…and I’m tempted to give a “how-to”-evangelize lesson but
3) Follow Jesus; Let Him Do the Deeper Work in You…
Now we’ve discovered that it is literally impossible to do what Jesus does and to become who he is in our own strength; you are incapable. I am not able. So the promise in this is found on Jesus’ lips: “What is impossible for man is possible with God. All things are possible with God”—even the redemptive & incarnational transformation of a sinner into the very likeness of Christ! Philippians 4 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,” and the “all things” there actually refers to one thing: being transformed into the likeness of my rabbi, Jesus. This is the goal of salvation; this is the fullness; this is the key to the entire Christian agenda; this is why Christ came to this earth; this is why Christ died on the cross; this is why He sent the promised gift of the Holy Spirit from heaven into your heart: to give you life and life abundant—so you can do what he does, and be who he is! Spiritual formation in Christlikeness… to be a fisher of men.
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"The Fishermen" (this little story was dramatically read by a worship leader @ beginning of sermon):
Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves “fishermen." And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.
Week after week, month after month, and year after year, these—who called themselves fishermen—met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation & sacred calling, and declared that fishing is always to be a primary task of a fisherman. Continually they searched for new and better methods of fishing and for new and better definitions of fishing. These fishermen built a large, beautiful building called “The Fishing Station.” The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they didn’t do, however, they didn’t fish. They idolized fishing but never actually got their lines wet.
After one stirring meeting in the Fishing Station on “The Necessity of Fishing,” one young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day he reported he had caught two outstanding fish. He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big meetings possible to tell how he did it. So he quit fishing in order to have time to tell about the experience to other fishermen.
Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who don’t catch fish were really not fishermen, no matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a person a fisherman if year after year he never catches a fish? Is one following if he isn’t fishing?
I challenge you this day to listen for His call. In His time, the fullness of his time, he will call you (he already has!). He calls each of us. He has been preparing you for his call, be it the call to salvation, or to a new ministry, if you will listen, you will hear him call. I challenge you to follow Jesus into the work of evangelism & discipleship.
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Alternative Illustrations (from SermonCentral.com):
The story is told of the military legend Alexander the Great who had conquered almost all of the known world. One day on the warpath, Alexander and small company of soldiers approached a strongly fortified walled city and Alexander raised his voice and demanded to see the king. When the king arrived, Alexander ordered him to surrender the city and everyone inside to Alexander and his little band of fighting men.
The king laughed, “Why should I surrender to you? You can’t do us any harm!” But Alexander offered to give the king a demonstration. He ordered his men to line up single file and start marching. He marched them straight toward a sheer cliff.
The townspeople gathered on the wall and watched in shocked silence as, one by one, Alexander’s soldiers marched without hesitation right off the cliff to their deaths! After ten soldiers died, Alexander ordered the rest of the men to return to his side. The townspeople and the king immediately surrendered to Alexander the Great. They realized that if a few men were actually willing to commit suicide at the command of this dynamic leader, then nothing could stop his eventual victory.
Are you willing to be as obedient to the ruler of the universe, Jesus Christ, as those soldiers were to Alexander? Are you as dedicated and committed? Think how much power Christ could have in our area with just a portion of such commitment.
The beauty of our Lord Jesus is that unlike Alexander, Jesus loves His followers and wants what’s best for them. He proved this once for all at the cross, where He allowed Himself to be murdered, so that with His blood He could pay the price to free us from Satan himself, that the kingdom of God could come in and we could serve a new King who loves us and rules justly. We remember our Lord’s sacrifice today in the Lord’s Supper.
Dr. Doren Edwards, a surgeon in Erin, Tennessee, tells of a patient of his, Blanche Bennet, whose alcoholic husband had died. Her two children were giving her problems, finances were tight, and life was very hard. She wasn’t a Christian. One day she came to see Dr. Edwards with physical problems, and he diagnosed cancer, with multiple organs involved. No treatment was available, and she was very bitter. Dr. Edwards, a Christian and a Gideon, wanted to talk with her about the Lord, but she wouldn’t allow him to share his witness. She did, however, accept a small New Testament.
A few weeks later, the doctor learned from the newspaper obituary that she had died. He sent a card to the family, telling them he had donated Bibles in her memory to the Gideons.
The woman’s daughter called him. “Could you please send us a Bible like the ones you donated in the memory of our mother,” she asked. “We don’t have a Bible in the home. The last six days she was alive, her whole life changed. She was no longer bitter, she wasn’t afraid to die, and she said something about knowing Jesus. But she asked that her bible be buried in her hand, and we couldn’t keep it. Would you please send us a bible so that we can find what Mama found in that book?”
Dr Edwards sent them a Bible, and to date the daughter, the son, and one sister have been saved as a result. [Robert J. Morgan, Stories, Illustrations and Quotes, (Nelson: Nashville, 2000), 780-781.]
That story can only be told because somebody decided to follow Jesus when he said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
As you follow Jesus, you can expect to be astonished at his work in your midst.
