Delivered Jan. 13, 2008
by Pastor Eric Henderson
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea - for they were fishermen. And he said to them,
Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.
Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Last Sunday we asked with the wise men "where is the child born king" and considered 2 basic responses. One is like Herod who wanted to kill anyone who threatened to rule his life. The second response was the wise men who sought the child born king, and when they found him, offered gifts, and bowed down and worshipped Jesus as a king. Everyone since has responded in those two basic ways. To either give highest allegiance to Jesus and submit to Jesus as king, or give allegiance and submit to something or someone else.
Today we get an invitation from the king. Next 3 Sundays: Mt. 5 - 7 Jesus teaches Ways, laws, or rules of the Kingdom
Let's look together to discover more of the details of the life of Jesus, this child born king.
We pick up the story in Matthew chapter 2.13.
I grew up on a farm the 3rd of 6 children. School was fairly important to my parents and I did ok but wasn't strongly motivated to study real hard. I participated in band, wrestling, tennis and student government but didn't excel at any of those things. At graduation I didn't receive any special awards, just a diploma.
I applied for a job at a local factory and worked for one year saving for college. A small Presbyterian College in Tn. and later Goshen College accepted me as a student and allowed me to pay tuition. I became a music major and participated in various choirs after I auditioned. In desperation a school invited me to apply for teaching position that needed to be filled 2 weeks before school began.
All that to say, my academic, athletic, or musical efforts haven't resulted in being asked to study or teach at Oxford, or be a professional athlete, or sing for the queen. You may have seldom been invited by a prominent person because of your great accomplishments, but the king of kings, the Savior of the World, the ruler of an everlasting kingdom has invited me, and has invited you to follow, to learn, to join him inviting others to join. No special talents, or no application form or tuition. Jesus comes and invites us to follow. I have been invited by the church, the followers of Jesus to come and join with them, to participate, to use my gifts and abilities.
It's probably the same for most of us and the same for fishermen Peter, Andrew, James, and John. These men weren't priests. Peter, Andrew, James and John weren't Pharisees highly educated in the law and working hard to apply the law to daily life. They weren't highly intelligent - otherwise they would have asked a rabbi - or teacher - to help them learn to be a rabbi or teacher. They weren't outstanding leaders with lots of money and prestige. If they had been outstanding leaders with lots of money and prestige they would have been part of the Sadducees or maybe high priest. Peter, Andrew, James and John were ordinary working class men, who did their job like Dad did, came home, slept, ate, went to synagogue over and over.
Who comes along and invites them to follow? King Jesus! Jesus the Son of God, the Savior of the world presents himself as a teacher or rabbi. Usually students that were the brightest and best asked a rabbi if they could be a student. But Jesus goes to these men and asks them to follow.
Following meant a literal walking after a teacher. Going everywhere, watching everything, being with the teacher for years.
A good student of a rabbi was to commit all the teachings to memory and pass it along faithfully to the next generation. So the followers of Jesus or disciples of Jesus ask Jesus to teach them to pray. And when they encountered a blind man asked, "Teacher who sinned, this man or his parents?"
Followers of Jesus as a rabbi or teacher would also expect him to teach and interpret the laws of Moses. All male Jews had the first 5 books of the Bible memorized by age 10. But especially intelligent male Jews gave themselves to the task of applying the law and making pronouncements and judgments. Jesus made such pronouncements and applications that we'll look at in the next several Sundays.
Now that most of the joyful music of Christmas has faded and life has resumed a routine, can you hear the invitation of Jesus, "Come follow me." People must be at least interested and hearing Jesus invite them, because there are some 1 - 2 million websites for following Jesus. So if my sermon about following Jesus isn't clear, there are plenty of others on the web.
We may not consider ourselves the brightest and best, or the crème de la crème, or exceptionally gifted, but Jesus the king invites us to join his kingdom and join his mission. Through the Bible, through God's spirit, through other people, Jesus the king invites everyone - Come follow me.
I believe most everyone has heard Jesus invitation and has made a commitment to follow. For those who accept the invitation to follow Jesus we leave behind other loyalties. We deal with things other than Jesus that try to rule or control our lives such as money, addictions, our parents or past if we're adults, the current philosophy of our culture, peers, friends or spouses that interfere with following Jesus, comfortable ways of being and doing that are not directed by king Jesus.
Those who accept king Jesus invitation to follow will hear the teaching of Jesus. A person with the first language of English can learn French by various programs called French immersion. You immerse yourself in a new language. You hear it, read it, speak it, think in that language. Learning the way of King Jesus calls for some immersion in the books of Mt, Mk., Luke and John. We hear the teaching and read, and speak and begin to think and act the way Jesus did. We hear that blessed are those who mourn, and hear come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and all the other teachings and words of Jesus.
Those who accept king Jesus invitation to follow watch what Jesus did. Using our imagination as we read the gospels, we watch how Jesus the king serves, preaches, heals, casts out demons, forgives, and invites people to follow. We watch king Jesus by watching other followers of Jesus teach, heal, deal with other loyalties, seek first the kingdom of God. We watch king Jesus by helping provide the necessities of life to the least.
Those who accept king Jesus invitation to follow will hear the teachings of Jesus, and watch how Jesus lived as king, and do what Jesus did. Like Jesus, we will do the will of the heavenly Father. The will or ways of God can be found in the Bible and can be clarified with the help of other followers of Jesus. We can go with confident faith that Jesus goes with us as we use our gifts to make disciples, baptize, teach, help provide people's needs.
Petitcodiac Mennonite Church