Change Your Hearts and Lives

Scripture

New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition Matthew 4

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,

on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles—

16 the people who sat in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death

light has dawned.”

17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”,*

New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition Matthew 4

18 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 fishers. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 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. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Kids to Knowing Place

Introduction- Perspectives

Today we heard the story of Jesus calling his first disciples from a different perspective.

In fact, each of the 4 Gospels has a different spin on this story.

Matthew and Mark are the most similar, but chances are over time different details came out about how Jesus called his disciples, what that meant to them, how they experienced it.

So when we get the same story from a different perspective, we have to wonder if it has a different take away for us.

Greek Lesson- Metanoia

In verse 17, the text says that Jesus offers this as his primary teaching: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.”

This word repent is an interesting one.

It’s the Greek word metanoia.

Repent feels like a word for other people.

I can’t think of the word “repent” without seeing in my mind a person holding a huge sign at some kind of protest rally.

So often when I hear the word “repent” it feels like it’s an arrow, meant for other people.

And in fact if you poll our non-Christian brothers and sisters, you might hear something similar.

“Repent” feels a bit like an attack.

But this, as Matthew tells us today, is kind of the center piece of Jesus’s teaching.

So maybe it’s not for other people, maybe it’s for us.

Literally- Change your mind.

Metanoia means to renew your mind.

So if I have this really great idea that I should down a full dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme, but then about two donuts in that little voice of reason pops in my head and says “Hey, maybe this isn’t the best idea!”

But actually, that’s only half of repentance.

The voice telling me I should stop is part one. Actually setting a few donuts down is step two.

And this works in the negative, as well as in the positive.

If you have kind of grown tired of sleeping in every morning and living a relatively sedentary life, so you decide to change your mind, dedicate yourself to waking up early and going to the gym, and then actually do that, you too have repented.

But it takes the decision, plus the action to really make repentance happen.

CEB- Change Your Hearts and Lives

Change your heart

What I believe about this thing, or this person, or this theology, is off track either good or bad.

I need to change how I see this situation.

I need to change my heart towards this thing, whatever it might be.

Change your lives

I need to literally turn around.

I need to change my actions so that they match up with my beliefs.

I need to develop and attend to some new habits, to make sure that I’m on board with where I feel like I need repentance.

Jesus Calls His Disciples

The path of discipleship

Bet Safair

Torah memorized

Up until about 10 years old.

Most learn the family trade.

Bet Talmud

Best of the best

Whole of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis-Malachai)

14 or 15 years old.

Most would learn the family trade.

Bet Midrash

Apply to be a disciple.

Rabbi grills you on anything and everything he can.

If you’re not so great, the Rabbi says go and learn your family trade.

But if you’re the best of the best of the best, the Rabbi would say “Follow me.”

So when Jesus calls them, there’s so much happening in this moment.

Disciples are teenagers.

First of all, scholars are all pretty much in agreement on this, the disciples would have been quite young.

Most experts would agree that Peter would have been the oldest, and would probably of maxed out at about 20 years old.

The other disciples, particularly James and John who are fishing with their father, are learning the family trade.

So you’re probably looking at about 14, 15 years old.

How interesting to me that when Jesus needs to choose his merry band to literally change the course of human history, he chooses teenagers!

We might come back to that later as a church...

Jesus goes where they are.

Another thing that is so easy to miss is that Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee.

This is striking for two reasons this morning:

First of all, in this Pittsburgh cold, I think it is a Biblical mandate that we should all pick up for warmer climates to go hang out by the beach. What would Jesus do?

But more to the point, Jesus has gone somewhere that we wouldn’t expect him.

Rabbi’s back then would have been holed up in a synagogue, or a temple.

Rabbi’s would have looked for their disciples at the graduation ceremonies of Bet Talmud.

Rabbis would for sure not be looking for their disciples on the beach, among the stinky fishermen.

So much of the time we turn our faith into how we can get to God, or how we can invite others to get to God.

How often we forget that Jesus is most interested in coming to us, meeting us where we are, meeting our community out where they are too.

Change their hearts (From not good enough to a spirit of belonging)

We have to remember that these fishermen, at some point along the way, were told they weren’t good enough.

Maybe it was at Bet Safair.

Maybe they had a hard time with their Hebrew.

Maybe they didn’t have a good answer for the Rabbi that was grilling them.

Whatever it was, at some point in the process, these disciples failed, and someone told them they should pack it up and go home.

So when Rabbi Jesus shows up, they have to change their hearts toward themselves.

They have to believe when Jesus says he wants them around, that he means it.

They have to believe that when Jesus says they can do what he can do, that he’s right.

They have to believe that they have what it takes to become fishers of people.

That is a mental shift that these disciples had to make, but one that I’m betting is present in the room this morning too, isn’t it?

Are there any here who harbor doubts about what Jesus thinks of you?

Are there any here who are racked with guilt at past mistakes or failures?

For that matter, are there any here who have just allowed the past, good bad or ugly, to define the present and the future?

To those of us who might fall into that camp, Jesus says “Change your heart friends. Follow me.”

But of course, changing your heart quite simply isn’t enough.

Change their lives (Drop their nets and follow)

The call to discipleship comes with some pretty real and tangible changes in behavior.

If you were a fisherman on a professional level as these disciples were, imagine how much time, money, and effort it took to get to this point.

You saved up for the boat.

You saved up for the nets.

You got better, so you saved up for a bigger boat and better nets.

Hours and hours and hours and sleepless nights and piling up bills and days when the sea gave up nothing to get you to this point.

And then Jesus says “follow me,” and you have to let that all go.

Talk about a life change!

Not only that, but a life change that impacts more than just you and your livelihood.

Some of us at staff meeting this week were pondering what Zebedee must have felt in this moment!

His sons, not only cheap labor but also likely the ones he was going to hand his family business to, just up and leave to follow some guy they’ve never met before?

Their life change would likely have an impact on him.

It’s not enough to change your heart.

You have to let go of some things.

How can we change our hearts and lives?

Do you live here?

Earlier this week I had a visit from a few friends.

I was in my office, and I heard one of our dear preschool classes walking by and talking about my goldfish.

My fish is named Barth, like Karl Barth, if anyone was curious.

Since I could hear them talking about him, I invited them in to see me feed him and get a bit of a closer look.

As they were walking out, one of the little boys took a look around the room:

He saw my very big comfy couch.

He saw my steaming cup of coffee fresh from the coffee maker in my office.

And, easily the most ridiculous part of my office, but I love it, I had the fireplace going.

And seeing all of that, this boy looked back up at me and asked “Do you live here?”

I looked up at Libby Keibler and jokingly said “Sometimes it feels like it, buddy!”

But you know what? In reading this text this morning, I wonder if that boy’s question is relevant to the church.

Do we live here?

Jesus did not sit in his synagogue or temple and wait for disciples to come find him.

He did not take out an ad on Facebook.

He did not create a marketing campaign to draw people in to the events he was hosting.

Jesus went out to where the people were, and found his disciples.

Do we live here?

Where are we being called to get outside the walls of our building and meet folks where they are?

Where are we being called to be a presence in the community?

Where are there people in the community who are hurting, that we could be a help to?

Where can we move our feet, and be on the lookout for those who Jesus is calling us to reach?

This will, of course, mean we have to change our hearts and lives.

So much of the western church for years has been attractional, inviting the community to do things within our walls.

Looking at the declining numbers for the whole of the church, some repentance may be necessary.

It might be time for us to become missional, going to walk the beaches of our community.

We have to change how we view the situation, and then we have to change how we act in the face of that situation.

Drop your nets

At the Wednesday night Sermon Discussion Group, something I’m just going to keep plugging until you all come, one of our brilliant members made an astonishing observation.

Nets are traps.

Nets are used to trap fish, but if they’re not handled properly, they could probably trap us.

So what traps do you need to drop this morning?

Are you trapped in a world view based primarily in pessimism? Everyone’s out to get you?

Change your hearts and lives. Drop the net.

Are you trapped in an argument, or a difficult relationship with someone in your life?

Change your hearts and lives. Drop the net.

Are you stuck feeling like you don’t matter, that you are unable to possess God’s love in Christ?

For heaven’s sake, change your hearts and lives. Drop the net.

This is scary work!

Like the disciples, some of our nets and traps have served us very well over the years.

But when Jesus shows up and invites us to follow him, will we have the courage to drop them?

Walk in the way of Jesus

At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus invites his disciples to go out and make more disciples.

And as it would turn out, we are the fruit of their labor.

At some point or another, we became disciples of Jesus.

And that means that we were called to be like Jesus in the world.

That means that forgiveness would be our first option, not our last.

That means that kindness isn’t just something for Mister Rogers, it’s born from the gospel of Christ.

That means that we can choose mercy over being vengeful.

That means that in a culture obsessed with division and discord, we could be peacemakers.

Next week we’ll take a deeper look at what it means to follow in the life of Jesus.

But for now, Change your hearts and lives.

Take that next step into the kingdom.

You’ll be glad you did.