The Life of Jesus - Week 2

Jesus has just got out of being tested, and he’s begun to travel the countryside and preach and heal.

Then he decides to go and call some disciples to himself.

Luke 5:1–11 NIV

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

There’s three things about the bible and about our lives we can learn from this example.

Jesus is the one who calls

STORY - I was great at finding jobs when I was younger. I was super self confident. I got a job where my sole job was to work with software that i’d never seen before. And I straight up told them - I know i’ll learn it faster than anyone else and I just needed to meet the bosses face to face. How many jobs have you gotten by sitting back and doing nothing? And they come to you?

But Jesus is unusual.

Whenever we talk disciples in the NT, we have to place it in it’s context - the rabbi-disciple relationship that existed at the time.

People SOUGHT rabbis for their wisdom. And the rabbis evaluated and tested, and only took on the best and the brightest. And it was a high mark that your kid was the best if they were taken as a disciple by a rabbi.

Rabbis equipped the disciples, trained them up, then sent them out to receive and train their own disciples.

Almost like an apprenticeship. Being a disciple of a good rabbi was a status thing, it was a security thing, it was a position thing. It was the top of the corporate ladder.

But Jesus flipped this right over. First off - He sought THEM.

And he wasn’t seeking the brightest and the best. He had picked fishermen.

And the best part of this story -they weren’t even doing well when he found them.

We see this same priority all through the Old Testament

Genesis 12:1–4 NIV

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.

Why did God call abraham? Abraham’s name isn’t even mentioned until the end of the previous chapter. It’s only 6 verses.

It wasn’t because of his righteousness. It wasn’t because Abraham had diligently sought out the Lord, and found him through great pains and effort.

in fact, through the OT, abraham demonstrates some not-great character traits. LIE REPEATEDLY ABOUT SARAH - HAVE ISHMAEL

So why would Abraham qualify? Short answer - he didn’t. God sought Abraham out first. God went to HIM and said, hey, I have this plan for YOU.

The way Abraham responded was a template for us going forward.

Genesis 15:6 NIV

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Abraham’s righteousness was given to him by following God.

It’s a credit. Positive increase of his account.

When abraham deposited faith - he received righteousness as a credit.

Fast forward to Israel. God has picked them and rescued them.

God explains his motivations in Deuteronomy 7.

Deuteronomy 7:7–10 NIV

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.

So basically - God chose Israel to keep his promise, and it had nothing to do with Israel itself.

But israel was still expected to respond. While it all started with God - He chose to work with the people who ‘love him and keep his commandments’.

Discipleship has a cost - but not a qualification

Luke 14:28–33 NIV

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Jesus reminds us - following him costs. We have to be willing to give up everything.

But through the selection of the disciples, through the lesson we learned with Israel and Abraham. We learn that God doesn’t look for the brightest and the best and the strongest. He has a plan and a purpose for absolutely every single one of us - and he’ll respond to anyone who respond to him.

WHAT TO DO?

Answer the call

We KNOW that Jesus is calling all of us. Because he said he would.

John 12:32 NIV

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

So answer the call. STORY - Samuel & Eli. ‘You called master?’

Take time to study God’s word towards us all - because he gave us so many points about what his will was for us in his word.

But also - take time to actually talk to God.

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Jesus invited his disciples to a foundational and life-long relationship with Him

STORY - When I married my wife, i wasn’t thinking, ‘ok, now here’s my chance to try and get someone to do all this stuff for me, and then i’ll move onto the next one.’ I was thinking - I want to spend my life with this person, wherever we go, whatever it looks like.

Jesus also wasn’t like traditional rabbis - they would call disciples, train them up, and send them out. And those new rabbis would do the same thing.

Sidebar - How many times do we view Jesus not as a person to know, but rather as a service to receive from?

So many people think that Jesus just blew open the doors to heaven, then sat back and said, great, now, orderly line please, single file.

But even in smaller ways. How often will we only remember to pray when we need something?

Jesus wasn’t looking to simply blow open a door for us to walk through with no more expectations, or give us a bunch of things and then just send us away.

Matthew 7:21–23 NIV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Jesus says - ya, you were doing work. but I didn’t have a relationship with you.

Notice how, Jesus’ judgment on these people wasn’t based on their output or their performance - it was based on their relationship to Him.

The defining focal point of being a christian is the person of Jesus

What we DO as Christians is simple - we get to know Christ, and be Christ, more and more every single day.

Jesus doesn’t just bring knowledge, or a sequence to repeat - he brings life transformation through being close to him all the time

But we don’t reach a point where Jesus goes AAAND you’re done. Now go and make your own dsciples. In Jesus, we remain forever a disciple, following and imitating our master

This transforms our witness. We’re not here to simply teach people ABOUT Jesus or give them a series of instructions. We’re here to introduce them to the person of Jesus.

Now in life, in following Jesus - we will have a lot of questions. A lot of uncertain times. There will be a lot of scenarios where we really, truly do feel like we need something.

STORY - Jesus tells his disciples, who had given up so much and were following him, that he’s going to prepare a place.

John 14:4–6 NIV

You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So Thomas says, we don’t know the route.

so many times in life, we may feel lost. we may not know the answers, the right path.

But when we cry out to Jesus - what are we looking for? Are we looking for answers - or are we looking for Jesus?

STORY - If anything scares my kids randomly, like a storm - they don’t need me to come and give them a booklet on ‘the ins and outs of weather patterns’. They need ME, close by. And when I have that proximity, I can reassure. But they need my presence more than they need my answers.

Jesus responds to Thomas - and to all of us - and he says, you know ME. I am the route.

WHAT TO DO?

Focus on knowing Jesus and His Kingdom

We often have so many worries in life. and we talked about this last week.

Matthew 6:33–34 NIV

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

When Jesus calls us to follow him and obey him- he follows it up with a promise to take care of us.

You may not know where your roof will come from. Or your food. Or your clothes. But Jesus is the way to a roof. and food. and clothes.

We need to hold up our end, and actually follow him and obey him.

If Jesus is leading us to all the things we need - how can we receive them if we’re anywhere near him?

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Jesus’ focus was on the dark places that don’t know Him

STORY - one day, the disciples were walking with Jesus in the temple, showing it off. Jesus replied - it’ll all be torn down.

The rabbis were there to maintain and grow the religious establishment.

Jesus actually blasts the pharisees for this. He says - you nailed tithing, and missed justice. You travel over all the earth to make a single convert, and then make him twice the son of hell that you are.

And here, Israel had this temple, and it was g rand, and beautiful. People marvelled.

But when the disciples held it up to Jesus as a high point, He said - they’re just stones, soon to be torn down.

Jesus chose to start his ministry in galilee.

Jerusalem was the seat of religious power and focus for Israel.

Galilee was a mixed place through a lot of his history, but around the time of Jesus, while it was mainly jewish, it had a really varied ethnic background. So it was a big mix of lots of religious perspectives, and was heavily influenced by roman and greek culture. Jews from Judea looked down on citizens from Galilee.

They thought Galilean Jews were a corruption, and had it wrong. And religiously - they were a corruption of judaism, and did have it wrong. But that wasn’t Jesus’ priority to hang out with all the right folks in the beautiful places. his priority was to seek and save the lost.

Before Jesus starts to preach, Matthew points this out to his readers. It’s a prophesy from Isaiah.

Matthew 4:15–17 NIV

“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond 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 has come near.”

Thousands of years ago, in Isaiah, he prophesies - there’s a great light coming. And it’s going to light up in ‘the land of the shadow of death’.

I want a soap box moment here.

Something that really bothers me is when we think we’re too good to be around ‘bad people’. We’re too clean to be around ‘dirty people’. I try my hardest to be the kind of person that can be around and love anybody. If Jesus hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors and the ‘sinners’ - how can I be better than him?

If your gospel isn’t strong enough to stand up in the land of the shadow of death and bring light, then it’s not the true gospel.

Jesus is showing the first steps towards the OT hope that this gospel is for all nations. It wasn’t something reserved for a select, small group of people. It was going to be offered to everyone, everywhere. ESPECIALLY in the darkness

We talked about this earlier. With Abraham - blessing to all people. Israel - covenant to be a light and a kingdom of priests for the nations. David - eternal king over the whole world.

So when Jesus hits the scene, The first foothold the kingdom of God took in the world was in Galilee. It was to the people on the outside.

WHAT TO DO?

Be prepared to go out to the darkest places

There’s a saying that I took to heart when I learned it many years ago. Jesus called us to be fishers of men. Don’t settle for simply being keepers of the fishtank.

We are not here to build up our little empire. We’re here to go out for the kingdom of God into the darkness.

If you’re following Jesus everywhere He goes - you’re going to be going everywhere He goes.

We stand in a long line of faithful witnesses.

God called abraham out to a new land, and promised to bless the whole world through him.

God called david out from shepherding his sheep to leading a nation, and God promised to extend that line over the entire earth.

And when God calls you - and he will - he will send you out with a promise to bless those around you.