Countercultural Call
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 15 viewsNotes
Transcript
Why was being called so countercultural?
Why was being called so countercultural?
As He was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen.
“Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!”
Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them.
Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.
There are alot of stories in the Bible that don’t make a lot of sense to us. This is one of them. So many ?s come up.
Here’s the overarching idea we have to understand about this text - Jesus challenged the traditional, Rabbinical authority by selecting people who are otherwise unqualified.
Matthew 4:18 (HCSB)
As He was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen.
What is Rabbinical authority -
First, they were separate - off in the distance people. They would find themselves in a ‘sacred’ place. And, by trying to find them you might find yourself in trouble.
Second, they didn’t call you or find you - you found them. Prospective students studied the teachers and they would choose to follow in their steps. The rabbis didn’t say - Hey you, come on!
Third, their job was religion. Follow the law. Focus on the law. Zero patience for sin and disobedience.
Jesus takes these things and flips them upside down.
He was right by the people, He wasn’t in some far away study. He identified with the day-to-day activities of the people.
These men were casting a net into the sea, which seems pretty straightforward. But...
They were standing in shallow water probably, using really simple equipment. They were humble and doing difficult work. Fishing was common at night, in part because fish were more abundantly caught at night. The sea is where you found fish.
The only thing they understood was what it meant to fish. And Jesus knew that was enough.
“Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!”
In two words Jesus flips the student finds the teacher system.
Follow Me!
He went to the people.
He went to people who weren’t versed in the Law.
He went to people who were obviously interested in the jobs.
He went to people who had a connection to the area deeper than their job.
He went to people who had qualities unique for the call
Patience, persistence, fortitude, purpose, determination - all things necessary for the job ahead.
His statement is smooth and meets a human need - He doesn’t leave the question of intention out.
When someone says follow me, the decent and proper thing to do is ask why? What is your intention? Where are we going?
To fish for people - become fishers of men! what a contrast! From gathering fish to gathering sinners out of the sea of humanity.
Their nets were designed to catch a reasonable amount of fish. You can’t have a net bigger than the boat into which you would recollect the net.
People? But they’ve everywhere! Jesus, we’re not equipped to handle that job. Fish are here - Can you imagine? We don’t have enough metaphoric nets! And where are we going to put them?
At this time, there were people who knew the Jewish teachings and knew that there were people from the house of Israel that fell away, they were unfaithful. So, in order to gather these “fish”, people had to go fish for them. The message of the Kingdom of God needed to be proclaimed so widely for so many to hear, that Jesus chose people whose preparation in life was perfectly aligned to this call.
Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them.
James and John were mending their nets. Why mend the nets? Because there will be trials to work through.
They were at the shore in preparation for the next days’ fishing run.
Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.
When students chose their teacher, they knew exactly what they were getting into. They had already done the ‘math’ on whether or not the person they were choosing was worthy.
The text just says they followed Him.
What a privilege it must have been for the Rabbi to call you to follow Him.
There is a calling and invitation to follow the way of Jesus.
But we can’t forget that it will grind against the cultural norms even today. let me get it together first, let me tie up the loose ends, let me, let me, see the emphasis.
Once we make that commitment as these men did, there’s no turning back.
But our teacher continually bids us to follow.
How do we continue in the personal, beckoning call of Jesus?
How do we respond to the call in our lives?
