Grander Vision Living
Grander Vision Living
Luke 5:1-1 / Luke 5:27-32
Introduction:
Four weeks go by pretty quickly. It’s hard to believe that this is the concluding Sunday of our Just Walk Across the Room campaign. At the beginning of all of this, we explored the possibility of taking some walks. Even though there are some risks…some steps of faith we must take…we discovered that this was the way Jesus lived his life. Time and time again, Jesus was known to take the walk across the room. His was willing to take the step of faith and reach into the lives of people all around Him. At the beginning of all of this, we were reminded that the single greatest gift we can offer the people around us is an introduction to a life changing relationship with Jesus. We talked about building friendships and about showing acceptance to people who are living far from God. And se dove into the power of story, refreshing our understanding of how much weight our words carry … and of how critical it is that we steward God’s story and our own before-and-after picture of God’s grace. This morning we are going to conclude with the priority that is nearest to the heart of God…and that is finding what is lost…restoring what is broken…and reclaiming what is His. When you choose to pursue this Grander Vision, you will be partnering with God in the most magnificent mission imaginable.
Jesus describes this in terms of fishing. I don’t know how you feel about fishing, but I have to admit that it’s never been big on my list of favorite things to do. Growing up in the Midwest, fishing for me always meant sitting for hours on rock, dangling a fishing hook in some pond or stream, and hoping that something would happen. And usually, nothing happened. When it did…those extremely rare occasions…I would pull up out of the water a great…6 inch Blue Gill. It was hardly worth it. Because then you have to get your hands all slimy getting the thing off the hook so you could through it back into the pond. You got to be careful so that you don’t cut yourself on the fin. This was not exactly my idea of fun. I would have rather gone cow tipping or snipe hunting…if you know what I mean. And so when my brother-in-law, who happens to be an avid fisherman asked me to go fishing with out in the ocean. I wasn’t the least bit excited. You know how there are those times in life when you have to suck it up and take one for the family. Well this was it. So we loaded up on the boat and we went fishing…and it was phenomenal experience. It is one thing to sit on a rock casting a line into a pond, but it is quite another to be out there on the water where the real fish actually are. We spent the entire morning pulling in huge dolphin fish. It was thrilling, it was exhilarating, and it was just plain fun. Is the picture up on the screen? These things were 36 inches and bigger. We must have caught 20 or 30 of these things. The whole experience gave me an appreciation for fishing I never thought possible. I learned two things: in order to experience true fishing you have to be where the fish are. I also learned that the bigger the fish are….the more exciting it will be. I suspect that this is what Jesus was trying to tell the disciples in the gospel of Luke. Jesus speaks a word of teaching to crowd around him and then he speaks a word about fishing to the disciples. It comes from Luke 5:1-11. Read.
The disciples had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. You have to know that they were not fishing for a hobby or off on some exotic vacation. This was their livelihood and it was serious business. The towns around the Sea of Galilee had names that reflected fishing's importance to their economy and daily life. Tarichaea, one of the villages, meant “the place of salt fish” probably a town where people were employed in packing and exporting fish to Rome. Bethsaida meant "fish town" at least four fishermen who followed Jesus came from this town, and most of the town's men were employed in the fish business. After bringing in the day's catch, fishermen still had to mend and wash their nets, repair and maintain the boats, preserve the fish, and bargain with local merchants to sell or trade the catch. It was a very tiring job. The fishermen had been fishing all night which was the only time to really catch fish. The fact that they were “washing their nets” probably indicated that they were finished with the day's catch, ready to go home. These fishermen were tired and they were frustrated. They had worked all night and had nothing to show for it. It's like the salesman who has gone for days without a sale. It's like the lawyer who cannot attract clients. They were discouraged, disheartened. This is probably why they welcomed Jesus into the boat with them in the first place. If they couldn’t bring home some fish than at least they could listen to a good story.
When he was done teaching, Jesus asked them to go back out in their boats. You kind of have wonder what he was teaching about. Maybe he was teaching them about God’s great love for people. Maybe he was teaching about how fulfilling life is in the kingdom of God. Maybe he was teaching them how to take a walk across the room. At any case, his request to throw the net back out in the water wouldn’t have made much sense to them, especially coming from a carpenter. These men were professional fisherman. If anybody knew how to fish, it was them. I don’t know too many people who take medical advice from their tax consultant. I don’t know too many people who take tax advice from their barber. I don’t know too many people who take hair styling advice from their mother-in-law. Some things make sense and this clearly does not. The truth is we don’t know why they obeyed…but they did and that’s the only thing that matters. A carpenter they had only known for a short time suggests to these professional fishermen that they go back out and they did it! They obeyed. And their obedience was rewarded beyond their wildest dreams. They caught so many fish that their nets were breaking. Can you just imagine how elated Peter, James, and John were because of this monstrous catch of fish? This was the mother lode! They’d never seen a catch like this! I mean, their nets were bursting, the boat was sinking, it was so full of fish.
It is an amazing miracle and Peter is moved to confession, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” It is a great miracle…but in all honesty…it’s not the biggest miracle of the day. There is something that happens in this passage that’s even great than the catch of a lifetime. Instead of the “catch of a lifetime” Jesus is promising a lifetime of catching…and not just the little fish. Jesus is not promising the 6 inch kind, Jesus is talking about the 6 foot kind. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus says, “from now on you will catch men.” I believe this unique miracle sets up one of the most critical aspects of Jesus’ teaching: the idea of small fish versus big fish. It is the question he asks every would be follower. Are you going to throw your one and only life into pursuing small fish, or will you risk tossing your nets out there in anticipation of catching the human-sized ones? Are you going to dive headlong into the Grander Vision, or will you be the type who settles for the lesser one? Christ followers are called to go out and take people alive. The translation “to catch” is not really accurate. The actual Greek word Jesus used means “to take alive.” It’s a much more attractive image. Nobody wants to be caught. Too much evangelism is conducted that way. We maneuver people into signing a decision card or accepting “the plan of salvation.” Jesus was promising those early disciples that they would be taking people alive for the kingdom…and that’s exciting business. The verb tense used here describes an ongoing process. It’s not like deer-hunting, where you catch your limit for the season and quit until the next year. The “taking people alive” that Jesus speaks of is continuous and never-ending. If we choose to follow Jesus, then we will be fishers of men. What could be more thrilling than to find those who are living far from Jesus and help them discover who He is in order that they might be saved from complacency or immorality or addiction or whatever their destiny would be apart from Him?
The invitation that Jesus gave to Peter in our scripture passage, is the same invitation that He gives to us know. I can almost hear God telling each one of us in this room. “You can catch fish … spend all your time netting some scaly, underwater creatures and taking them to market for a few dollars…that’s one way to live life. But there’s another option! You were made to become fishers of men and women. Your purpose in life is not about concerning yourself not with dollars but with concerning yourself with destinies!” When Jesus gave this invitation to these first disciples, did you notice the choice that they made? Scripture tells us that they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed him. Do you know how significant that was? They had just brought in the biggest catch of their lifetime. It was all right there at their fingertips…but they left it behind. Somehow they just knew that life Jesus was offering was better than anything they could imagine. It takes some faith to be able to think this way. It is not easy to leave the circle of comfort…leave behind your own circle of stability. But deep down inside, we all know that if you want the better life, you have to be willing to let go of some things. You got to be willing to make that walk across the room and make it often. You got to be willing to get out of boat to walk on the water where Jesus is. And when you do, you will never be disappointed.
Sometimes it’s the first step that’s the hardest. Let me tell you a true, but humorous story that comes out of the early days of the church. When the father of Origen, a famous third century theologian, was arrested for being a Christian, Origen, who was only 17 at the time, wanted to follow his Dad and in the footsteps martyrdom. His mother pleaded with him not to go, but the headstrong boy did not want to listen to reason. So his quick thinking mother did what she could. She hid his clothes. Of course, Origen stormed and protested, but she wouldn't tell where they were hidden. And he couldn't leave the house and so he was unable to volunteer for martyrdom. Isn't it interesting? Origen was brave enough to be martyred, but not brave enough to go outside naked. Stepping outside without clothing would have sped up his arrest and imprisonment, but it was a step he was unwilling to take. In a sense, I suspect that talking with a friend about our faith is, for many of us, the equivalent of going outside naked. It makes us uncomfortable. We feel exposed. We declare that we will give our lives for Christ if he should ask it, but to risk a bit of embarrassment for him seems to be beyond our comfort zone.
The opportunity Jesus offered to a few fishermen in the gospel of Luke is the same opportunity that He offers to us today. How are you going to answer His request? Are you going to dive headlong into the Grander Vision, or will you be the type who settles for the lesser one? Here’s the heart of the matter. Jesus desperately wanted three career fishermen … as well as the fine people of Covenant Baptist Church … to understand that this life is all about people. In Grander Vision Living, the priority is always people. He wanted them—and us—to prioritize people above everything else that vies for attention. Prioritizing people is what so much of our four-week series has been about. Taking walks across rooms for people. Caring more about other people than about yourself. Having a sort of “radical inclusiveness” for people, even if they look different, talk different, act different, vote different, and so on. And so Jesus asks all of us who say we want to be walk-across-the-room people … Will you choose the Grander Vision in your situation? It’s the big-fish opportunity that awaits us. You can catch fish … or become fishers of men and women. You can be a successful businessperson … or get all over the business of redeeming lives. You can be the top student … or focus your attention on studying people. You can shine as an award winning salesman … or care more about letting your light shine in the lives of people all around you! Jesus was saying to all of his followers—both then and now, “Please understand how important your priorities are. The stakes are way too high for you to put anything but people in your top spot.”
Life throws so many distractions at us. It is so easy to forget that people are the top priority. I shared with some of you an experience that I had early in my ministry that has helped prioritize my life. We had a neighbor whose name was Jesse. Jesse was 85 years old and was struggling with cancer. He lost his wife about 5 years earlier and pretty much relied on his neighbors for encouragement and to help his do the things that he wasn’t able to do. Amanda and I felt a special call to reach out to Jesse. Occasionally, when Amanda was baking she would make some extra cookies or pie. And we would walk over and visit. He would always say that…what every kind of cookie or kind of pie it was…that it was is favorite. However, the occasions never seemed often enough…after all we were pretty busy doing the work of the church. The sad thing was that on the other side of him lived a family that was Mormon in faith. For pie or special treat we brought to Jesse, they probably brought him two. We wanted to do more, it was just that there was never enough time. I had always wanted to have spiritual conversation with him, but things at the church kept me pretty busy. I had always intended on asking some deeper questions and pushing the conversation to a deeper level, like asking about his relationship to Christ and if I could pray with him. I had always intended on having that conversation, but I never did because I received a phone from the funeral home asking me if I could officiate for his funeral. In this life, I’ll never know the answer to those questions. I share this story because sometimes it is too easy to forget that people that matter to God. When opportunities come our way, we may only get them once. People are always worth fishing for. Jesus says to those of us who would follow him: “Even if it requires leaving our comfort zone… Even if it means disturbing the comfortable predictability our life… Even if means rubbing up against those who are a little different… Even if we must cast the net a hundred times and succeed in rescuing only one life …that even one life is worth it.”
Conclusion:
In this same chapter of Luke, a little later, Jesus tells the story of Levi the tax collector. We commonly call him Matthew. The text tells us that Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Matthew had only been a follower of Jesus a short while when he felt a desire to go fishing…the big kind of fishing. He hadn’t had time to go through the disciples’ official Evangelism 101 course. He was too new to have memorized the diagnostic questions, the success scripts, the handy formulas. He could see all of his old buddies standing there in their tax-booths—the same spot where he used to work. Their lives would be so blessed by knowing Christ, but he had no idea how to get that introduction made. That’s when he decided to do it. Matthew decided to take a walk. Keep in mind that Matthew was a brand-new Christ-follower. “Giving” wasn’t exactly a tax-collector’s natural-born instinct. He didn’t know any of the catchy worship choruses to sing. He didn’t have the prayer thing down pat yet. But there was one thing Matthew was good at: he was good at throwing parties! How about that? An approach to evangelism that involves partying? It’s true: Matthew hatched a plan to do just that … he hatched a plan to throw a party. But not just any party. A party where he could stick his old tax-collecting buddies in a room with his new friends—the Christian ones—and just see if some of the good stuff might rub off on the ones who had yet to taste grace. Matthew thought, “What if a couple of interesting conversations get started? What if some seeds are planted in the minds and hearts of my friends? What if a few of those guys actually come to faith as a result of this one, simple party?”
Matthew could have been utterly consumed by his own transformation just after he chose to follow Christ. He could have gotten so enamored with how much of his own life was changing for the better that he just left everyone else in his dust. But Matthew chose differently, didn’t he? He chose to prioritize people outside the family of God above all that … people who need an ounce of acceptance, a little Christian friendship, a taste of grace. Matthew knew that God had saved him for a purpose … a purpose that included more than his own salvation. A purpose that centered around living out a Grander Vision … by making people his priority because people were the only thing he’d be taking with him to heaven one day. The same holds true for us. What are you going to do with the rest of your life? A grander vision for living is to spend it as a fisher of men and women, taking people “alive” for Jesus. Don’t settle for anything less.