Sermon
February 2, 2014
Matthew 4:12–23 NRSV
Now when Jesus heard that
John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his
home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that
what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea,
across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 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.” From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven has come near.”
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.
***
We are called to follow the call we are
prepared for, and which God speaks our language.
It
seems so random: the fishermen are approached. They get up immediately, and follow
Jesus. They leave not only their catch, but also their livelihood and their family.
James and John, leave their father in the boat, and as they spring from the
vessel, they leave behind their inheritance. I imagine the boat rocking and
Zebedee, at a loss for words. It would be a shocking thing to have worked a
life, that your sons could take over the life you’ve made, and then one day they up and leave. But you see, it
wasn’t really one day like the
text reads. It wan’t that random. It wasn’t that sudden. It wasn't that
immediate.
Jesus
had moved in, which if you’ve done
it, you know moving in takes awhile. The text says, he made his home in
Capernaum, and how long does it take from when you move in a place, to when you
call it home? It is not immediate. Jesus had made his home in Capernaum; he had
settled in. He had met the townspeople, and he had been talking to James and
John, to Simon and Peter, and I suppose Zebedde too. Jesus had been preparing
them. This day, was just that day for which they had been prepared, prepared
not just by Jesus, but by their life, and even by their father. Zebeede had
been preparing them also. Zebedee had taught them to fish. He had taught them
how to cast, and how to bring the fish in, and even how to mend their nets. I
don’t think Zebedde every figured
he was preparing his sons to leave him one day, but God was preparing his sons
for a different type of inheritance. Jesus came and said, "Follow me, and
I will make you fish for people." and call is like that. Jesus uses words
we know, gifts we have, experiences we can use. I got to spend the day a few weeks
ago with our very own Louise Trapp. At ninety years old, she believes God has
called her to make quilts for others. I doubt God simply put a needle in one
hand and material in the other and said, “Go.” No, Louise had been sewing
for years, it was her gift, and in these later stages of life, God said, “Now, Louise, you will make
quilts for those in need.” It is like this. Call doesn’t come out of nowhere, we are
prepared first.
Likewise,
I don’t think God said, Kyra here
is courtroom, “Go.” Instead she grew up in a blended family whose separate parts sit
beside one another at little games. She had Bob, practicing law, and saw the
inside of a court room long before she defended a client. God said, you have
this experience, this gift, “Follow
me and I will make you seek justice for people.” Likewise, God did not say to our teachers, here is classroom, “Go.” or our ranchers, here is
field of cattle, “Go,” or our farmers, here is a
potato field, “Go.” We are not just dropped off
into our calling, but we are prepared and then asked to follow. Even Jesus in
this text is prepared first. he does not just travel willy-nilly, a commentary
by Eric Baretto describes
“Jesus
was born in Bethlehem. In doing so, prophecy was fulfilled (2:5-6). The first
move finds the family fleeing Bethlehem and Herod's furor and arriving in
Egypt. In doing so, Jesus' life
emulates Moses' journeys. The second move allows the
family to return to Israel after Herod's demise. However, the reign of his progeny leads the family to resettle
in Nazareth. In doing so, prophecy was
fulfilled (2:23). A third move brings Jesus to Capernaum. In doing so, prophecy was
fulfilled (4:14-16). In other words, never are these moves rooted in human
will. Instead, Matthew argues, God
has carefully orchestrated these geographical dislocations and thus imbued them
with great significance,” Workingpreacher.org.
Even
Jesus is first prepared. He is given ancient texts to guide him toward his
calling, and he follows them with each new direction. We are not so different.
God is not calling us to an immediate and sudden change. God is calling us out
of the ways we have already been prepared.
So
I wonder, how did God prepare you, for your calling? How is God preparing you
for the calling to come? With what metaphor is God calling you now? Are you to
be teachers of people, healers of people, helpers of creatures and of creation,
quilters for people, listeners to people, hostesses for people, caregivers for
people, artists for people? It is not sudden, it is not immediate, Jesus is
calling you, to the calling to which you have been prepared. How will you
follow him.
