January 15, 2017 Matthew 4:12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, Jesus 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 Jesus.

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 live in a don’t know why time
we are more likely Zebedee,
have grace for ourselves and others who might not spring up
Is he old, stuck in his ways, has the wisdom told to stay and help,
Does he feel unwanted,

This text is often referred to as, Jesus calling his disciples, and while that may be the point, I have always been more interested in Zebedee, the father of James and John, who stays behind.
The scripture says,

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 Jesus.

Why doesn’t Zebedee go? Is he older and stuck in his ways? Is he so impeded in the Jewish tradition that he can’t see it anew? Has he seen too many people who claim to be the Messiah, only to be let down?

Why doesn’t Zebedee go? Is he like a rancher or farmer, who will work the land, or in this case the sea, until the day he dies? Is he called to this profession, such that another is unfathomable?

Why doesn’t Zebedee go? He had heard about Jesus, and perhaps had yet to make up his mind, but did something happen in the exchange between Jesus and Zebedee’s sons, that left Zebedee out? Even as it’s written Zebedee is excluded, “Jesus called to them, and immediately they left the boat and their father.” The word, “they,” to whom Jesus called, did not include Zebedee. Did Zebedee not go because he wasn’t included when Jesus called? Was this Jesus’ intention? Or did the scripture simply get written this way?

What we think about why Zebedee stays, says a lot about what we believe.
Is Zebedee an example of those who do not repent and turn to Jesus?
Will they be left behind when the reign of heaven comes?
Are some called and others not?
Is this Jesus’ intention to exclude?
Is staying behind permissible, or punishable?
Are some called to stay, and can they only stay if they evangelize
or can they stay stuck in their ways, the ways of a fisherman their whole life long?
Does what we believe about Zebedee come from our identifying with the brothers? Would we be kinder and more humble, if we thought of ourselves as the ones who remain mending our nets when the Lord is calling?

I ask this, because I think, we have to assume we are Zebedee, and not the brothers, when we place ourselves in the scripture. We cannot assume we are the bothers who are right, and it’s Zebedee who is wrong. Instead maybe we have to see ourselves and Zebedee and realize we may or may not be wrong. It humble to see ourselves as Zebedee, to recognize the places where we may have missed Jesus’ call, to recognize the ways we may be stuck in our ways, unable to see his, to be Zebedee is to realize, that life is more complicated then a simple go or stay, believe or unbelief. I think we live in a Zebedee sort of world.

In our country we have had quite a few prophets this year. Those who claim to know the absolute truth. Maybe our ears have become so deaf to the banter, we cannot filter out what is truth. Maybe we live in a Zebedee sort of world that hesitates to believe one ideology or another and so sticks to what it knows, melding nets.
Maybe that’s just it, maybe we know our calling, to the land, or the classroom, or the courtroom, or our desk in an office, or our children at home, or to serve others in retirement, such that get up and follow is to leave a people hungry, hungry for fish, for food, for learning, for loving, for justice, for shoveling one another’s snow. Maybe in the age of our wisdom we recognize that we can follow best by staying where we are.

Maybe, we can identify with Zebedee. Maybe Jesus called us, but the way the story was written by the church, excluded and vilianized us. Maybe we were told that it wasn’t okay to be friends with salty sailors, or those of other races or creeds, or values, or religions, socio-iconic status or sexual orientation. Maybe someone in leadership in the church said something snotty or maybe we felt unwelcome within the sanctuary walls. Maybe some well person said that something awful was God’s plan, when it wasn’t. Maybe we can identify with Zebedee, who chooses not to follow along with perhaps his overly righteous, often misinformed sons.

As Christians, we live in a complicated world, and perhaps as those who seek to be followers, we have to assume we are the ones who stay behind. We can’t read ourselves into the role of immediately jumping up and following, we can’t easily say we are right and others are wrong, sitting in their boats. We have to read ourselves into the humble spot, that we are Zebedee, and we may or may not, be correct to stay where we are, we have to read ourselves into the nuances of those who stay behind because we are those who stay behind. We have to understand their reasons, and be willing to name our own; we have to name those things that may keep us mending nets and measure them against what it means to follow. And then when we have claimed that the ways we mend our nets are actually following Jesus, when we have said that our political party, or church, or religion, or country, or occupation, or even the way we spend our time or talents or money, are following Christ, we have to again remember we are not brothers, and even the brothers aren’t Jesus. Every time we think we are the brothers, that we have absolute truth, we have to remember, that more likely, we are Zebedee, that faith isn’t as easy as immediately following. That maybe faith is to remain mending nets, without an absolute answer, that maybe following can be to continue to wrestle with the call of Jesus right where we are. Amen.