Matthew 4:12–23
After
his baptism, Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. We are told
that he was there for forty days, and that he did battle with the demons. At
the end of that time, he is ready to begin his ministry.
Today,
he calls four men as his first disciples. We are told by Matthew and Mark that
Jesus made his home in Capernaum. While the scripture declared that the
disciples followed Jesus immediately, my familiarity with human nature means
there probably was some time of preparation before the disciples left town.
My
own hunch is that Jesus settled in a remote town, as far from Jerusalem as he
could be and still have a lot of folks to preach to and teach. He set up his
business there and got to know the folks of Capernaum. There were only about
1,000 to 1,500 people in the town, so he probably knew everyone. I believe he
spent time talking with them and discovered those who would make good
followers.
He
prepared them with his own teaching and paid out a plan for the immediate
future. They made day trips or overnight trips to the towns of Galilee, heading
east, or north, or south, or west. In between trips, they returned to
Capernaum, returned to their families, and their jobs, and the synagogue.
This
went on for about two years, until Jesus “set his face toward Jerusalem”. By
then the disciples were ready to follow him anywhere, for as long as it took. Together,
they shared Jesus’ message that the kingdom of heaven had come near. Matthew
used this term instead of Kingdom of God, out of respect for the holiness of God’s
name. We’ll talk more about the kingdom of God in the coming weeks when we look
at parts of the Sermon on the Mount.
For
today, let’s talk about fishing for people. Matthew tells us Jesus said, “Come
with me and I’ll teach you to fish for people.” And the four first disciples left
their boats and their nets and learned to fish for people.
When
I think about fishing, I think of four main ways to catch fish. Casting out nets,
dangling a worm, snagging whatever you can, and casting a fly.
The
disciples and commercial fishermen today use nets or cages. Nets catch a lot of
fish, some of which are used as bait for more fishing, and some are tossed back
as too small or not good for eating.
When
I was a child, I went with my family and another family to fish on the pier at
St. Joseph. Most of us had bamboo poles, although some of the adults had rods and
reels. We all sat down on the pier and began to fish. Mostly, I was drowning
worms, dangling them on my hook in the water, hoping for a bite. The parents
and grandparents were doing fairly well, catching enough fish for a dinner for
the family.
The
youngest of us was Sue-Sue, who was about 5. Sue-Sue was hauling in fish left
and right. It turns out that instead of gently wiggling her pole, she was
yanking it up and down and sideways. She was catching fish by snagging them in
their sides.
When
Mike talks about fishing, he means using the right equipment in the right
place, with the right technique, for the right catch. Fly-fishermen and women
work hard and practice their casting skills often, to bring in the kind of
fish, trout or salmon, for example, that they want.
So,
four simplified categories of fishing: casting nets, dangling a line, snagging
whatever you can, and working for a specific target. We can use these four
methods to describe fishing for people. As a congregation, we do all four, in
different ways, with different degrees of success.
We
cast a net when we make sure the church is listed in the phone book and
newspaper. We cast a net when we have an up-to-date website and presence on
social media – Facebook and Twitter. We cast a net when we send out mailings or
leave door-hanger flyers in the neighborhood. Some folks have come to us
because of these listings.
We
dangle a hook and worm when we wear a cross or leave a copy of The Lutheran or devotional book at the
doctor’s office. Someone might notice and ask us about our church or our faith,
but it’s not likely.
We
snag whoever we can when we set up a booth at the First Saturday market in
Dunnellon. We have the opportunity to chat face to face with people and tell
them about Hope, IF we can get them to stop instead of walking past us. Because
we have a chance to talk with folks, this method can work to catch people for
Jesus.
The
most effective method of fishing for people for Jesus is both the easiest and
the hardest. Like fly fishing, it involves using the right equipment, in the
right place, in the right way, at the right time. It involves practicing our
skills, and it means we will not catch a fish/person on each cast. It involves
a lot of patience, a lot of waiting and watching for the right moment. It
involves remembering that we have been sent by the Master Fisherman and
remembering that he will guide us and help the fish get caught.
Believe
it or not, this method actually catches the most fish. Most of the people here
today are here because someone else invited them. Or they returned because
someone welcomed them when they visited the first time. The right equipment is
our own stories – our own experiences of a life of faith. Jesus taught in
stories because we understand stories, we can relate to stories. This is why I
tell stories all the time.
If
you think about it, you have a story to tell about just about everything. We
have stories about how we survived the loss of loved ones. We have stories
about how we were down to our last dollars and somehow, God provided. We have
stories of finding the strength to endure major illness. We have stories about
coming back to faith, back to church, even though we thought the roof would
cave in and people would be rude. We have stories of being invited, and
invited, and invited before we accepted the invitation.
Our
own stories are the best equipment we have for fishing for people for Jesus. There
are people everywhere who are waiting and hoping for a reason to believe in
Jesus. They are looking for a reason to belong to a community of faith. The
Holy Spirit is preparing their hearts to hear and respond to our stories, just
as the first disciples responded to Jesus. In fly fishing, it may take a lot of
casting and a lot of patience to catch a fish. In fishing for people it takes a
lot of patience, and it takes the right stories at the right time.
This
week, I invite you to reflect on your life and see how many life stories you
can remember. Remember the times of joy. Why were they joyful? Did you thank
God for the joy? Remember the times of sadness. Why were they sad? How did you
get through them? Did you ask God for help through the sadness? Tell these
stories to one another, like a fisherman practicing his casting.
We
are all disciples of Jesus, called by him to follow where he leads. We are
called to share our own fish tales, and to use our stories to catch more fish
for Jesus. What tales will you tell? Who needs to hear them?
Please
pray with me: Jesus, our Great Fisherman, We thank you for catching us in your
net of love and grace. Send us out to catch more fish with your love. Amen
