Blogging Toward Sunday, January 14

Sermon: Rev. Jim Berlau  "Known As Fishers: Called to Cast a Wide Net"

 

Scripture: Mark 1:14-20

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;[c] repent, and believe in the good news." 16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea-for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.                                        

 

Oh, how I love a good story!  And the book of Mark is set up in just that way.  A page-turner that compels the reader to deeply consider who this character Jesus truly is.  This Sunday, we'll begin our new series, "Known and Called."  As we dive into the early days of Jesus' ministry over these next few weeks, we'll not only discover critical aspects of who Jesus was, but we'll also consider how we are called to take on that same likeness in our lives today.  This Sunday sets the tone for the series, as we consider if we're willing to be risk-takers and are ready to say, "yes" to following Jesus, much in the same way those four fishermen did so long ago.  But wait, fishermen?  Really?

 

You know, Mark provides some great detail within his writing.  To highlight early on that Jesus was coming to Galilee did not just give context to his whereabouts.  It foreshadowed the heart-wrenching climax to this entire story.  Galilee is important to the narrative.  It was the most heavily populated region of Palestine at that time, and possessed a thriving fishing industry.  The Sea of Galilee was actually a freshwater lake that was about 13 miles long, 7 miles wide, and about 690 feet below sea level.  How poignant is it that Jesus picks the lowest body of fresh water on planet earth to begin looking for the ones who would be his disciples?

 

But what's interesting about this portion of Mark's story is that while Mark includes so many critical details about where Jesus was, who Jesus approached, and what these fishermen were doing, we are given very little insight into why and how they responded to Jesus' call to "follow me."  Verse 18 reads, "And immediately they left their nets and followed him."  Verse 20 reads, "They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him."  What were Simon, Andrew, James and John thinking?  Did they discuss anything first with one another?  Did they have any questions?  Were there any reservations or attempts to negotiate a compromise? This begs the question, why does Mark include some details yet leave others out?  Perhaps it's a matter of how he wants to focus the lens of the narrative?  You see, for Mark, this entire book is all about answering the question, "Who is this person Jesus?"  And to allow the focus to linger on the fishermen for too long would lead the reader down a different path. 

 

Therefore, perhaps the details included about the fishermen simply highlight who Jesus was calling.  This emphasized, much like the location of the Sea of Galilee, that Jesus was not interested in showing special attention to the privileged and the elite.  His calling to "follow me" was an invitation to everyone, from fishermen on that day, all the way to you and me in the here and now.  So how will we respond?  Are we ready to bear the likeness of the one who has approached us as well?  This weekend, let's spend a little time talking about 'calling' and our readiness to take that risk, drop our nets, and follow this mysterious person named Jesus.

 

The adventure begins this Sunday,

Jim