TOPIC: DOING YOUR BEST
TEXTS: IS 9:1-4; PS 27:1, 4-9; 1 COR 1:10-18; MATT 4:12-23
DATE: JANUARY 27, 2008
OCCASION: HOPE
SEASON: THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
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INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL LESSON
Matthew wants people to believe beyond a doubt that Jesus is the Messiah, so he frequently points to the fact that Jesus has carefully fulfilled the words of the prophets as he pursues his messianic vocation. And so he does in today’s lesson, quoting from Isaiah, as he describes Jesus leaving Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum by the sea in Galilee.
When our group was in Galilee we stopped by Capernaum to visit the archaeological site. Proudly displayed on a large wrought iron gate to the town are the words, “Capernaum, the home of Jesus.” Of course, it was the home of Peter, too, and shortly after you enter the gates there’s a statue of Peter the fisherman welcoming you. We saw what was, traditionally, the site of Peter’s house, over which a very modern church has been built to commemorate Peter’s home. Just a hundred yards or so away was the “White” Synagogue, which was built on the foundation of the old synagogue where Jesus no doubt proclaimed to the people, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” When we finished the tour, we had lunch at a restaurant by the Sea of Galilee that served, of all things, St. Peter’s fish. We know it here as Talapia. It was served whole on a large platter, with all of the typical middle eastern side dishes of hummus, salsa, olives, peppers, flat bread, and the like, which made a delicious, filling meal.
With the geographical notes and the quotation of Scripture, Matthew makes plain that the first movement of Jesus in ministry is related to the Gentiles. He wants to make the universal scope of the gospel explicit from the outset of Jesus’ work.
Jesus steps into the void left by John the Baptist’s arrest, and continues the message of repentance and the nearness of God’s kingdom. As God’s kingdom comes, the appropriate response is to repent, that is, change the direction of our lives to conform to God’s reign in the world, and therefore, in our lives.
As Jesus proclaims God’s kingdom to all, he also calls individuals to follow him.
Listen, now, to the reading of our Gospel Lesson from Matthew 4: 12-23, and hear Jesus’ call for you to follow him.
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 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.”
17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
18 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. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 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. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father,
and followed him.
23 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.
I. As Jesus begins his ministry, his plan is anything but being a loner.
A. No, the Messiah isn’t a Lone Ranger, galloping in on his white stallion to rescue Israel from Roman oppression.
1. On March 16 this year, Palm Sunday, we know there is no stallion, only the colt of a donkey upon which Jesus rode into Jerusalem.
a. Even his humble entry isn’t to be misconstrued as a private, individualistic role void of anyone else’s complicity.
b. He’s surrounded by his disciples and followed by a crowd.
2. It’s true, he died alone on a cross, but only because his disciples deserted him.
a. In Gethsemane, he invited Peter, James and John to pray with him.
b. Preparing his disciples for his impending death, he invited them to take up their crosses and follow him.
3. Salvation is a community endeavor.
a. Yes, it’s a gift of grace,
b. but part of that grace is the invitation to participate in, to have a role in bringing salvation to the world.
c. Just as we’re called to be stewards of creation, that includes being stewards of the redemption of creation.
4. To be a disciple of Jesus means to accept his invitation to follow him and to become partners in his ministry of redemption and reconciliation.
B. So, Jesus moved from his home in Nazareth and found his new home in Capernaum.
1. Luke gives more details than Matthew and reports that Jesus left Nazareth on not so good terms.
a. According to Luke, Jesus had returned to Nazareth, where he was brought up, and taught in the synagogue one Sabbath day.
b. When Jesus proclaimed to them of God’s grace toward the Gentiles, his hometown neighbors tried to toss him off a cliff at the edge of town.
c. If present-day Nazareth looks anything like it did in first century Nazareth, i.e., very hilly, I saw several places where this could have happened.
2. He left Nazareth and went to Capernaum, as Matthew reported, but, Luke’s telling of the story of his ministry there and calling of his first disciples differs significantly from Matthew’s telling.
II. In our lesson from Matthew, Jesus begins his ministry in Capernaum under the direction of the prophet Isaiah, who declared that God would give a great light to the Gentiles who lived in Galilee.
A. Jesus understands this to be God’s plan for his ministry, so he begins proclaiming the message of God’s kingdom there.
B. It’s also in Capernaum that he calls his first disciples: Peter and Andrew, James and John.
1. While walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sees the two brothers, Simon Peter and Andrew.
a. To them he gives the famous invitation, “Follow me, and I’ll make you fish for people.”
b. Without hesitation, they leave their nets and follow him.
2. There, also, by the seaside, he finds two more fishermen, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, mending their nets.
a. He calls them, perhaps by the same invitation.
b. Immediately they leave the boat and their father, and follow Jesus.
4. Even though they’ve decided to follow Jesus, he hasn’t yet appointed the Twelve—he doesn’t do that until chapter 10, and then these four fishers of people become his apostles.
III. What we learn from Jesus’ invitation to these fishermen is that Jesus calls us to do what we know and do best.
A. Jesus is talking with fishermen, so he begins his conversation with them, not with what he knows, but with what they know—fishing.
1. “Follow me, you fishermen, and I’ll make you fish-for-men!”
a. It’s a play on words, or sort of joke, something that fishermen can relate to and appreciate.
b. He wouldn’t have walked up to a baker and said,
i. “Follow me you baker, and I’ll make you fish for men!”
ii. He would have said something more like, “Follow me you baker, and I’ll make you bake bread for the world!” (think in terms of the Lord’s Supper)
2. I wonder if he might have said to Simon the Zealot when he invited him to discipleship, “Follow me, you Zealot, and I’ll make you zealous for the kingdom of God!”
3. How about Matthew the tax collector? “Follow me, you tax collector, and I’ll make you collect people for God’s kingdom!”
4. Do you get my drift?
B. Jesus’ call to each of us begins not with what he knows, but with what we know—not with what he does best, but with what we do best—on our turf and in our language, insider jokes and all.
1. Amazing isn’t it? Before we hear a word about what’s involved in this following, Jesus reassures us that we can do it, because it’s not so different from what we’ve already been doing.
2. In fact, we already have some of the job skills involved.
3. We just have to adapt what we already know.
C. Father Harry Thompson and Craig Cruccia heard Jesus’ call to them.
1. Fr. Harry and Craig Cruccia are co-founders of Reconcile New Orleans and Café Reconcile.
a. To Fr. Harry Jesus said, “Follow me, you reconciler, and I’ll make you a reconciler of New Orleans!”
b. To Craig Cruccia he said, “Follow me, you restaurant entrepreneur, and I’ll give you a recipe for saving at-risk youth from a life of crime and poverty!”
2. Even though Fr. Harry died the year before Café Reconcile opened, Cruccia says his spirit lives on and guides their work in amazing ways.
3. Since opening, Reconcile New Orleans’ Youth Workforce training program has successfully enrolled over 300 youth between the ages of 16 and 25 to learn basic life skills, interpersonal skills and work skills to enable and empower them to successfully enter the second-largest non-governmental workforce in New Orleans—the entertainment and hospitality industry.
a. Café Reconcile, where these young people receive hands-on training in culinary arts and hospitality, is ranked in the top 40 restaurants in New Orleans, and in the top 10 soul food restaurants.
i. Go to www.cafereconcile.com, and click on their menu—ummm!
ii. You’ll want to pay them a visit for either breakfast or lunch the next time you’re in New Orleans.
b. By the way, after Hurricane Katrina, they reopened less than two months later serving warm and nourishing midday meals to first-responders, construction crews, local businesses, and the slow trickle of returning neighbors and citizens.
c. As an integral part of the New Orleans community’s revitalization and recovery, Reconcile New Orleans stands as a beacon of hope for a new and better life.
D. To Millard Fuller, successful businessman and founder of Habitat for Humanity, Jesus said, “Follow me, and I’ll make affordable housing for the poor your business!”
1. Many of you have helped build habitat houses.
2. You know how the Lord uses even what we don’t do best to help others.
E. Think about Jesus’ call to you—
1. “Follow me, you engineers, and I’ll make you designers of ministries!”
2. “Follow me, you teachers, and I’ll make you teachers of the truth!”
3. “Follow me, you retirees, and I’ll make you retire the needs of this church and community!”
4. “Follow me, you homemakers, and I’ll make you make a home of our church for everybody!”
5. “Follow me, you friends, you parents, you children, you brothers and sisters, you neighbors, you newcomers, you hosts and guests, and I’ll make you all these things—to every human being!”
F. It’s not as hard as you might think, being a disciple, that it.
1. We have new session members and they, along with the other members of session, will be asking you to serve—to do what you do best, and maybe even some things you can do just giving it your best.
2. Christ always starts where we already are.
3. So, take a deep breath, follow Jesus, and just do your best.
4. Christ will do the rest.