THE CALL TO FOLLOW

Matthew 4:12-22

Dr. Wm. J. Maxwell

First Presbyterian Church, Newport, RI

February 10, 2008

The Biography Channel; the biography section of a bookstore; People Magazine; Entertainment Tonight; even obituaries in the daily newspaper. These are all about people and it seems that we are always interested in people – people of various types and backgrounds, thought and expression. The Bible is also rich in giving us biographies, biographies of the faithful and the faithless, the courageous and the timid, the strong and the weak, the wise and the foolish; and the biblical testimony regarding Peter the disciple has fascinated many of us.

As we observe this special season of Lent, a time dedicated to growing closer to Christ, we’re going to look more closely at this Galilean, one who gave up fishing for fish to be “a fisher of men.” He has so much to teach us from his life.

AS WE PROCEED,

LET’S LOOK AT SOME BASIC FACTS

ABOUT PETER.

His formal name was Simon Bar-Jonah, Simon (or Simeon), son of Jonas, Jonah or John.[i] Because he’s best known by the name Jesus gave him – Peter (stone or rock) - I’ll refer to him as Peter from now on. Peter was from an area in the northern part of Israel known as Galilee. A native to this area, he has been described as being: “quick-tempered, impulsive, emotional, easily roused by an appeal to adventure, loyal to the end – Peter was a typical man of Galilee.” [ii]

Originally from the small village of Bethsaida, Peter moved in time to Capernaum, a larger town to the west. They weren’t far from each other, both being on the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee, a lake thirteen miles long and eight miles wide. Here, Peter was a fisherman in partnership with his brother Andrew and his two friends, James and John.

Peter was married and it appears that his mother-in-law also lived with him, but the Bible is silent in telling us if he had any children or not. In addition, Peter was clearly the leader of the twelve Disciples. In every list of the twelve, he is mentioned first. He also appears in the Gospels often as the primary spokesman for the group. He was, as well, part of the inner circle of three that was particularly close to Jesus – along with James and John.

PETER’S CALL TO FOLLOW JESUS.

As we look at all four Gospels in the New Testament, we discover that Jesus gave several calls to discipleship before the Twelve all left their positions and jobs entirely to follow Jesus as His disciples. One commentator indicates that as much as a year passed with the different episodes of calling before they became the Lord’s steady and consistent companions.[iii]

Our passage for this morning indicates a critical time of call to discipleship. As Jesus’ ministry in Galilee began to develop, he chose to live and reside in Capernaum. Remember that this is where Peter also lived. And it was when Jesus saw Peter and Andrew fishing, and James and John tending their nets, that He called them all to follow Him as His disciples.

Now, it’s very clear that we’re not fishermen living in the first century in the area of Galilee in a land dominated by the legions of Rome. But Jesus still calls people today to follow Him. He calls each one of us in saying, “Follow Me.”

Because of the privileges and the promises that go with such a call, we’re likely to be quick to respond in the affirmative, as we wonder who wouldn’t want to be a disciple of Jesus, the Son of God? But there is far more than just privileges and promises in doing so.

There are implications and consequences to following Jesus today as His disciple. Oh, there’s no better life than living as a disciple of Jesus Christ. After 34 years of being His disciple, I cannot and will not choose any other path in life than this. But may I remind us all of some of the implications in hearing and responding to Jesus’ call to discipleship. As I do, I must be direct as He is direct.

DISCIPLESHIP

MEANS THERE IS A LEADER IN YOUR LIFE –

and YOU AREN’T THE LEADER!

Peter was your typical Galilean, we’ve been told – stubborn, impulsive, given to being a strong individual with his own ideas and his own ways of doing things. In fact, however, from the Garden of Eden until now, the very nature of humankind apart from Christ is one of being stubborn, self-directed and seeking to be in charge. We want to be the Captains of our own souls and the Designer of our own destinies.

But then comes the call of Christ to discipleship and we discover the ground rules of this relationship: If you accept this call to follow Him, there is now a leader in your life … and you aren’t the leader!

Once Christ comes into our lives, He’s to be not only our Maker, but our Master; not only our Lover, but our Lord; not only our Savior, but our Sovereign; not only our Redeemer, but our Ruler; and that means seeking Christ’s will and doing His will in each and every area of our lives - in all our thinking, in all our choosing, in all our relating and in all our living.

It’s been said that Queen Victoria had a preference in her prime ministers. She preferred Benjamin Disraeli to William Gladstone as prime minister. You see, Disraeli never argued with the Queen, while Gladstone often did. But while Disraeli never argued with the demands of his often-temperamental monarch, he wasn’t always fully obedient to her Majesty’s desires. Disraeli once stated regarding his response to Queen’s commands: “I never deny; I never contradict; I sometimes forget.” [iv]

Not so with the disciple who has heard and received Christ’s call. Dear friends, in following Christ, we must never deny and never contradict; and we must certainly never forget! If you receive this call from Christ, you have a leader, and you’re not the leader!

DISCIPLESHIP ALSO MEANS

LEAVING SOME PEOPLE

and SOME THINGS BEHIND.

This is precisely what we see in the calling of Peter and Andrew, James and John. We are told Peter and Andrew “left their nets and followed (Jesus).” Minutes later, it was the same for James and John: “Jesus called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.” Heeding the call of Christ, they were willing to sacrifice what they had only to find their “all in all” in Him.

Following Jesus quite frankly often brings with it the hard choice of leaving some things behind. A rich young ruler, for example, thought he’d mastered all the commandments, one after another – every one of them - only to find from Jesus’ call to give up his riches and follow Him that he’d made a god of his wealth, a god he simply would not let go. There are always some things in our lives that we must necessarily let go if we are to follow Jesus.

Following Jesus often brings with it as well the hard choice of leaving some people behind. They may be employers, school friends, neighbors, friends in general, or even family members. There will always be those who may disagree or who may even oppose our walk with Christ. They are left behind, not of our own desire, but because of their own choice to not follow Jesus with us.

Jesus spoke of the inevitability of this kind of division quite frankly: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”

The division of families over commitment to Christ did not happen solely in the first century. It’s happening today in Pakistan, in China and Iraq, Bangladesh and India, North Korea and Iran, and in our own communities as well, where Christ calls us, where the faithful live out His words of promise: “Whoever find his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” [v]

While recently on vacation visiting our son and daughter-in-law and family, my son and daughter-in-law took Pat and me on a brief trip. As they sat in the front and Pat and I in the back, we were listening to Christian music. And what a tremendous joy it was for me to find myself singing with my daughter-in-law to the music! It was so wonderful! But I also have family members who, of their own choice, don’t share in a common call to follow Christ – and I must … you and I must … follow Christ!

DISCIPLESHIP ALSO MEANS

BECOMING THE PERSON CHRIST WANTS US TO BE.

In being a follower, we go in the direction Christ wants us to go and that means becoming the person He wants us to be. For Peter, it meant becoming “a fisher of men.” In time he would become not only a disciple, but an apostle to the Jews.[vi]

For us, Christ loves us as we are, but He also loves us so much that He desires to change us for our good. It may be in becoming an effective witness in such a way that many are drawn to Christ through what we do and say. But depending on our own unique situations, it may include becoming a more generous person in giving of time and talent unselfishly; a more loving and patient parent; a spouse who gives more time and attention; or a worker who is willing to do what’s required, with or without a reward.

Many years ago, I listened to a sermon preached in my home church by my pastor. Dr. Emmons was a gifted preacher who often used illustrations to enforce the point he was trying to make. On that Sunday morning, he shared with the congregation a conversation he had with a Christ-follower of many years. In reflecting on his long journey of heeding Christ’s call and following Him, he revealed his feelings to Dr. Emmons in saying: “As I look upon the years of my life, I am not today the man I want to be; but I thank God that I’m not the man I once was, nor am I the man I will one day be, and all by God’s grace in following the Savior.”

I heard this many years ago, but I still remember it. I still remember it, because I’ve found that I’m saying these words today of myself. I’m quite honestly not the many I want to be today. But I do thank God that I’m not who I once was and I look with hopeful anticipation to the man I will one day be. If you are a follower of Christ, you are not the person you once were, nor are you the person you will one day be, and all by the grace of God!

The Lord was calling: “Come, follow Me.” And Peter answered in following Him. The Lord is calling today: “Come, follow Me.” And may we answer in following Him as well!