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    Feb 02, 2020

    Jesus Begins His Ministry

    Jesus Begins His Ministry

    Passage: Matthew 4:17-23

    Speaker: Rev. Vivian McCarthy, Pastor

    Fundamentally, our Lord's message was Himself. He did not come merely to preach a Gospel; He Himself is that Gospel. He did not come merely to give bread; He said, "I am the bread." He did not come merely to shed light; He said, "I am the light." He did not come merely to show the door; He said, "I am the door." He did not come merely to name a shepherd; He said, "I am the shepherd." He did not come merely to point the way; He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." ~J. Sidlow Baxter

    And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.  That’s where we left off last week.  One sentence that covered 21 years of Jesus’ life, saying essentially, that Jesus needed time to grow up – to mature so that he could one day take up his calling from God.

    Today we are skipping over a bit of the story – Jesus’ baptism by his cousin John and the temptation in the wilderness -- to what Jesus did more or less first when he actually began his ministry.  In both Mark’s and Matthew’s Gospel accounts, the stories get right down to business and say that he started to preach in Galilee, announcing God’s good news:  “Now is the time!  Here comes God’s kingdom!  Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!”

    Then in the next sentence, in both Mark and Matthew, Jesus calls two brothers, Simon and Andrew and then two more brothers, James and John.

    Okay – I’m going to give groups of you a part.  You need to listen to the story as if you are the person or persons that you are assigned to be.

    • You are Jesus
    • You are Simon and Andrew
    • You are James and John
    • You are Zebedee

    Now listen to the story “in character.”  Just listen, considering what the story says about you and how what Jesus says/what happens affects you.

    18 As Jesus walked alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, because they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” 20 Right away, they left their nets and followed him. 21 Continuing on, he saw another set of brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father repairing their nets. Jesus called them and 22 immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

    The story is pretty much bare bones.  Not a lot of dialogue.  I’m asking you to engage your imaginations again.  So, listen once again.  When I finish reading this time, I hope that some of you will offer up how you feel and what you think as the character in the story.  What does the story say about you and how does what Jesus says to you affect you?  What are you thinking – as Peter – as Jesus – as Zebedee or the others.  Try to listen with fresh ears – what do you hear that is new to you?  When you are part of the story as one of the characters, what do you think/feel?

    Several years ago, Steve Harvey – you know, the Family Feud guy – found himself in a unique situation because of his background.  He was invited into a national level conversation about urban renewal.  The media had all kinds of questions about why this particular celebrity was invited into this conversation.  Harvey’s response was:  Your career is what you are paid for, and your calling is what you are made for.

    Everyone in this story had a calling – a calling for which they were made -- one they could not ignore – a calling that impelled them out of their normal lives – even Jesus.  There were consequences for accepting the calling.  Things changed for them and for those that were closest to them.

    Was it worth it?  Here’s what I know about calling.  It presses in – it feels good and if I’m really honest, some days it feels awful – but once it gets hold of you, it is very difficult to ignore or walk away from – kind of like this poem by Andrew King:

    WHY YOU LEAVE YOUR NETS AND FOLLOW[1] 

    Because your hope for that kingdom
    has teased the edge of your thoughts
    the way waters tease the edge of the shore
     
    because his words stir that hope
    in the depths of your soul
    the way wind stirs the waves of the sea
     
    because you sense that his love
    like a sea without bounds
    is as large as the needs of the world
     
    and because he’s called you by name
    and the heart in you swims
    toward that love, toward joy, toward home

     

    [1] Andrew King, http://bit.ly/2tZJVDq