Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Fishing is Risky Business

The Rev. Kathi Johnson
B Epiphany 3 – 21 January 2018
Text: Mark 1:14-20
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

+ INJ +

When we catch up with Jesus today, he’s at the very beginning of his earthly ministry. We are now in the Gospel of Mark, and today you see we are in chapter 1, close to the beginning of the book, only 14 verses in. In Mark, there is no Christmas story to start off the book – there is no poetic introduction, like John has. Mark begins by saying this is “[t]he beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

There’s a short bit about John the Baptist. Then, Jesus is baptized in three verses, tempted in the wilderness for two verses, and we arrive at verse 14, wherein we find out that John the Baptist has been arrested. Undaunted by John’s arrest, Jesus begins his proclamation: “the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 

Jesus then starts to build his team. He’ll end up with many disciples, of course – many will follow him around, listening to him and learning from him. But Jesus wants a closer group, too. Mark says that he’s next to the Sea of Galilee, and he finds Simon and Andrew fishing. He calls to them to follow him, and he’ll have them fish for people. And immediately (Mark says), they leave their nets and follow Jesus.

So Jesus keeps going, and he finds James and John fixing their nets in their boat, working their family business. Immediately (Mark says), Jesus calls them, and they, too, leave their nets and their dad, and they follow Jesus. So, at this point, Jesus has built his team with four fishermen.

Fishing can be a risky business. I have gone fishing before. I went a few times as a child with my Grandpa Woolard. We’d go out in a little boat, sit quietly, and wait for the fish to come to us. When I was a little older, we’d take family camping trips on the lakes of Central Texas. I remember one time, I was the only one in the family to catch a fish – and it was about this big. There was very little risk involved – to me…or to the fish.

But for professionals, fishing can be a risky business. If you watch any of the myriad of what I call extreme-reality shows with crab fishing or fishing in the North Atlantic or fishing in Alaska, you see what I’m talking about. These men (and a few women) go out into treacherous waters, where storms thrash them around, hoping to find the hot fishing spot. Sometimes they find it, and sometimes they don’t. Every time they go out, they put their lives on the line. They’re miles from medical help, miles from law enforcement, and at the mercy of the weather, their boat, their captain, and each other. 

Fishing in the First Century was risky business, too. The boats that they used were decent sized – we got to ride in something similar – but they weren’t huge. Like their modern counterparts, the fishermen in Jesus’ day were also at the mercy of the weather and discovering where the fishing was good…and where it was bad. Nets required constant care and repair, and the hours were long.

So, Jesus comes along and calls a bunch of fishermen to follow him, which they do. In fact these four men: Simon (aka Peter), and Andrew, James, and John would in some ways form the core of Jesus’ closest companions over the course of his ministry. And as I read this story again, I began to wonder why did Jesus call a bunch of fishermen?

I sat with that question for a while, and of course, I’ll never know the answer for sure. But sometimes, it can be helpful to speculate on motivations, so why did Jesus call a bunch of fishermen? Which then led me to ask: What characteristics did these men likely have – as fishermen – that Jesus would find useful?

Accustomed to taking risks. Leaving their work and following Jesus was risky.
Accustomed to hard work. It was hard work to follow Jesus – to travel with him, deal with the crowds who followed him, learn his difficult lessons.
They were strong. Maybe they didn’t know exactly the depth of their strength until after they’d spent some time with Jesus and he’d pushed them harder than they’d ever been pushed.

As I was reading this week, I came across a quote about this passage, written by Albert Schweitzer: 

“…by the lake-side, [Jesus] came to those men who knew Him not. He speaks to us the same word: ‘Follow me!’ and sets us to the tasks which He has to fulfill for our time. He commands. And to those who obey Him…He will reveal Himself in the toils, the conflicts, the sufferings which they shall pass through in His fellowship, and…they shall learn in their own experience Who He is.”

These men didn’t know Jesus when he called them. But there was something that compelled them to follow him. Maybe it was the desire to take a risk or to try something new – whatever the case, when Jesus called them, they listened, and they followed. 

So – we talked about the fishermen…why do you think that Jesus calling you? What characteristics do you have that Jesus finds useful? 

Often when I pray to begin a meeting, I begin with these words: “Thank you, Lord, for the work you have given us to do…” It’s a verbal reminder that all we have comes from God. You each have unique gifts, abilities, strengths, interests – so why is Jesus calling you? 

When we are baptized, we are called. When we are called, are we listening? When we listen, we find that God has gifted us for such a time as this – to be strong, to work hard, to take risks – to have faith, and to hope, and to love. 
Amen.

+ SDG +





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