Third Sunday after the Epiphany, 01/26/2014

Sermon on Matthew 4:12-23, by David M. Wendel

12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Caper′na-um by the sea, in the territory of Zeb′ulun and Naph′tali, 14 that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

15 "The land of Zeb′ulun and the land of Naph′tali, toward 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 preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 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 fishers of men." 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb′edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb′edee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

23 And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.

Following Means Fishing

This Third Sunday after the Epiphany, the whole gospel reading seems to turn on Jesus' call to follow him--on his call for would-be disciples to come follow him, and become, fishers of men--people, is the more politically correct term. Jesus teaches his first followers that what it means to be his followers, what it means to be his disciples, is that we are to fish, for people. And to tell you the truth, is there anything that sounds more distasteful? And I don't mean because I'm not a fish-eater. For me, as much as anything, not eating fish was my excuse for not having to actually go fishing with my Grandma Barker. She loved to go--and I think my brother, Denis, and my sister, Sandy did too. They liked getting all dressed up in Grandpa's farm clothes, powdering yourself with sulfur to keep away the chiggers, spraying on the Deep-Woods Off to fight off the mosquitoes, and then sitting beside a creek for hours, impaling worms on hooks, and waiting for fish to bite. None of which I enjoyed, or could stand, for that matter. But to get me to put up with it, Grandma Barker would always say, "if you don't catch the fish, we won't have any for supper tonight". To which I would reply, "That's fine with me--I don't like fish." And to this day, that stands. I don't like fish, and I don't like fishing. Which is why I'm such a good Lutheran, at least in one sense. Because, in spite of the fact that most of our Lutheran Scanda-hoovians do like fish--at least, Lutheran fish, like scrod, and lutefisk, it seems to me most Lutherans don't like fishing--the kind of fishing Jesus is talking about, anyway. You know, the kind where you fish for people. Some Lutherans in Minnesota or Iowa or the Dakotas might sit out on the frozen pond around a little hole dug in the ice, staring in a beer-induced haze into the cold darkness, and call that fun...but ask us to be disciples like Simon Peter, and Andrew; call us to follow Jesus and be "fishers of men--and women"...and, well, we'd just as soon go back to the ice shack at the lake and freeze our "patooties" off. Talking about our faith, sharing our own personal experience of God, telling others about Jesus, inviting folks to church--just doesn't seem to be the Lutheran cup of tea--or coffee.

What Lutherans Don't Like About "Fishing"

I remember at one mega-church in Colorado, they were all about such things. In the newspaper, there was an article about the dedication of their new 10,000 seat auditorium. And at the dedication, their guest speaker, a seminary president I think, challenged every person there to bring one or two persons to Christ that year. And the members of that congregation who were interviewed didn't seem to balk at that challenge. A couple acknowledged that's how they're going to get to their goal of 20,000 members. If each of their 10,000 worshippers brought one person to Christ--and I guess that means to that church, as well--that would make 20,000--and they'd need a new building--or at least, two services. Churches like that are known for having their members out in the community talking about their church and its activities, sharing about how Jesus is in their lives, and bringing folks to Christ. That's the fishing Jesus is talking about in our gospel lesson--dangling the bait in front of the non-believers and the unchurched--until they take hold, are caught by the Gospel, and are reeled into the fishing boat, the Church.

And of course, we could talk about some of the shortcomings of those methods--how many are turned off by such fishing techniques. We could criticize the mega-churches, and point to how just as many leave through the back door of such churches, as come in the front. But let's not focus on others-let's ask ourselves why it is that we Lutherans are so uncomfortable in the fishing Jesus calls us to? Why is it that the only kind of fishing for people Lutherans like, is the kind where we sit in the boat of the church, and we wait for the fish to jump in?

Well, maybe it's partly because we think of fishing for people--we think of evangelism, as they do it at the mega-churches, the way the non-denominationals do it, even the way the TV evangelists do it. We tend to think of evangelism as being what the irritating Christians do at work, or at the kid's soccer practices, or at PTA meetings--you know, pushing themselves and their faith on you--without respecting you and your beliefs and your own situation in life. Trying to get you to go to their church, rather than your own, because their church is where it's really happening, with the band, and the big screen projection systems and the Latte Coffee bar. But you know, that's not evangelism.

"Fishing" Is About Good News

That's not the kind of fishing for people that Jesus is talking about here, or anywhere else. That's what we call in the church-business, "sheep-stealing"--or, to keep from mixing metaphors, we should call it "fish-stealing". Getting folks to come to your church, from some other church, isn't evangelism, even though studies show lots of mega-churches grow because of members they draw from other congregations. They grow, not from an evangelism mentality, but from the "bigger-is-better" mentality...as in, "our church is bigger, so it's better than yours". I hope we Lutherans are turned off by that mentality, and don't fall into the trap that suggests evangelism--fishing for men, is about getting folks to come here, from other churches. Because the truth is, evangelism is all about the Gospel!

The word evangelism comes from the root word "evangel", which is translated "good news". Evangelism is about sharing good news with others. Not good news about our church being better than yours, the good news about Jesus. The good news that Jesus came to fulfill, as we read in our gospel lesson for today, where St. Matthew tells us, after John the Baptizer had been arrested, "Jesus left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum...so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled,

'the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and the shadow of death, light has dawned'."

Here, St. Matthew is actually quoting from our first lesson, where the prophet foretells the coming of the Messiah, saying, when this, the Anointed One comes, there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. The prophet says, "in the former time, the Lord brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and Naphtali--but in the latter time, he will make glorious these lands...the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, on them light has shined...the Lord has increased its joy, they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest--for the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken!"

The Good News of Light in Darkness

These lessons tell us that Jesus came to be Light for those living in darkness--that Jesus came to break the burden, the yoke under which people strain, so that they will be free--from whatever oppresses them. Jesus is the Light that has now dawned in our world--the Light that can never be overcome, or diminished, or extinguished. And this Light is for all people--especially those who are living in some darkness. Jesus is to be Light for those who are living in the darkness of fear; fear of loss of job, fear of family stress and situations; fear of illness and death. Jesus is to be Light for those who are living in the darkness of alcoholism and drug abuse. He is to be Light for those who are struggling to emerge from the darkness of physical or sexual abuse. He is to be Light for those who live in the shadowy twilight of sexual promiscuity, adulterous affairs, immoral behaviors. Jesus is to be Light for those who are afraid of the past, afraid of the present, or afraid of the future. Jesus is to be Light for those who live in that gray uncertainty between just barely making ends meet and being homeless, hungry, and desperate.

Evangelism is Sharing the Light of Christ

Evangelism is not about getting folks to come to our church--it's about caring for people so much, that we want them to have light, in the darkness of their lives. It's about loving others so much, that we want Light to shine in their lives, as well. It's about seeing the darkness of people's lives, and bringing them light. Not our light, or the light of false hope--but the True Light, the Light that has come into the world--the Light of Christ, that enlightens, and enlivens, and warms, and guides. The Light of Christ that has already dawned, and is even now, spreading. Like the sun, newly risen on a cloudy day, Jesus Christ has risen, and his Light is shining--but here and there are still clouds and shadows and darkness. Here and there are still people who have not seen the Light, and realized that this Light, is for them, to dispel the darkness of fear and disobedience and shame and broken-ness. Which is why Jesus calls us, His body in the world--his hands and feet and mouths in this world, to follow Him, to proclaim, with Him, "repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near"; to share good news of a great joy that has come, is coming to all the people--that a Savior has been born for us, that in Him, a great Light has shined, and this Light will bring hope and promise, as the sun in the sky brings the expectation of a better day. And this hope and promise, is for you.

That's what evangelism is all about--it's about us fishing for men and women and children living in darkness, by sharing with them, the good news that this hope and promise, is for them. That they need no longer live in darkness...for, as the Psalmist writes,

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom then shall I fear? He keeps me safe in his shelter, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life...Even now, he lifts up my head..."

The good news is, even now, the Lord lifts up our head, to see the new day dawning. And it is that, which we are to share with others--the good news that the new day dawns, for them, too. That is the kind of fishing Jesus is calling us to--and surely, that kind of following, that kind of fishing, is not too distasteful--is something each of us can do--as we simply seek to proclaim--Jesus Christ--the Light of the world!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel
Culpeper, VA, USA
E-Mail: dwendel@thenalc.org

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