Third Sunday after the Epiphany, 01/26/2014

Sermon on Matthew 4:12-33, by Allison Zbicz Michael

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles- 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." From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." 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. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 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. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. 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. NRSV

A young woman with multiple addictions, homeless, and living on the streets spoke of how she encountered Jesus in a kindly Christian, a woman who gave her a second chance and helped pull her out of her despair. Love and a warm home changed her life. Now 20 years later, she runs an urban ministry, using her gifts and experience to reach the youth of a rough area. Lives continue to be transformed.

A young man finds himself in prison, charged with multiple felonies. He doesn't have much else to do, so for the first time he opens a Bible and listens to its powerful words. Several months later, he finds the courage to ask the new prison chaplain to baptize him. Though he will not be released for many years, within those prison walls, he has become a voice of hope for others.

An elderly woman with an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame about a dark episode in her past encounters a God who forgives and heals and loves lavishly. "My grace is sufficient for you," she hears him say "for my power is made perfect in weakness."

When many of us think of conversion, these are the types of stories that come to mind. God enters lives, and He turns people from their sinful ways, and calls them to follow Him. Many of us have had moments of conversion not unlike those just mentioned, moments of awareness of our own sin and a deep sense of grace that follows. These sorts of dramatic 180 degree turns towards God and away from something destructive are the stories that make for interesting books or movies.

The conversion story in today's Gospel lesson is, however, different. These fishermen were not caught in the act of a great crime. They weren't people who had hit rock bottom. There is no indication that they spent their daily lives wracked by some hidden guilt.

Instead, Peter and Andrew were out in their boat, casting nets-because that's what fishermen do. Fishermen may have been known for being rough-around-the-edges, but theirs was respectable and honest work. Like the first two called, James and John were also fishermen by trade. They too braved the often stormy waters so that people might have food to eat. At the time Jesus called them, we are told, they were out in the boat with their father mending their fishing nets. Not only were James and John doing the important work of fishermen, they were also being faithful sons, who honored their father.

While we'll come to see that these fishermen are far from sinless, what we notice in this Gospel reading is how many good things Jesus is calling these young men to abandon. Leave your boat, your work, your familiar home and way of life. Leave even your family behind, not because any of these things are bad, but because what Jesus has to offer is even better. This is a different sort of conversion story, not just a call to turn away from sin and evil, but a call to leave behind good things to pursue what is even better. "Come, follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Fishing for fish is good, but following Jesus and fishing for men is even better.

This Gospel lesson reveals Jesus as the light which draws our lives into focus and helps us see what is truly important in life.

Sometimes this Light shows us the sin and disorder in our lives, calling us to turn from the truly sick parts of our souls. This Light gives us the jailhouse conversion, the recovery from addiction, the newfound ability to forgive, the grace to seek forgiveness from our greed, our pride, and our anger. This is the sort of transformation that we most often speak of when we talk about the Law of God which shows us our sin, and the Gospel or good news of grace, which heals us again when we turn from it.

Other times, though, the Light which shines on us helps us see clearly, "this thing in your life is good because it comes as a gift from God-the gift is good, the Giver is better." Fish and food to nourish the body are good gifts. Steady work is a good gift. Health is a precious gift. Loving parents and faithful friends are gifts to be treasured. Grace, love and joy are some of the greatest gifts that we can enjoy. When we stand in the Light, though, we see that one who showers us with these things is infinitely greater, infinitely more worthy of our gratitude and love.

The Light of Christ helps us distinguish the bad from the good. It also helps us distinguish the merely good from the truly perfect.

Along these lines, Saint Augustine once wrote that "a person is just and holy if he looks at things without bias and keeps his loves in their proper order, so that he doesn't love what he shouldn't love (sin and evil), so that he doesn't fail to love what he should love (God and our neighbor), so that he doesn't love too much that which should be loved less, nor does he love less that which he should love more."ⁱ In other words, when Jesus calls us, he calls us to love God above all else. He calls us to love people because the image of God is in them. He calls us to love the gifts of God because the one who gave them to us is good, and he calls us to reject sin and evil which pull us away from God.

So, when Jesus called the fishermen to follow him, his call was to love Him more than the lesser things, to follow Him even when it meant leaving behind other good things. His call was to love Giver more than the gifts. His call was a call to a new order in their hearts.

This is no easy thing for us humans whose hearts so eagerly cling to all the wrong things.

Still, a few fishermen heard that call on the shores of the Galilee, and they began the grace-filled journey of having their hearts sorted-out and their love turned-towards the One who is Love. They began seeing the world by the Light that Christ shined in the darkness. They began to love Jesus more than they loved the familiarity of their everyday lives, more than they loved the happiness they got from their friends and family. They wouldn't have followed him otherwise.

But they did follow him. The nets and the boats were left behind, and the comfort and security of the past were given up so that they could follow Jesus. These conversions are every bit as profound and life-changing as those who hear the call to repent and turn from sin or evil. Not so many years after their call to follow Jesus, their hearts will be so fully turned towards Him that they will even love the One who created them and breathed life into them more than they love their own life and breath. They will be fishers of men who proclaim the risen Lord even in the face of persecution and almost certain martyrdom.

He issues each of us the very same call to us today, the call to conversion of heart, which is a call not only to reject sin, but also to love Him more than all lesser things.

This is no easy calling, but with the help of God's grace, may we, like the first disciples, have our hearts and minds ever more turned-towards the one who is Love. May we be given the grace to see and understand that the Giver is greater than the gift. And when he calls to us saying, "come, follow me," may we have the faith and courage to follow, even when following Jesus means that we must leave many good things behind. Amen.

Rev. Allison Zbicz Michael
Seward, NY
E-Mail: zbiczmichael@gmail.com

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