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1/21/2018
Follow Now
Mark 1:14-20
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the words of my mouth and the ears of our hearts be open to the word of God this day. AMEN.
I have said it before and I will say it again, if you don’t know me that well, I see in pictures. Some people are word people they think and rationalize by words. They see sentences and hear words in their mind. I on the other hand see pictures, snapshots, mini videos of what is being described. Everyone is a little different, some are Word people, Some see life in math formulas, some a great emotional people, and some are like me and see images in their mind. I tell you this because today’s Gospel reading is quite the story to see and not simply something to be heard or felt.
So often we come and read scripture with stoic ears. After all it is called the Holy Scriptures, the Very Word of God. We want to hear the Word of God in reverence and with honor. Some people are literalists of the Word, taking it for the exact meaning of what it says, no bending, no wavering, no wondering, no questions.
But in reality we have to look at the Scriptures in their context, look at the author’s perspective and see what is the point that is trying to be made. For instance we have to look deeper many times – because If you are a literalist then Jesus saying Keep awake therefore for you do not know the hour is a very hard life sentence to never sleep – but that is not what its intentions is – its about being active in the faith, maturing and growing in our relationship with God.
Or again thousands of people have gotten into trouble trying to literally interpret what John was seeing in his Revelation of Jesus Christ, predicting that it was about the civil war, World War I, or World War II or this earthquake or that fire and saying that event marks the beginning of the end as recorded in that last book of the Bible. And yet, the world keeps going and they miss the point. The point of any apocalyptic work – that God is in charge, that there will be war, devastation, sickness, fired and earthquakes, and death, but through it all God’s in charge, the final victory is assured, and when all this comes to an end, God’s kingdom will remain forever.
The same thing can happen in our Gospel reading today. So often we try to find more, some deeper meaning behind it. Sometimes we don’t see the obvious meaning because we get lost in the intricacies of how it all ties together and what the emotions or deeper meaning might be.
But sometimes when you just simply picture the scene in your mind – it makes it the easiest way to see it. Try to picture it in your mind just as Mark tells it. Jesus comes down to Galilee, and says “The Time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near, Repent and Believe in the Good News.” Wow what a short sermon. It has to be one of the shortest on record. Can’t you just picture it? But then we get caught up intowho was there to hear it, what was it like when he said it, who believed and who listened, where was he exactly or when was it.But instead just try to picture the simple scene -Jesus, a carpenter ‘s son from up further north in Nazareth, just happens to walk down to the sea shore on maybe a really nice day, the sun’s out, people are going about their day. Kids are playing. Birds are chirping. The waves are breaking up on to the beach and there this one lone man holds up his hands and says this one line and what everyone comes to hear it – they drop everything their doing. Is it like the old EF Hutton ads – the markets and talking, business and schools stop, the housewives come out, the kids stop playing, the dogs stop barking, all of the people around the sea of Galilee lean in and strain to hear this short sermon. That’s Little hard to believe it happened that easily. One line and it all begins. But that is exactly what Mark tells us. Jesus Began to Preach.
Then Mark gives us yet more odd images for our mind to picture. Its almost laughable to think it would happen this way. Jesus is walking by and sees Simon and Andrew – they are throwing a net into the sea, reeling it in and throwing it out, reeling it in and throwing it out. This is the family business. This is what their father has taught them and his father probably before him. They are on the shore, perhaps knee or waist deep in the waves, throwing this net as far out as they can, and pulling in whatever fish they can grab, so they can have dinner, pay the bills, live another day. And we hear that this stranger, Jesus walks up to them and says “Follow me and I will make you fishers of people.” And immediately they followed him. Dropping the net right there, it floating off in the tide, they turn drudging through the waves and water, wet and sweaty, leaving behind any fish they may have caught, leaving their families, their home, and saying immediately Okay-dokey we’re going to follow you.
Then Jesus does the same a little further down the beach. He comes across James and John sitting in their boats mending the nets. Sewing and fixing the holes, untangling the knots, tying in the edge weights that help it sink. They are there talking over the fishing, working on what they have to do to make a living, just as their father has done and his father before him. And Jesus Calls them and Immediately they say Okay-dokey and follow dropping their nets right there in the boat still filled with the tangles and holes, They ignore their dad as he looks on flabbergasted that they are just walking away. No turning back, no explanations, no asking for permission, no apologies. They just leave.
It all seems almost hard to picture, and even harder to believe that these four men would just drop everything and follow. If it happened just like that it would almost seems like a comical scene. One man coming down to the seashore and saying Okay lets get started. And Two strangers immediately go with him followed yet by two more. But that is all Mark Gives us. And yet people have looked for more meaning to it. A deeper understanding. Commentaries and Biblical scholars have put forth many theories trying to explain this almost humorous scene of four men instantly following Jesus. They get into the why, the emotions, the reasons for it. And yes there may have been a lot more to the story, the instances and the times they had heard Jesus preached around the sea of Galilee, the times that Jesus had visited the synagogues and revealed the scriptures and the times Andrew and Peter, James and John may have witnessed it before this day. Even the Gospel of John, gives a little more background. In his Gospel, he talks about John the Baptist identifying Jesus as the Lamb of God. He points as the crowds are there for him, he turns their attentions to Jesus. Andrew and another disciple were there and heard John say this is the one, and they follow to see Jesus and learn where he is to be, and so they begin by searching him out and telling others about him.
But that is not what Mark is trying to convey. Mark wasn’t concerned about the background to the story, of how the crowds and the fishermen might have already known Jesus by the time he comes and says follow me. Mark just gives us this short odd scene that we can picture in our heads – to get a point across.
Its not about why they follow. Its not about the leaving the casting or dropping the nets half done that matters. It is not about the father standing there, mouth hanging open asking what just happened matter. No, what Mark is trying to convey in this short scene is that what matters is these brawny tough men of the sea “Follow”. They leave everything, make no excuses, don’t seek out explanations, or find out more details. They simply follow.
Okay-dokey they follow. It almost sounds laughable and you all chuckled when I said it, but that is Mark’s actual point. As crazy as it may be they follow. God Calls them and they follow. Not asking for what they can do. Not wondering how they have any special talent, or skill. Not wondering where they have to go. Or what they are going to be doing. No Mark just points out the craziness of it and says God Calls and they follow.
And as goofy as that may seem, it is also the point for us to learn. God calls us, Like we talked about last week with the Call of Philip and Samuel. God Calls us to come and follow.
Each of us are called through our baptism to follow Jesus, to become his disciples and to be fishers of people, to invite others to join us in knowing the saving forgiveness and love of God. We are called no matter what excuse we might think of, or reason we can not do something, we can say we don’t have the time, the experience the knowledge, the whatever. We can try to delay and ignore, but What Mark is conveying here is that we don’t have that choice. God says Follow and we go. No questions, no doubts, no stopping. As crazy as it might seem, God has called us, this church, he has called you and me to be about his work in this community now in this time and place. We are to be about that work, Okay Dokey- lets get started.
Amen.
May the peace and Grace of God be with you this day and throughout the week to come. AMEN.