Jesus Calls Us – February 13, 2022

Psalm 138, Luke 5:1-11
February 13, 2022

The first thing I have to say here is that, no, that’s not a mistake in the bulletin.  Both my sermon and the last hymn have the same title.  “Jesus Calls Us.”  (I’ll let you draw your own conclusions as to how that inspiration happened!)

Today, we’re looking at the story of Jesus calling his first disciples.  And we’re looking at how their call relates to our lives, and the ways God calls each of us.  But first a quick recap.

First, we looked at the story of how Jesus “came on the scene.”  We talked about his baptism by John in the Jordan, and the “Theophany” – the appearance of God, which took place at that event.  Then we saw him speaking in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth.  If you remember, that didn’t go very well!  Then he moved on to Capernaum, and things went much better!  There, he cast out a demon, he healed Simon’s mother-in-law, and then he performed a “mass healing.”  As a result, word began to spread about him, and he started to draw the huge crowds that mobbed him wherever he went.  As you know, I like to refer to that aspect of his ministry as “Jesus, the Rock Star!”

Well, today we move on to Luke 5.  And here we find Jesus “adapting” to the large crowds that were now following him.  Today we find him by the Lake called Gennesaret.  And I wondered when I read that.  Is Lake Gennesaret the same as the Sea of Galilee?  So, I Googled “Is Lake Gennesaret the same as the Sea of Galilee?”  And the answer that came back was this. “Lake Tiberias, is also known as the Sea of Tiberias, Lake of Gennesaret, Lake Kinneret, and the Sea of Galilee.”

So, there you have it.  And the land of Israel is mostly very arid, and there aren’t that many lakes there, so it makes sense.  It also makes sense because we know that Capernaum was a town on that lake. And as I said before, Capernaum became Jesus’ adopted hometown, his “base of operations” during his ministry.

So as this story begins, Luke tells us that Jesus was beside the lake, and “the people pressed in on him.”  So, as I said, he adapted.  Jesus was good at that!  He saw two boats, and he asked the owner of one of the boats to push out from the shore a little way, so he could speak to the people from there.  Luke also tells us that the owner of the boat was the same Simon, whose mother-in-law Jesus healed.  As you know, he would come to be known as Peter.  And as far as we know, Jesus and Simon were not acquainted before Jesus came to Capernaum.  So, this is the way they got to know each other.

Jesus speaks to the crowds, and as he finishes his lesson – his sermon – he turns to said Simon and he says, “Let’s do some fishing.”  And Simon says – (sounds like a game, doesn’t it?) – Simon says, “We fished all night and caught nothing.”  And I wonder.  Did he, at that moment, think about what he just said, and saw Jesus staring him down, and then changed his mind and gave this obedient sounding statement.  “But at your word I will let down the nets.”  Or, was this all one sort of sarcastic, pre-“I-told-you-so” statement.  “We caught nothing, but if you say so…”

Well, you know how this goes.  They caught so many fish that they filled both boats until they were nearly sinking.  One of the Gospel writers uses the Greek word “plethos” to describe the number of fish.  In other words, they caught a plethora of fish!  (You know I love that!)  Well, when that happens, Simon is embarrassed at his previous response to Jesus, which makes me think it was more of a sarcastic statement.  “We caught nothing, but because you say so…”  Because of his shame, he now says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man!”

What we know here is that he, and everyone else, were astonished at the number of fish they had caught, and how it happened!  They were “blown away” by what they had just witnessed!  Here were these fishermen, straining at the nets, with water sloshing in, boat timbers creaking, men yelling instructions, and at the same time shouting their amazement at what was happening.  And all of this with the crowds looking on!

So then, with all the excitement still in the air, Jesus looked at them and said, “Do not be afraid, from now on you will be fishers of men.”  Sometimes we think they just obeyed because of Jesus’ power.  And there is something to that.  But I think the drama and power of this experience also had an incredible impact on them!  I think God uses such experiences in our lives to call us, too.  As I’ve said before, God has a great flair for the dramatic.  He wants not only to teach us, but to touch our hearts as well.  Maybe you can think of the kind of experiences you’ve had that inspired you, and touched your heart, and formed your faith.

Whatever the case, this experience was powerful enough for these men that when they had brought their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.  And Matthew points out that they left everything, including their father Zebedee.

So, this is the story of the call of the Jesus’ first disciples.  And we know this story.  And we remember it because it speaks of that word “call.”  We recognize that Jesus calls some people to specific service in the kingdom, people like these original disciples, and people like our own elders and deacons and trustees.  But we also recognize that Jesus calls each of us, as our last hymn states.  “Jesus calls us.”

And so, it’s a good question to ask ourselves, “What is Jesus’ call on our lives?”  And sometimes that’s specific.  Sometimes we ask, “What is Jesus calling me to do right now?”  But the big picture question is always appropriate, too.  Each of us should ask, “What is Jesus’ call on my life.”

I invite you to ask yourself that question today.  And I encourage you to think about that in the days to come.  Is he calling you into deeper devotion, into a closer relationship with him?  Is he calling you to greater service, maybe to a greater level of stewardship?  And remember that stewardship means our time, our talents, and our treasure.  Is there something specific you feel God is calling you to do in your life?

Too many people live their lives without giving thought to such things.  We are called to think about them.  Paul says, “Consider your call, brothers and sisters.”  And if you remember that passage in I Corinthians, he reminds them who they were.  “Not many of you were wise, according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.”  But then he brought it into perspective with God’s power.  “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world – even things that are not – to bring to nothing things that are.”

My prayer for you today is that you become even more aware of God’s presence in your life, and more in tune with his spirit, and more aware of how he has called you.

Prayer

Eternal God, we thank you for your great love for us, and for your call on our lives. Help each of us to know that we are important in your kingdom.  Help us to be more in touch with your Spirit as we seek to know your will for us, and as we strive to follow more closely Jesus, our Lord.  For this we pray in his name, Amen.