“Incredible, simply incredible”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Matthew 4:18-25 (Forward, p. 53) CEV p. 985

I have never ceased to be amazed at the immediate response of the two sets of brothers, Peter and Andrew and James and John, in deciding to leave their fishing careers and follow Jesus. What is even more incredible is that none of them, as far as we can tell, really knew what they were getting themselves into. After all, what does ‘fishing for men’, ‘catching people, bringing in people instead of fish’, really mean?

Various theories can be put forth as to explain their readiness in following Jesus. According to John’s Gospel, Peter and Andrew had already met Jesus and had gotten to know Him, at least a little bit (see John 1:40-42). It is quite possible, as some had indicated, that the two of them had spent quite a while with Him there by the Jordan River in southern Judaea. And perhaps they had told their ‘partners in crime’, their fellow fishermen James and John, about Jesus.

Another explanation is found in Luke’s rendition of their call (see Luke 5:1-11). There Jesus amazes all of them, but Peter in particular, in finding an incredibly large draught of fish, in spite of their having fished all night with nary a fish to reward their efforts. Peter is humbled by this incident and immediately recognizes that there is something more here than a ‘normal’ human’, something extraordinary, something divine, and so feels his own unworthiness and sinfulness.

Interestingly, Margaret George, in her novel, Mary Called Magdalene, suggests other more contributing factors, factors that are more human. She suggests that Jonah, the father of Peter and Andrew, was a stern and demanding taskmaster who never thought that his two sons were really ‘up to snuff’. He was sure that they could do better, and never let them forget it (see pp. 264-265 of her book). As for the father of James and John, Zebedee of Bethsaida, he wasn’t much better. Conceited and loud-mouthed, he was full of his own importance, and rather grudging in terms of sharing his praise, or his profits, with anyone, including his own sons who’d done all the work (see pp. 267-269 of the same book). And so these four men could have had abundant reasons for wanting to desert their family business in favour of following Jesus.

Even so, even with all these suggested ‘reasons’, their leaving, and their following, never cease to amaze me. To be free to say ‘yes’ like that: that is incredible. Far too often my yes has been ‘yes, but.’ Or like some later would-be disciples, ‘I will follow, but first let me…” (Luke 9:57-62). To me, far too often there was some other responsibility, some other task, that had a prior call upon my life. To me, saying ‘yes’ to this task or calling would have been irresponsible; it would have meant my shirking some other responsibility. Far too often, I wanted to be ready, to free, but in my own time and in my own way. But that is not at all what we see in these two sets of brothers. They came at once and followed Jesus. May we, you and I, be more like that. Amen.

Forward notes: “And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him” (verses 19-20).

“Jesus is a newcomer to Capernaum. As he settles in the area, he begins spreading the message that ‘the kingdom of heaven has come near’ (Matthew 4:17). One day he sees two people fishing and tells them to follow him, and Simon and Andrew walk away from their fishing work and go with this person they barely know.

“This story is so familiar to me that I usually rush through without asking ‘why?’. Why did Jesus talk to these two people? Why would he offer ‘fishers of people’ as a selling point? Why did they actually decide to follow him?

“The story invites more questions than it answers for me. It does not reveal the motivations of Jesus, Simon, and Andrew. But it may offer a glimpse into what the coming of the kingdom might mean for these three and for the crowds that come to them: God is casting nets wide. God has not forgotten them but is with them always. And that hope is compelling enough for Simon and Andrew to leave all they know and join Jesus as fishers of people.”

Moving Forward: “Imagine a stranger asking you to leave your work and families to become a ‘fisher of people.’ What would you do?”

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