“Forsaking all”
Written By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Matthew 4:18-22 (Forward, p. 32) CEV p. 985
No matter how many times I read this account, it never ceases to amaze me. Even before reading John Pilch’s background on the incident, I was astounded. Here they were, the four of them, leaving their partnership, their father and hired helpers (in the case of James and John) and their livelihood, likely the only livelihood they had ever known. To me, even initially (before knowing anything else of the cultural background of this act), this was singularly astounding. These four men were making a total and absolute break with the past and were venturing out into the total unknown, into a future that they had absolutely no idea of what it entailed.
Pilch’s addition to the story, however, makes this break, this departure, even more earth-shattering. He tells us that in the Eastern Mediterranean family is everything, giving the person his identity, his sense of belonging, his sense of security and his place in the world. A person was literally defined by what family, and what parents and grandparents you had. That’s why genealogies (‘son or daughter’ of xx) are so important in the Biblical texts. A person cut off from his or her family was essentially a nobody, a non-person. And so, Jesus was asking these four fishermen to leave everything they knew, to forsake all, and join Him in an unknown future. He, this almost totally unknown factor, would constitute their ‘new’ family, their new focus of identity and belonging. He would give them a new purpose, a new occupation, as well, one that they could scarcely even imagine either. Imagine ‘catching’ people instead of fish: what in the world could that mean? What astounds me is that they said ‘yes’, seemingly with little or no hesitation. I’m afraid that doing this is well beyond my capability. The little ‘yes’s’ perhaps, but not such a big one. But then, I suspect that the little ones actually mount up and add up to big ones after all, and that is what I think counts in God’s eyes. May each of us make those little decisions, day by day, that added up, really do make a difference. Amen.
Forward notes: “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’” (verses 18-19).
Commemoration of Saint Andrew the Apostle
“When I was younger, my dad signed me up for the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, a religious organization for men dedicated to prayer, Bible study, and service. I received a great-looking pin with an X on it, representing the St. Andrew’s Cross—what Andrew was hanged on when he was executed. In my teen years, I decided that church and this organization weren’t helping me, even though I knew it was important and helpful for others, so I dropped out of the Brotherhood.
“A few years ago, I was visiting with the bishop of South Dakota, and during our visit, he told me that he had something for me. I was intrigued. He handed me a yellowed envelope with the Brotherhood of St. Andrew logo on it. The envelope had my name on the address label but the diocese’s old mailing address. When I opened it, I found a letter asking if I was still interested in remaining a member. It was dated 1979.”
Moving Forward: “How have you responded to the call to follow Jesus?”
