“The Cost of Discipleship”
Sermon Presented February 7, 2010
Luke 5:1-11
About ten days ago, a group of 10 Southern Baptists from Idaho tried to spirit 33 children out of Haiti into the Dominican Republic in order to transport them to the United States. Haiti is in shambles from the earthquake, and death and destruction are everywhere. When these Christian men and women told parents they would take the children to the Dominican Republic for a holiday, the parents were delighted! The missionaries told the Haitian authorities that the children were orphans!
In a crisis, it’s not difficult for people to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Back in the 60’s, the Children of God and the Moonies gathered young people who were unhappy at home and brainwashed them. And then there was Patty Hearst who was kidnapped and brainwashed by the Symbioses Liberation Army, and as a result, she joined them in robbing banks. And we can’t forget the charismatic televangelists who convince millions of people to send money; and political leaders who convince others to join in their protest agendas. The Pied Piper is alive and well today, as people gather followers for both good and nefarious purposes. The question we should consider is: Is your leader worthy of being followed?
Jesus began gathering followers in the early days of his ministry. As he presented himself to the people, some were willing to leave everything and follow him. According to Scripture, most disciples followed because of a moment of inspiration when they sensed God’s presence in Jesus. But following Jesus came with a cost – a cost not fully realized at the moment of commitment. Let’s look at our text from Luke 5:1-11 and see why Jesus’ first disciples decided to follow him.
Let’s look at the setting. Jesus is right up against the water’s edge of the Sea of Galilee, and the crowd is pushing in on him. If he backs up any further, he’s in the lake. So when he sees a couple of fishing boats along the shore, he asks the owner of one – Simon Peter – if he can teach from his boat. Simon agrees.
Simon has already met Jesus when Jesus was a guest in his home and healed his mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39.) The boat now becomes a floating pulpit.
Simon and his fishing partners have been fishing all night – with absolutely no luck. They’re tired and discouraged. When they finish cleaning the gunk off their nets, they can go to bed – because fish don’t bite in the daytime heat of Israel.
After Jesus finishes his teaching and the crowd disperses, Jesus suggests that Simon go back out into deep water and cast the nets again. The nets are already clean! It’s 120 degrees and the fish won’t bite! The workday is over – or so Simon believes. The bed is inviting! But Simon doesn’t have the courage to turn down the request, so he goes fishing again. However, he has no expectations for a catch. But look what happens! The fish jump right into the nets and there are so many fish that they call their partners in the other boat to help. Jesus offers abundance – not scarcity!
Simon believes he is in the presence of the Divine and he falls on his knees before Jesus in the midst of those flopping fish, acknowledging his sinfulness. He is overwhelmed by a sense of unworthiness as he encounters God in Jesus. A greater miracle than the fish occurs when Simon chooses to follow Jesus. He decides to leave the familiar – the way of life he has always known – the security of his family’s fishing operation – to follow an itinerant teacher and miracle worker.
When we confront the presence of God, we are suddenly aware of our inadequacies, our limitations, and our sins! It was that way with Simon – and with Moses at the burning bush and with Isaiah in the temple. When we come into the presence of God we must choose what we want to do as a result of that encounter!
The God of mystery makes demands on us. Oh, we don’t have to take off our shoes because we’re on holy ground, but we do need to make decisions about whether or not we will follow. And we can only make a right decision when we consider the cost of discipleship – when we consider that we will need to make changes in our life without knowing then just what those changes might be. In other words, we must trust God.
God calls each of us according to our own gifts, so each call is tailor-made. Sometimes it takes years to understand where God is leading us and other times we know immediately what we need to do. Jesus, a carpenter, invited career fishermen to leave their nets and commit their lives to bringing people to Jesus, and he calls us to follow him and introduce others to the Kingdom of God. To accept the call to follow Jesus is to be willing to serve in God’s Kingdom.
Times have changed drastically from then to now. But the call to follow – the call to serve – comes to each of us, without exception. Do we trust Jesus enough to put the nets back into the boat and take out for deeper waters? If we do, we don’t know what we will find, but we do know that we won’t be led astray.
Last week I experienced God’s presence in many ways – not as call but as presence. It began with an e-mail message from a woman who found my contact on Face Book. She reminded me of a Lay Witness Mission I helped organize in 1973 and how that experience began her and her husband’s journey with Jesus. I received a call from someone in the congregation telling me that she wants to join Roundy. I was able to share Lawrence and his gift of teaching with my Rotary club. I visited with members in rehab and nursing homes and was blessed by them. I rejoiced at Julie Slaviero King’s trip to help the people of Haiti. I attended an Interfaith Conference luncheon and heard a report of what Interfaith has accomplished in Milwaukee over the past 40 years. In all of these experiences, I didn’t sense a need to do anything differently, I just sensed that God is working and I am privileged to be a part of it. I sensed that I am in the right place at this time, and I rejoice.
Some people are willing to turn their lives upside down to follow a dream – to write a novel, start a business, go back to school, or get married. I had an e-mail from Leona last week saying that she and Jon have started a new architectural firm. Our sense of vision must be strong enough to lead us to take the first step, and then to move forward in the face of difficulties. But if we sense God’s call and do nothing, the dream will die. The fishermen left their boats and nets and followed Jesus.
We can’t take God’s call lightly – because there is a cost to discipleship. Our use of time and money will change! And sometimes we need to follow our instincts to discern if we really are on the right course. Bringing God’s kingdom into the lives of others is an awesome opportunity – and responsibility.
Keep in mind that catching fish in the sea isn’t really a miracle unless you see it that way. Fish are supposed to be in the sea. The equipment is present to catch them and these men are professional fishermen. But those fishermen knew that this was more than just an ordinary catch of fish. They sensed the power of God in Jesus as the abundance of fish overwhelmed them and brought fear. Jesus said: “Don’t be afraid! There’s no need to be overwhelmed!”
In this text, Jesus calls ordinary people. They aren’t college graduates or trained in the understanding of Torah. As far as we know, none has any great talent for ministry. And yet Jesus called them – as he calls us – from one way of life to a life of discipleship. And like those fishermen, all we need is a willingness to open our lives to him and follow his call.
Today, God speaks our names, inviting us to follow Jesus. Discipleship is a journey – a life-long adventure, and there are choices to make all along the way. God won’t coerce or manipulate us. God only invites us. How will we respond?
02/07/2010
