Matthew 4:12-23 12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee

Matthew 4:12-23 ¹² Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³ He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ¹⁵ "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- ¹⁶ the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." ¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ²¹ As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. ²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Matthew 4:12-23 ¹² VAkou,saj de. o[ti VIwa,nnhj paredo,qh avnecw,rhsen eivj th.n Galilai,anÅ ¹³ kai. katalipw.n th.n Nazara. evlqw.n katw,|khsen eivj Kafarnaou.m th.n paraqalassi,an evn o`ri,oij Zaboulw.n kai. Nefqali,m\ ¹⁴ i[na plhrwqh/| to. r`hqe.n dia. VHsai<ou tou/ profh,tou le,gontoj( ¹⁵ Gh/ Zaboulw.n kai. gh/ Nefqali,m( o`do.n qala,sshj( pe,ran tou/ VIorda,nou( Galilai,a tw/n evqnw/n( ¹⁶ o` lao.j o` kaqh,menoj evn sko,tei fw/j ei=den me,ga( kai. toi/j kaqhme,noij evn cw,ra| kai. skia/| qana,tou fw/j avne,teilen auvtoi/jÅ ¹⁷ VApo. to,te h;rxato o` VIhsou/j khru,ssein kai. le,gein( Metanoei/te\ h;ggiken ga.r h` basilei,a tw/n ouvranw/nÅ ¹⁸ Peripatw/n de. para. th.n qa,lassan th/j Galilai,aj ei=den du,o avdelfou,j( Si,mwna to.n lego,menon Pe,tron kai. VAndre,an to.n avdelfo.n auvtou/( ba,llontaj avmfi,blhstron eivj th.n qa,lassan\ h=san ga.r a`liei/jÅ ¹⁹ kai. le,gei auvtoi/j( Deu/te ovpi,sw mou( kai. poih,sw u`ma/j a`liei/j avnqrw,pwnÅ ²⁰ oi` de. euvqe,wj avfe,ntej ta. di,ktua hvkolou,qhsan auvtw/|Å ²¹ Kai. proba.j evkei/qen ei=den a;llouj du,o avdelfou,j( VIa,kwbon to.n tou/ Zebedai,ou kai. VIwa,nnhn to.n avdelfo.n auvtou/( evn tw/| ploi,w| meta. Zebedai,ou tou/ patro.j auvtw/n katarti,zontaj ta. di,ktua auvtw/n( kai. evka,lesen auvtou,jÅ ²² oi` de. euvqe,wj avfe,ntej to. ploi/on kai. to.n pate,ra auvtw/n hvkolou,qhsan auvtw/|Å ²³ Kai. perih/gen evn o[lh| th/| Galilai,a| dida,skwn evn tai/j sunagwgai/j auvtw/n kai. khru,sswn to. euvagge,lion th/j basilei,aj kai. qerapeu,wn pa/san no,son kai. pa/san malaki,an evn tw/| law/|Å

Isaiah 9:1-4 But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. ² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined. ³ You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. ⁴ For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Isaiah 9:1-4 primo tempore adleviata est terra Zabulon et terra Nepthalim et novissimo adgravata est via maris trans Iordanem Galileae gentium ² populus qui ambulabat in tenebris vidit lucem magnam habitantibus in regione umbrae mortis lux orta est eis ³ multiplicasti gentem non magnificasti laetitiam laetabuntur coram te sicut laetantur in messe sicut exultant quando dividunt spolia ⁴ iugum enim oneris eius et virgam umeri eius et sceptrum exactoris eius superasti sicut in die Madian

Psalm 27:4-9 ⁴ One thing I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. ⁵ For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. ⁶ Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD. ⁷ Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! ⁸ "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, LORD, do I seek. ⁹ Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!

Psalm 26:4-9 ⁴ unam petii a Domino hanc requiram ut inhabitem in domo Domini omnes dies vitae meae ut videam voluntatem Domini et visitem templum eius ⁵ quoniam abscondit me in tabernaculo in die malorum protexit me in abscondito tabernaculi sui ⁶ in petra exaltavit me et nunc exaltavit caput meum super inimicos meos circuivi et immolavi in tabernaculo eius hostiam vociferationis cantabo et psalmum dicam Domino ⁷ exaudi Domine vocem meam qua clamavi miserere mei et exaudi me ⁸ tibi dixit cor meum exquisivit facies mea faciem tuam Domine requiram ⁹ ne avertas faciem tuam a me ne declines in ira a servo tuo adiutor meus esto ne derelinquas me neque dispicias me Deus salvator meus

Text: Matthew 4:12-23

Theme: Called Out; Called In

Date: January 27, 2008

Assembly: Zion Lutheran

Can you picture it, Simon and Andrew are called out of fishing…to be…fishermen…

Can you see this, James and John, likewise, are called out of fishing into fishing

Disciples (picture yourself here) apparently are called out of your comfort zone into something which your whole life has prepared you to do…

This text seems to be about Jesus’ call…to you…

The callings of our lives seem to vie for position

(and it probably is true that with the many things to which God calls each one of us

that one takes precedence for these years

And another takes prominence in later years

But it can be hard to see just what God’s call for us is

In the midst of all the pulls in our lives

so many people clamor for our attention saying “Follow me.”

Certainly every political candidate

—sometimes even with literal “calls”

would like you to follow.

Your bosses would like you to follow their initiative.

Your children need you to follow their sports/concerts.

Some of us want to follow our hearts.

Others to follow a diet.

We all yearn to follow Jesus.

Maybe this all works together,

In the Psalm today we hear,

“’Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

What our heart hungers for—is to seek the Lord.

My family has an often recounted story about looking for something:

When my younger brother, Matt, was in preschool,

one day when we kids were clustered around the TV

while mom was working at grading papers upstairs

She came downstairs and hopped on the couch with us

and announced the beginning to a story we all know,

“I must be losing my marbles.”

To which Matt immediately responded,

“I know you are. I found one under the couch yesterday!”

The 5 year-old-Matt offered just what it sounded like Mom was seeking.

Yet, she was looking for something else—something less literal

When we seek God, we’re not looking for someone to hand us their

dusted-off, perfectly round, solid model

because we’re almost sure from what we’ve seen of God that there must be

some unfathomable edges

and places that are firm and others that feel like a warm embrace…

Each time we experience God there is a nuance or revelation that comes to light.

When we seek God, we get a glimpse here and a notion there and a feeling here

and what happens then…we keep seeking

For the very thing about the word “seek” is that it exists in the in-between

we don’t seek that which we have no inclination exists

Now, this is just one more place where relationship comes in…

Why did people need Simon and Andrew and James and John to be called from fishing?

Sometimes we need others (or where I’m really going—sometimes others need you)

to give a glimmer of what they can’t on their own imaging as real

For example:

Imagine with me that neither eye glasses nor contact lenses have yet been invented…

It seems within my realm of imagination

to think that were my friend to invite me to peer through a piece of glass

to see letters made larger

—that I would take a moment to look through it

But, my friend would have a very hard time getting me

to put a little curved piece of glass into my eye

I would not have had an inclination that a contact lens was even something to seek after

—it would have been beyond my imagination.

But to a German glass eye maker in the 1800s,

there was a glimpse,

there was a possible reality,

and then there was an experience that worked

…and then the science of contact lenses was something to seek after

And it is not that you need to get your friend to put the contact in his eye

—but just to glimpse the reality that it may be possible

and then there is a word planted

that the Mystery of God is something to seek after.

This is because, for others, who cannot glimpse the possibility of the divine

—you are the innovator.

To others who don’t know the experience of God in the midst of life,

you get to indicate that which you know to be life giving

—even if hard to wrap a mind around.

We seek what we know is there but we can’t fully grasp

Each of us here has sensed that God in some way

And yet none of us has fully grasped the entirety of who God is

Each of us here has sensed that God is calling to us in some way

And yet none of us has fully grasped the entirety of what that means

So we come here to seek God together

So, I’m quite sure we can use that “Seeker” language about ourselves

I know we’re Seekers ‘cause we’re here but we sense

that there is still something more about God to experience…

We are all seeking God

We’ve all experienced something

that lets us know the reality of God’s presence in the world

As we humans seek God’s call in our lives

We are called out to be called in

As we find in the gospel today, Jesus disrupted Simon and Andrew’s lives of fishing for fish

They were called out from what their life had been

Then, just as soon as they followed Jesus,

They were called in toward the kingdom to fish for people

to tell the story they’d been training for their whole lives

They were always fishermen

God has also been preparing you your whole life long.

You’ve had that glimpse, you know the reality, and you’ve had that experience

So, Jesus disrupts your life,

Calling you out from that which you’ve lived

So that as you follow Jesus

You are called in to tell others about that which you’ve already lived

Always yourself

So, think about the skills that you’ve gained to do your job

-Did you have to learn how to follow?

-Did you have to learn how to lead?

From computers to care-giving to coaching…

Be aware of the simple twist of

Simon and Andrew

James and John

That these may be the very skills with which God has equipped you to follow

The comfort in this gospel text is that as you are called out of your comfort and into your mission,

You get to see 1^st hand God’s good news happening

--the curing of the world’s ills

Then the question becomes (one that I will leave with you)

“Are we paying enough attention to notice Jesus at the side of our boat,

Beckoning us to follow?”

There’s something for you in all of this…there is a promise for you as you’re called out…

It is the promise that you will see God’s good news happen

You do this through your life.

As St. Francis said: "Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary."

Transition

And please understand, you are being prepped as a witness…

In the gospel text, Simon, Andrew, James and John

Were all called—but then it says nothing about them doing anything.

Their job was to watch—to have a lens through which they could tell the story

We are called out from the story we’ve lived to tell through that story—God’s story.

“withdrew” catches the meaning of the Greek verb ajnacwre"w (anachoreo), used ten times in Matthew and only twice elsewhere in the Gospels. Matthew uses it almost exclusively for Jesus’ response to threats --picture of Jesus as one who responds to aggression in a non-retaliatory withdrawal

It is because of Galilee’s association with Gentiles that Matthew emphasizes it as the arena of Jesus’ ministry.

Nazareth was in the territory of the Old Testament tribe of Zebulun; Capernaum was in Naphthali. Both were in Galilee, in the territory of Herod Antipas.

“Kingdom” refers to the active rule of God;

“Repent” (metanoe"w metanoeo) in Matthew’s Greek means literally “change one’s mind,” but it is loaded with the overtones of its Hebrew counterpart, “turn” “return” (bwv sûb); it was not original with John or Jesus but was the standard prophetic and Jewish means of reconciliation with God. The word does not picture sorrow or remorse, but a change in the direction of one’s life. “Get yourself a new orientation for the way you live, then act on it” catches both the Greek and Hebrew connotations. This new orientation is the response to the kingdom’s having “come near.”

The call of the first disciples The story also is modeled on the call of Elisha by Elijah in 1 Kgs 19:19-21, Just as Yahweh uprooted these prophets from their ordinary existence, so also Jesus represents the divine initiative in calling persons to discipleship.

. Rabbis did not seek out students, but were sought out by applicants. Here, all the initiative is with Jesus, the primary actor. Jesus comes to Simon and Andrew; they do not come to him. He sees them; they do not see him. He speaks; they do not.

Jesus’ call is a command and a promise. “Follow me” is the command for them to become disciples. The meaning of the promise “I will make you fish for people”

In this text Jesus appears disruptively in our midst and calls us not to admire him or accept his principles, not even to accept him as our personal Savior, but to follow him. Where does such faith come from?

For Matthew, Jesus’ call to discipleship was spoken not only to a few disciples in first-century Galilee but to the church throughout history (28:20

Jesus’ call does not fill an obvious vacuum or meet an obvious need in their lives, but, like the call of prophets in the Hebrew Bible, it is intrusive and disruptive, calling them away from work and family. The divine sovereignty is clothed in the call to human response: “I could not seek you, if you had not already found me.”