The Call

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Matthew 4 (click the link)


KEY PASSAGE:
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-20, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
For me, one of the most difficult aspects of writing a devotional about an entire chapter of one of the Gospels is deciding which verses to focus on. This chapter is packed with so much… Jesus' time in the wilderness and the temptations he endured while there… Jesus' ability to overcome temptation, even in the weakened state of hunger, and the example he provides to us… Jesus' defeat of the tempter through his knowledge of Scripture… Jesus' fulfillment of prophecy and his ministry as a light to the darkened world… Jesus' preaching of repentance and the breaking in of God's kingdom… Jesus' ability to provide healing and wholeness to those whose lives are broken… But what stands out to me today, is Jesus' calling of his disciples—and of what it cost them to give it all up in order to follow him. 

………

Jesus' first disciples were small businessmen, working as families not for huge profits but to make enough to live on and to have a little left over. Fish were plentiful in the Galilee area and there were lots of good local markets. It was a cosmopolitan area, with soldiers, wayfarers, pilgrims, and peddlers of all sorts coming and going, as well as the local inhabitants, so there were was a healthy population of customers. But fishing was hard work, and sometimes dangerous. Their lives were modestly secure, but hardly luxurious.

So why did they give it all up to follow a wandering preacher?

The same question faces us today.

Why did this person give up a promising legal career to become a preacher, throwing away a lifetime of high earnings for the insecurity and relative poverty of pastoring and teaching a church? Why did that person abandon her remarkable gifts as a singer in order to study theology and get ordained? Why did this person become a teacher, that one a prison minister, this one a monk, that one a missionary, this one serving with Doctors Without Borders, that one a lawyer fighting the sex trade?

And—since these more obvious callings are only the tip of the iceberg of Christian ministry—why do Christians in millions of other walks of life regularly give up lifestyles and practices that look attractive and lucrative in order to maintain honesty, integrity, faith, hope, and love?

The answer can only be in Jesus himself, and in the astonishing magnetism of his presence and personality. This can be known and felt today—as we meditate on the stories about him and pray to know him better—just as the first disciples knew and felt his presence 2000 years ago.

Sometimes his call comes slowly, starting like a faint whisper and growing until we can no longer ignore it. Sometimes he calls people as suddenly and dramatically has he called Peter and Andrew, James and John. One thing’s for sure, though: When Jesus calls us, by whatever means that at whatever pace, we know it. He has a way of getting through to us. And whatever we are engaged with—whatever metaphorical nets we are mending, or fish we are catching—somehow we will be sufficiently aware of his presence and call to know what it is we're being asked to do.

At least, we will know we are being invited to follow him. We won't necessarily know where it's all going to lead, and that’s probably a good thing because we wouldn't be to eager to follow him if we did.

"You'll be catching people now!" was what Jesus said to Peter and Andrew. I wonder: Did they understand what that would mean? Did they know how the "people" in question would feel about it? Did they have any idea that both of them would end up being crucified, just as their Master would be? Did James have the slightest idea that within a few years he would be dead, killed on the orders of Herod (Acts 12:1-2)? Could John have ever dreamed that he would be exiled to the island of Patmos because of his preaching of the word of God and his testimony about Jesus (Revelation 1:9)?

No they didn't. God in his mercy reveals things little by little.

Nor did Peter think that he would end up with a huge church in Rome dedicated to his memory. Or Andrew suppose that whole countries (Scotland, Greece, Russia) would regard him as their patron saint. Or James know that a pilgrimage in his name would become an important path of spiritual discovery for millions of Christ-followers throughout the ages. Or John understand that he would become the “beloved disciple,” a symbol to all believers of friendship with Christ.

These four men saw neither the glory nor the pain, that day when the young rabbi walked by the sea in their little town of Capernaum, on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.

They only saw him… and that was enough.

Is that enough for me?

………

When I hear the call of Jesus, I simultaneously hear the "voice" of my flesh crying out for comfort, personal success, financial prosperity, safety for my family, and a whole host of other selfish desires that compete with the call of Christ.

Which voice will I listen to today? Who's call will I follow, that of Christ or my flesh?

Through God's grace, I choose to cling to Jesus and to embrace his calling on my life. I choose to accept his invitation to follow him into a life of rescuing others from death through the path of sacrificial love. I do not know today holds, but I know my Master and he's all I need.


PRAYER:
Jesus, thank you for calling me to be your follower. This is the greatest gift and honor of my life. I confess my weakness and tendency to listen to the other "voices" in my life. Today, I want to cast down these idols and follow you with abandon. I want to turn loose of all the things that keep me from serving you with my all. Strengthen me, I pray, to relinquish these things that compete with you. Empower me to follow the example of Peter and Andrew, James and John. Whatever lies ahead today, I look to you the pioneer and perfecter of my faith. You are all I need. You set the example for me as one who joyfully embraced the path of sacrificial love. Through your grace and power, I choose to follow you in this path today.


WHO AM I?
I am Tres Sansom and my wife Kate and I recently became the proud foster parents of a pair of siblings, a 3-year-old boy and his 3-month-old sister. We'll have them in our home until at least this coming Friday… and maybe longer, depending on the outcome of a judge's decision. They are beautiful kiddos, and remarkably resilient considering all they've been through. Since Kate and I have never been parents, this has been a mind blowing experience. We've been learning on the fly… but having a blast doing so. Kate's had her hands full, but I've been trying to help with some of the motherly duties as well as being the goofy dad. Just yesterday I tried out a Moby Wrap, and it worked like a charm at putting the little one to sleep.