The Third Sunday after the Epiphany - The Rev. Colette Hammesfahr

 

The 3rd Sunday After Epiphany - Mark 1:14-20  

I read somewhere that Mark Twain loved to fish. The problem was that he hated to catch fish. Catching fish took effort. He would have to bait the hook and if he ever did catch a fish, he would have to take that slimy fish off the hook, bait the hook again, and the process would continue. Mark Twain went fishing to relax. He thought that if people saw him sitting around, doing nothing, they would think he was lazy. But, if they saw him out fishing, they would see him as being productive, and they would hopefully leave him alone. So, because he wanted to relax and be left alone, but he hated the process of catching fish, it’s said that Twain would put his fishing line in the water without a hook. What a great idea! He got to relax with no one bothering him because they thought he was fishing, and he had no hook to bait so no slimy fish to deal with.  

Our Gospel story today, while only a few verses, is a story that is meant to disrupt and transform. Jesus takes four men, Simon, Andrew, James, and John and talks to them head-on in a personal and unconditional way.   

Simon, Andrew, James, and John are all fishermen. Introduced to them here in Mark’s Gospel, we don’t know anything else about them. From history and our knowledge of the fishing industry, we know that casting nets into the sea and hauling them back into the boat full of fish is hard work. They are not lazy fishermen like Mark Twain. This hard work is how they made their living. They were not men of great glory or men of great riches – just ordinary men. The verses tell us that James, John, and Zebedee had hired men working for them so we can conclude that they have established quite a business through catching fish. There’s not much else going on in these verses. We don’t know the weather. We don’t know if the men are tired. We don’t know if their nets are full or if they are empty.   

Jesus, passing along the Sea of Galilee, sees the men working, and says to them, “Follow me I will make you fish for people.” There was no explanation from Jesus of what this meant. He didn’t ask their names, yet his choice of words and the language he used, suggests urgency. “Follow me I will make you fish for people.” 

Without hesitation Simon, Andrew, James, and John leave. They immediately leave their nets and their boats behind, right there where they are. They don’t go home and pack their bags. They don’t talk with each other first.  James and John don’t even talk it over with their father, who is sitting right there with them. They didn’t even ask more questions of Jesus -- where they would be going, how long they would be gone. They simply dropped their nets and left.  A few simple verses, packed with unbelievable power. Jesus calls and the men follow – simple, ordinary people.  

Most of us live very ordered lives. We have our set schedules, those things we do each day of the week and most of our weeks are jam-packed with activities and commitments. We’ve planned out our weekends months in advance. But while our lives may be hectic, we tend to run them like well-oiled machines. We’ve got day planners, calendar reminders, post-it notes, crock pots set on timers, uber eats scheduled to deliver dinners – nearly every second of our day is mapped out for us and planned to run as smoothly as possible.  

So, what of this statement, “Follow me I will make you fish for people?” For some, the response is quick, “I don’t have time to follow and I sure don’t have time for fishing.”  

“Follow me.” Just as with Simon, Andrew, James, and John, Jesus wants to change our lives. He wants to stir up new feelings inside us. Jesus wants to tug on our hearts. He wants us to reorganize our lives. Jesus taught the four men he chose, and Jesus wants us to learn as well. He doesn’t want us to occasionally bait our hook and he doesn’t want us to eventually bait our hook -- after we retire, when the kids have moved out, or when the time is right. Jesus wants our complete attention immediately. “Follow me.” What do we stand to lose when we choose to follow? What do we stand to gain?  

“I will make you fish for people.” Jesus called those four men to service, changing their lives forever. He doesn’t want us to occasionally bait our hook and he doesn’t want us to eventually bait our hook. When we follow and fish for people, not only are their lives changed forever, but our lives are also changed forever. Jesus wants us to serve others immediately. Ordinary, simple people, Jesus promises to change us forever.  

Jesus demanded the attention of Simon, Andrew, James, and John and Jesus demands our attention too. But so often, when it comes to Jesus, we sit like Mark Twain, with our poles in the water with nothing at the end of our line. There’s no hook or bait to catch a fish. Fishing becomes a time to relax. “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” What net do you need to drop in order to follow and fish for people? The expectation is not for us to quit our jobs, pack a bag, leave our family behind, and start standing on street corners with our Bibles in our hand.  

I don’t fish regularly but I occasionally fish when Kurt and I go camping. Fishing takes commitment. Fishing takes patience. There is an art to fishing – casting out your line, reeling it back in. But if you never put the pole in the water or if you never put a hook on the line, you’re never going to catch anything.  

Paul Harvey once said, “Too many Christians are no longer fishers of men, instead they have become keepers of the aquarium.” We’re complacent with where we are in our faith and with who we are in our faith community. “Follow me” – Jesus wants us to learn and know the Good News. “I will make you fish for people” – Jesus wants us to serve.  

The call to follow Jesus can sometimes take us from the comforts, conveniences, and regularity in our lives. What is one thing in your life that regularly distracts you from following Jesus? What “net” can you commit to dropping, to be a fisher of people?  

As Christians sitting here today, we already have our pole in the water. The question is, what’s on the end of our lines?