“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.” Mark 1:14-20

“There are any number of distinct ways that we can follow Jesus. And, indeed, follow him immediately – here and now, in the world and time in which we live. What seems at the heart of the matter is that we can follow Jesus in all of these different situations and circumstances precisely by trying to imitate him – by trying, that is, to treat others with the same regard, love and patience that he did, including all manner of people but especially those who were overlooked by society. This, I think, is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian: to try to live and treat others as Jesus did, embracing the values of inclusiveness, love, forgiveness, and healing that he radiated in word and deed.

…we are invited into and promised a secure place in the Christian community only (by) the grace of God, apart from any effort or merit on our own. And yet at the same time I think the day-to-day benefit we experience from being included in the Christian community is affected dramatically by whether or not we try to live into the identity we have been given. God will always treat us a beloved child, yet whether we act like a beloved child of God – and receive the joy of acting like one – depends greatly on whether we try to follow Jesus and live into the gift of that identity.” David Lose, “…in the meantime”, January 19, 2015, Following Jesus Today)

Jesus says “Follow me” and we think to ourselves “I AM” – we think our lives are models of faith and devotion. And still we hear these words “Follow Me” and we have to wonder: “Is Jesus calling me?  What is he calling me to do?”

Do you find it hard NOT to answer a ringing phone? Even with call blocking apps and automatic caller ID, it is still hard to NOT answer my phone when it rings. There is something about that sound that it compels us to answer that call. Now, are we just as compelled to answer Jesus when he calls? When it comes to being disciples of Jesus, and when it comes to seeking out people to join us in worship and service, we often find ourselves scratching our heads trying to find ways to bring people into our midst. In our gospel lesson my friends, Jesus is calling us – calling us to go fishing with him – to go fishing FOR him. My friends, are we answering that call?

Anyone who fishes knows that fishing takes time and patience, fishing takes knowing the territory and knowing the conditions. The same is true for fishing for people. The radical nature of this text is that Jesus took ordinary fisherman and told them that everything was about to change – everything they knew or thought they knew about fishing, about family relationships, and about life would have to change. They would have to rethink how to fish – and not just for the perfect catch – but for all kinds of people: the imperfect as well as the perfect, the smelly as well as the well-groomed, the colorful and the plain. Jesus wants to teach us, and then to have us teach others how to catch people in the net of G-d’s love, mercy and grace. 

Pastor Dave

“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”  Matthew 14:13-21

“I remember…leaving the publisher’s office afterwards and running into somebody in the building whom I had known slightly at college. He was working as a messenger boy, he told me. I was, as I thought, on the brink of fame and fortune. But instead of feeling any pride or sense of superior accomplishment by the comparison, I remember a great and unheralded rush of something like sadness, almost like shame. I had been very lucky, and he had not been very lucky, and the pleasure that I might have taken in what had happened to me was all but lost in the realization that nothing comparable, as far as I could see, had happened to him. I wanted to say something or do something to make it up to him, but I had no idea how or what and ended up saying nothing of any consequence at all, least of all anything about the contract that I had just signed. We simply said goodbye in the lobby, he going his way and I mine, and that was that. All I can say now is that something small but unforgettable happened inside me as the result of that chance meeting—some small flickering out of the truth that, in the long run, there can be no real joy for anybody until there is joy finally for us all…” (Buechner, Frederick. Listening to Your Life. HarperOne. Kindle Edition.)

“…there can be no real joy for anybody until there is joy finally for us all…”

The story of the feeding of the 5000, and the feeding of the 4000, are stories about abundance. From just five loaves and two fish, Jesus feeds 5000 men, plus women and children — or as should be said, he fed everyone. Where does the abundance come from? It comes from Jesus of course. And they come through the hands of the disciples who are willing to partake in the miracle.

Skeptics of this story say “Oh it is just hyperbole, a myth, story, a fabrication.” Oh, really? If this was just a story, why are we still telling it 2000 years later? And not just repeating a story written 2000 years ago, but a story that was first told and shared by mouth from generation to generation, person to person, household to household before it was finally written down and put into any kind of book. If this story is a fabrication, it wouldn’t have had enough gas to last for two millennia. Just like the man from our story who mistakenly put gas in the wrong vehicle, perhaps the skeptics are mistaken in understanding the parable – that the story is not about “How Jesus did it”, but about “How Jesus’ Disciples trusted enough to listen to his instruction.”

More importantly everyone was fed – and there was still some left over. There was joy for all – no one was left out. Perhaps this is the most important aspect we take from this miracle – Jesus has enough abundance, enough joy for everyone. Miracles are always possible – we just need to trust Jesus and listen to his instruction.

Pastor Dave