Pastor Pat Edwards 10/15/2006
Grace Baptist Church in Bountiful, Utah

Today I’m beginning an Autumn mini-series on Jesus invitations to all those who want to be his disciples.

One of the recent advances in technology that Chris and I have enjoyed is the development of DVD’s. One of the things we like about them is the category called Bonus Features and the feature in particular that I want to discuss is the edited scenes. You can now watch all the scenes they edit from a movie. And for me the question invariably arises, "Why did they cut that scene" or "Why didn’t they leave that part in?" In some cases whole characters are removed from a movie and I feel sorry for the actor or actress whose character disappears after acting for months. Sometimes the DVD includes the director and editor’s comments and they explain why they shorten or remove a scene but for the most part it’s an art and craft that eludes me. How do they know what is necessary and what is unnecessary to tell the story in the most effective way possible? Among the best directors and editors there is probably giftedness, an eye for what works, but there must also be training and long hours of practice to refine the skill. Those same qualities are also employed by a speaker or author so be thinking about that as we consider today’s passage in Matthew 4 when Jesus invites some people to become "fishers of men."

12When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali- 14to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-16the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

17From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 18As 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. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him. 21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

For a few minutes let’s turn the words we’ve just read into a movie. The theater darkens and on the screen in bold lettering appears the words,

Universal Creation Pictures Presents: Fishers of Men
Starring: Jesus Christ
Featuring: Peter, Andrew, James and John
Script by: Matthew the Disciple, The Holy Spirit
Produced by: God the Father

As the credits fade we see Jesus in a town square conversing with several people. A man hurries up to them and quietly shares he’s just heard that John the Baptist has been arrested and put into prison by Herod. One of the other men gets Jesus’ attention and suggests, "Your close ties to John might mean it would be wise for you to make yourself scarce for awhile." Jesus agrees, "I think I’ll leave for Galilee this afternoon." As we watch Jesus walking the path along the Jordan River several flashbacks show memories of him telling his family he’s leaving the carpenter’s shop, of him making arrangements for his mother’s care with his brothers and sisters and of him traveling south where he is baptized by John.

Matthew’s next scene shows Jesus leaving Nazareth, the town he’s grown up in, to move to Capernaum. The views of Nazareth give us the impression of a quiet little village off the beaten track. Capernaum, located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, is a center of the fishing trade and is more commercial and much busier. People are constantly coming and going by land and water.

Jesus makes his way down a side street close to the water to the home of one of the men he had been talking with in the first scene who has also returned to Galilee. After the two exchange greetings Jesus tells him, "I’m moving to Capernaum. Do you have any room to put me up?" "Sure," his friend replies, "We’ll find a place for you. It’ll be great having you here. I still have a lot of questions I want to ask you. You started me thinking about stuff I’ve never thought much about before." Over the next few days we watch Jesus moving alone through the town, at the shore in the midst of the fishing boats, in the marketplace, at the town well, but always interacting with individuals and groups. He somehow manages to get people talking about their belief in God and how it affects their lives. And the way Jesus talks about him makes God always seem so personal, so close, so interested in their lives. In the evenings he sits with his friends having similar conversations about how involved God is with his people and his desire for them to know him and discover his truth.

Then early one morning we see Jesus at the shore again. He’s watching the two brothers he’s staying with as they fish. They’re fifty yards from shore and have just cast their nets out into the lake. As they begin pulling their almost empty net back into the boat Jesus yells out,19"Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men." The two men look up at Jesus from their net and then turn to one another and begin talking. They are too far away to hear what they’re saying but after the net is drawn in they head for shore.

Jesus stands quietly watching them while they row ashore, tie up the boat, sort the fish and spread their nets to dry. When everything has been taken care of the two brothers come walking over. Both have thoughtful looks on their faces but then the biggest one, Peter, grins and says, "Sure, we’ll come. We’ll learn how to be fishers of men. It’s gotta pay better than regular fishing has lately! Tell us what to do." The quieter brother, Andrew, doesn’t say anything. He just smiles and nods his head in agreement. And Jesus smiles back. But he doesn’t tell them what to do; he just turns and starts walking down the shore. A few hundred yards further on he comes to another boat where his uncle Zebedee and his two cousins, James and John are preparing their nets. Again the invitation is called out. This time both men just look at each as if to ask, "Did you hear what I heard?" With a nod of realization they quickly finish their tasks and join Jesus and Peter and Andrew.

Before we look at anymore scenes let’s pause to ask, how do people become "fishers of men?" I could go searching through the New Testament for the answer but when I stop to think about it I realize that Matthew is like the director or editor of a movie. He included everything I need to understand what Jesus was inviting these men to do. He didn’t raise the issue of becoming "fishers of men" and then leave it hanging in midair with no answer. At the time Matthew is writing there is no New Testament and concordances to thumb through to find instructions on how to become "fishers of men." And certainly there are no commentaries or Bible dictionaries or Bible scholars or seminaries to consult. So how do we become fishers of men? Let’s keep reading.

23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

Use your mind to visualize what Matthew describes. Can you picture Jesus walking from town to town with these four fishermen who smile in relief whenever he says, "Hey, let’s take the boat this time rather than walking." Their Friday trips always seem to find them at some village synagogue just as the sun goes down. As guests they are always asked to share in the meeting and Jesus always says, "Yes, Thank you," and they never do. When Jesus is preaching or teaching or healing they hang back and watch and listen but when they are alone they can’t shut up; they pepper him with questions and observations. Can’t you just picture these four, muscled, deeply tanned fishermen used to grunting only ten words a day trying to figure out how they could ever attract people like Jesus does. And aren’t many of us trying to figure out the same thing? Again Matthew gives us the answer, he edits his material to tell his readers what it means to become fishers of men and how to do it. It begins with immediate obedience. All four men left their old lives to begin new ones when Jesus called. In the scenes I created for you Peter and Andrew rowed ashore, secured their boat, sorted their fish and put their nets out to dry. We don’t know what immediate means in this context. But I don’t think it means they let the boat float away, the fish spoil and the net rot. By finishing the job they weren’t delaying, they weren’t second guessing their decision, they were simply being good stewards of what God had provided. As soon as their responsibilities were taken care of they followed Jesus and never looked back. If it helps, you can picture them hurrying through these tasks eager to join Jesus much the same way a child cleans their room when a trip to Dairy Queen is only thirty minutes off. Eager, immediate obedience is the first step in becoming fishers of men.

The next fishing steps are those that describe Jesus’ activity: teaching, preaching and ministering. The disciples continue to travel with him; they listen and watch and try to understand everything they are seeing and hearing. They are just soaking it all up without realizing how much they’re learning.

The final scene in today’s movie is a composite, one of those that the directors of docudramas tell us is based on a collection of people and events and while the exact scene isn’t real, nevertheless it substantially reflects truth.

So imagine a scene where Jesus has gone inside to rest after an exhausting day. The disciples can see that he is completely worn out. Up the street comes a young mother with a child in her arms who was been burned in a fire two days before. They don’t want to disturb Jesus so they excuse themselves and have a quick conference. In hushed tones with their heads together they talk about what to do. They decide to let Jesus rest a while longer then they’ll wake him. In the mean time they offer the young mom a place to sit in the shade and Andrew gets her and the child something to drink. James offers to get some cool, damp cloths to replace the dried-out, dirty bandages. Then the four sit with her and explain they’ll wake Jesus in a few minutes after he’s gotten some rest. Peter explains, "Our teacher has been so busy and he works hard, long hours because he never says no to anyone. It’s rare things quiet down so he can get a little rest."

Then John interrupts, "You’ve obviously heard about the wonderful things he does for people, how many he has healed from all kinds of problems. We know Jesus will heal your child too. Just let him rest a little longer." Andrew chimes in, "Being with him has helped me understand that God is like a father and we are his children. God wants to be with us and help us so that our lives are good. Being with Jesus has changed my life." They keep talking and the young mother sits quietly listening. But she’s thinking at the same time how strange all of this is. Her thoughts push the men’s voices into the background. "I know these men; I’ve seen them around town for years, solid, hard-working fishermen who keep to themselves. Like most men they give no thought and little attention to any woman outside their immediate families. I bet they’ve never even talked to a strange woman before.

And most men don’t do women’s work. Yet here they are getting me a drink, finding damp cloths for my child and chattering away like a bunch of women. If this is what being with Jesus does for people I like it. I like what I’m seeing and I like what I’m hearing."

Without knowing it, without any initial awareness, our four fishermen have changed occupations, they’ve become "fishers of men." When this needy woman showed up they simply did what they saw Jesus doing. They talked, preaching and teaching, about the things Jesus talked about and they ministered, they served as best they could because that’s what they saw Jesus doing.

Did they always get it right? Obviously not but the more time they spent with Jesus the better they got in learning how to fish. Remember fishing begins with immediate obedience when Jesus says "Come." Then as we are with him we learn what to say, how to say it and how to serve. But it begins with saying "yes" when Jesus says "come" and it means staying real close to him so we live with him and live like him.