Epiphany 3 Matthew 4:12-25 Fishing with Jesus

Isaiah 9:1-4 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Someone once said that the difference between genuine fishermen and people who just fish is that real fishermen catch fish. But that isn’t always true. It only shows the difference between those who are good at it and those who are not. The real difference is that genuine fishermen continue to fish even when the fish are not biting.  They are still fishing when most people have gone home and they will endure bugs, bad weather and darkness to catch their quarry.  It’s hard to understand the resolve of a fisherman unless you are a fisherman as well.

So it should not come as surprise to us that Jesus chose fishermen as His first disciples. Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee and saw Peter and Andrew fishing. He said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." A little farther down the beach, He saw James and John, and He called them to be followers as well.

All of this took place about a year after Jesus was baptized by John. So Jesus has known these men for a while.  Jesus saw the resolve these four fishermen had.  These men were all hard working successful fishermen. They were without doubt real fishermen.

Now Jesus made it clear that He was choosing disciples who would be catching others. He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” As I said last week, making disciples who make disciples is what His Church is about. So Jesus set about gathering real fishermen who were willing to learn how to fish for more people who would become fishers of men.

Now a good fisherman knows that in order to catch fish you need to present the right bait, in the right way, at the right time and in the right place.  Jesus however starts by presenting the Law.  He began preaching, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Now you would think that calling people sinners would drive them further away and as a matter of fact some people will be driven away.

 But Jesus is calling those who realize that they are sinners.  He is casting the word out as a net. While He is getting the attention of all sinners, He is calling on those who acknowledge their sins, making them hungry for forgiveness and salvation.

Jesus is not offering false bait to lure people who would be false disciples. False prophets who promise that God will show mercy even to the unrepentant will have a church full of unfaithful people. Those who preach that God will give health and worldly wealth on all who join their church only net false believers -- not disciples. Therefore, if we are to follow the Lord's command to be fishers of men, we must speak the true word of God. 

That true word starts with the Law that says that there is no one who is righteous, not one. (Romans 3:10) And the Law adds that all have fallen short of the glory of God, therefore all those who desire salvation need to realize that they are sinners in need of repentance and forgiveness. Consequently Jesus starts His preaching with the Law. His purpose in calling you to repentance remains the same: to expose your sin and hopeless condition apart from Him with the demands and judgment of God.

If we take an honest assessment of our motives, what would we discover about our faith and ourselves? If we say we are Christians, but neglect to obey the very commands of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, what does that say about our faith in Him? If we cannot acknowledge our sins before God, what does that say about our desire to live with Him in a Kingdom that is free from sin? If we refuse to follow Jesus, what does that say about our love for Him?   Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

Jesus does not stop with the proclamation of the Law, however. After Jesus has proclaimed the bad news of the Law, He proclaims the good news of the Gospel.  The Gospel we proclaim today simply and yet powerfully proclaims that Jesus Christ has died for the sins of the world and all who believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life with Him in His heavenly kingdom.

When we say that we love someone it shows in our actions and in our words. When we become followers of Jesus Christ it should be evident to ourselves and others whom it is that we love and serve. So, if we say that we love Jesus, then our actions and words should live out our faith.

Jesus said that we would know true believers by their fruits He said, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:15-20). 

We can say that we are Christians, but until the fruit appears, will anyone really know what we are?

Ironically the first words that Jesus speaks to the fisherman turned disciples are the same words to He spoke last to them before He ascended to heaven. At the end of Matthew, He tells them to, “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Every Christian should try to see his or her task, role or responsibility in the Church in the light of the number one priority of making disciples. But as Jesus gives us the command to go and make disciples He also adds some words of comfort.  For when we go and make disciples, we do not go alone. Jesus promises to be with us always. And when we go fishing with Jesus, we use His love as our example.

He brought the kingdom into people’s lives by proclaiming through powerful preaching, by instructing by explaining through skillful, patient teaching and by demonstrating God’s presence and power to save in healing.

His method today is to use us as we follow His example of communicating the Gospel effectively by showing our love for Christ in our love for our fellow men.  So we need to be direct and to the point, confronting people with the Law when appropriate. And at the same time we need to be patient, with the resolve of a fisherman always ready to go over the same ground as often as necessary casting the net of the Gospel to all who are willing to listen.

During this Epiphany season we rejoice in Jesus, the Preacher/Teacher sent from God to drive out the darkness and shine His light into our hearts with the good news of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus continues to proclaim His healing message of the kingdom through the Scriptures and the Sacraments. So let us share His love by going fishing with Jesus with patience, love and resolve.  In Jesus Name, Amen.