Follow Jesus as Fishers of People!

This is Optimus Prime. He is a Transformer. The Transformers are alien robots who disguise themselves on earth as cars or other modes of transportation to hide their identity. Their true form is a robot, but they hide for fear of being misunderstood as enemies and attacked.

We often hide things about ourselves from others. In the case of the Transformers, they hid out of fear of being attacked. In the case of Jonah, he hid because he did not want to share God’s message with the people of the great city of Nineveh. Jonah’s attempt to hide ended with him spending three days in the belly of a great fish and being vomited up on the shore after praying for God to spare his life. In our Old Testament reading from Jonah 3, we hear God call Jonah a second time to go to the large, wicked city of Nineveh to tell them, 4 … “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Jonah’s message was clear and simple. And we read, 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. The message Jonah shared struck the people’s hearts and they repented. Then we read, 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. The Ninevites were heading for judgment, but God did not want them lost. There was still time for them to hear a call to repent and be saved, so he sent Jonah to give them the message, even though Jonah wanted nothing to do with Nineveh and certainly did not want God to spare them from destruction.

We often hide things about ourselves from others, but God showed us who he is. In our Gospel reading from Mark 1, we do not see Jesus hiding, but going to people, 14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” With John the Baptist being put into prison, Jesus moved from Jerusalem and Judah north to Galilee to proclaim the good news of God. The phrase ‘good news’ is the same as saying, “Evangelism.” Jesus actively shared the truth that with his arrival, the kingdom of God had come near. Everyone was invited to be part of God’s kingdom, rather than be lost thinking this world is it and then death, or thinking if they are good enough there will be a better place waiting for them. To help him with his work, Jesus had picked disciples, and it was time for them to follow him full time. We hear Jesus calling some of his first disciples in Mark 1:

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

When Jesus called those four fishermen, he gave them purpose. They were not put on this earth just to catch fish. They were not here just to be a cog or gear in an economic machine contributing to the GDP. They were not a series of chemical and physical reactions moving a protein from water to land to sustain other complex organisms. They were not put on this earth just to support their families, even though they loved them. If they were here for all of that, then they were meaningless. The economies and governments they contributed to were overtaken. Even their beloved families died, and no one knows who their descendants are. But Jesus called them for a specific new purpose to help get the good news out about the kingdom of God. Their work would contribute to a kingdom, an existence and a life beyond this one stretching on without end.

God showed us who he is with Jesus, but we hide Jesus from others. God does not expect you to leave everything to follow him as if the only way to be a true disciple of Jesus is to give up your job and family. You do not have to entirely transform your job and family situation to share the good news of Jesus. You get to contribute to society and be part of a family, while sharing the good news of Jesus. Now hearing all of that about the disciples being given purpose and you getting to have a job and family while sharing Jesus may sound simple, pleasant and logical, but we often hide the message of Jesus rather than share him. One of the more popular reasons for not sharing Jesus is that it will get us in trouble at work, school or with friends and relatives. In response to that line of reasoning, I want you to think of the last time you shared an offensive, indecent, suggestive, rude or negative joke, comment, post, email, etc. with someone from work, school or among friends and family. I am sure that if those had been seen by someone in HR, the principal’s office or your parents, you would be in trouble. Now, think of the last time you shared Jesus with a coworker, classmate, friend or family member when it would have cost you your job, a visit to the principal’s office or punishment or rejection from friends and family. When we consider how willing we are to hide Jesus, but show off our creative sinfulness, it makes us want to jump in a boat, get away from the shoreline and hide. When we consider our reasons for withholding Jesus from others whether fearful, selfish, lazy, judgmental, lacking confidence, worry, doubt, anticipation of the result, etc. it makes us hope Jesus does not walk by our boat to see how the fishing for people is going.

We hide him, but Jesus came to fish for people. Jesus brought you into his kingdom when you were heading for destruction like Nineveh. He is also the one who keeps you in his kingdom when you have sinned and cry out for help like Jonah from the belly of the great fish. The good news that God sent Jesus to save us is recorded in our New Testament reading from 2 Corinthians 5, 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. God made Jesus the Son of God and Son of Man to be the innocent sacrifice for your sins on the cross. He died to give you freedom from sin and credit for his righteous life. These are yours through God’s gift of faith when you heard the message and were baptized. Through Jesus, you have eternal life. Through Jesus, you have purpose to share him with others. Through Jesus, you have forgiveness and belonging when you fall back into sin. Jesus is the embodiment of good news who called you through others who shared him with you to be part of his kingdom, to repent and believe before it was too late for you.

Jesus called you to fish for people. The disciples wasted no time when Jesus called them as we read in Mark 1, 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. Stop spending time worrying about the person or situation where you will share Jesus. Stop doubting you have the words or attributes you need to share Jesus. Instead, spend time with Jesus. Spend time listening to Jesus in his word by reading your Bible. Start by reading the Gospel of Mark. While you read, God will grow your faith, understanding and love. God will work transforming your heart to be full of the same love Jesus had for people. He will transform you into someone who recognizes and takes opportunities to share Jesus with others before it is too late for them. Jesus’ call to the disciples began with them following him, and they listened and watched him. And over time, they grew in their faith, understanding and love until Jesus left them to do his work for his kingdom. You continue the work of the kingdom of God by sharing the same good news as Jesus and his disciples as recorded in Mark 1, 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

The Transformers are alien robots in disguise. They hide for fear of being misunderstood as enemies and attacked. God called you to be part of his heavenly kingdom, so you are an alien in this world. In Mark 1, Jesus said, “Repent and believe the good news!” The Greek word for ‘repent’ means to change direction and in some cases is translated “transform.” God changed you, not like an outward robot to car change, but he changed your heart to repent and believe in Jesus for forgiveness. God continues to transform us to be more like him. One of the ways he changes us is to be “fishers of people.” Jesus is what you need to catch people. And the better you know him, the better equipped you are to share him with others. You can share him as the payment for sin, the lamb sacrificed, the king who fought your enemy, the fulfillment of promises, the friend, the brother, the healer, the Savior, the Messiah, etc. After sharing Jesus pray and let the Holy Spirit work to establish the faith connection in others before it is too late. You have been called to follow Jesus as fishers of people. Amen.