The LCA provides this sermon edited for lay-reading, with thanks to the original author.
Matthew 4:12-23
Whom or what do you follow?
For example, what football team do you follow? The Broncos? The Titans? The Storm?
Of course, that’s if you like that code of football. There are others who follow the true
Australian football code, and follow teams such as Collingwood or Adelaide.
Or, who’s your favourite cricketer or tennis player that you follow with interest? Who
are your favourite actors or musicians? Do you watch their movies, buy their CD’s, and
follow their careers with interest? What television program do you like to follow as the
story develops? What stocks are you interested in? What authors do you read? What
hobbies or other interests do you have and follow the developments of?
Sometimes we have such a choice of things and people to follow that it’s hard to know
where we should place our time and effort. We can choose from so many different
sports teams, players, actors, musicians, hobbies and so on.
You may find you don’t just follow one person or one thing, but follow quite a number.
Some people even swap what or whom they follow according to their mood or desire at
the time. For example, not even a generation ago it was unheard of to change which
team you follow in the footy. Now it’s quite common to swap teams just because a
team isn’t going so well or if a favourite player changes sides.
Well, even though there are already so many things and people to follow, Jesus comes
along and says ‘Follow me’.
Great! Another demand on your time and energies! As if you don’t have enough people
and ideas to follow already!
So what’s your reaction to this challenging call? Should you choose to follow Jesus or
not?
And this is the way people often describe their faith – it’s all about choice. You want to
choose what you do with your life. You want to be in control. You want to be the
decision maker. Therefore you might consider faith and following Jesus as a choice.
You may even like to think you have the right to choose where and how you worship.
For example, if you don’t like one church and what they tell you then go to another
one, after all, don’t you have the freedom to choose for yourself!
But is following Jesus really as simple as making a choice? Can you really choose to
follow Jesus?
Let’s think about it. Do children naturally choose to do what their parents tell them?
No, they have to learn to do that. Do people naturally choose to obey traffic signs,
keep to the speed limit, and always do the right thing? No, you’ll find that people are
naturally rebellious and self-centred. They choose to do things only if it suits them or if
they can get away with it.
Is it any different in regards to your relationship with God? Although you’d like to think
you’re naturally attracted to him, it’s actually the opposite. Because of your sinful,
selfish and rebellious nature, you’re naturally against him! How can you choose to
follow him when you’re naturally against him?
Just think of all the people you’d like to have here in church but don’t come. Many
people think if we tell them about Jesus, they’ll naturally be attracted to him and we’ll
fill the church quickly. But what’s your experience? They’re more likely to choose not to
follow Jesus and not to come to church where Jesus is.
In the same way, I’ve come across many parents who politely think they should let
their children decide for themselves whether they would like to follow Jesus or not.
Since they’re naturally going to say no, is it wise to let them decide for themselves?
Doesn’t Jesus call children to come to him also?
So can you choose to follow Jesus? I believe it’s a miracle if anyone does, because
sinful humans are naturally going to choose not to!
In today’s text, the disciples weren’t asked, ‘Would you like to follow Jesus?’ They were
told to. For them it wasn’t a choice of whether they wanted to or not. It was a question
of obedience. They could either obey his call or remain rebellious against him.
You too are asked to follow him. You don’t choose him. He graciously chose you. It’s
his choice and he can choose whom he likes, whether you deserve it or not.
You’ll note there’s no special qualities mentioned as to why Jesus chose Peter, Andrew,
James and John. The only thing we know is that they all happened to be fishermen. But
other apostles weren’t fishermen, so knowing how to fish isn’t a pre-requisite to
following Jesus.
You don’t need to be anyone special to be chosen by Jesus. It’s his choice. If he wants
to choose a ‘no-hoper’ or someone who seems to have no special qualities, then that’s
his choice, and thank God it’s his choice! You probably wouldn’t choose half the people
you’re sitting next to at the moment, but that’s not your choice either. It’s not up to
you to choose who can or can’t follow Jesus! After all, who are you to think you know
better than Jesus on who should follow him? It’s Jesus’ choice and his alone, and he
calls you to follow him.
Now Jesus’ call to follow isn’t easy. To follow him might mean leaving behind certain
things that bring you comfort, glory, financial security, and pleasure. To follow him
might mean uncertainty about your future and being reliant on him; after all, the
decision is now taken out of your hands and placed in Jesus’ hands. To follow him may
sometimes mean leaving behind family and friends. To follow him may mean a total
change in the way you live.
But in this age of freedom of choice, you may struggle to follow him obediently, so you
may choose to do it part-time. So for example, you may act all pious and perfect on
Sunday morning, but then go back to your normal routines during the rest of the week.
You might choose to come to church only when it suits you and your lifestyle. Even
though some of you may dedicate some extra time to serve on a committee or two at
church, you might choose to do it only on your terms or for your own interests, as long
as it doesn’t inconvenience you too much.
The other thing you might struggle with is that these days most of your following is
done from the armchair. For example, if you follow a certain footy team, you follow
them from the armchair. If you follow cricketers, tennis players, movie stars and so on,
you do it from your armchair. You live in a society that passively sits and gets involved
only from a distance. Of course, now and again you may actually see the teams or
people you follow in a live situation, but again it’s from an armchair.
When Jesus tells you to follow him, do you think he expects you to follow him from an
armchair?
Unlike the schooling system today where students sit behind desks, following Jesus as
his disciples meant getting off their backsides so they could eat with him, sleep where
he slept, listen to his conversations, walk with him, pray with him and in a sense, even
imitate him.
When Jesus calls you to follow him, he doesn’t want you to sit back in your comfortable
armchairs and say ‘yeah, sure Jesus, I’ll follow you’, but then stay sitting down and
watching him from a distance. It means actively walking in his ways, listening to his
Words, and eating the holy food and drink he provides. It means walking away from
things that stop you from following him, and walking the way of the cross.
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: ‘The old life is left behind, and completely surrendered.
The disciple is dragged out of his relative security into a life of absolute insecurity (that
is, in truth, into the absolute security and safety of the fellowship of Jesus)’.
When Jesus calls you to follow him, you’re dragged out of a life which seems well
ordered, controlled and pleasurable into a life that seems uncertain, unreliable and
devoid of pleasure. But in reality you’re taken out of your chaotic and out-of-control life
so that you can walk with Jesus who orders your life, and gives it meaning and
purpose.
Jesus’ call to follow him isn’t a call to follow a set of laws and to stop enjoying your life.
It’s a gracious call to freedom and true joy in obedience as you walk in his ways as his
disciple.
If you’re an armchair Christian who has an idea of who Jesus is, but yet you choose not
to walk his ways and be his disciple, then I can be as bold to say you’re a Christian
without Christ. Sure, you may feel sorrow for his suffering and even rejoice in his
victory over death, but you remain a spectator.
It’s a bit like watching a footy match. You may suffer with the team if they’re
struggling and rejoice with the team if they win, but unless you’re actually playing for
the team on the field, you don’t get to share the trophy. Spectators don’t get
recognised for their hard work from their armchairs, but only the players who trained
and played hard get the prize.
It’s the same with Jesus. Jesus has already graciously chosen you to join his team, not
just to follow him from an armchair. Unless you follow him, and walk in his ways, you
won’t receive the prize as one of his disciples. Armchair followers, who ‘choose’ not to
live their faith, will not receive the promised reward.
Thankfully, he’s gracious and forgiving to those who do follow him, even if they
struggle to live up to his ways. He sends his Holy Spirit to encourage and comfort
those who follow him in faith. Even if you fail to follow him obediently, his call comes
again and again, patiently calling you to discipleship. He calls you out of a life darkened
by sin, death and the devil, into a life of hope, peace, forgiveness, and eternity.
Rejoice in the fact that Jesus chose you as part of his team and calls you to be one of
his very own. He calls you to follow in his footsteps. He calls you to learn from his
ways. He calls you to listen to his word. He calls you to talk to him in prayer He calls
you to eat and drink with him in his holy supper. He calls you to suffer with him as he
journeys to and beyond the cross. He calls you to live with him, forever. Amen.