Drop It All!

Opening illustration: Show video “Leave: Follow.”

Introduction: This is dizzying. If we read these verses honestly and thoughtfully, they really do take our breath away. And so I’m left at the end of these five short verses asking myself: “What just happened?” I don’t know about you, but it totally freaks me out that Jesus’ call is so shockingly sudden. It gets deeply uncomfortable when I consider that those who followed Jesus were the type of men who would just leave their jobs—and their families—without a moment’s notice.

Come to think of it: maybe we shouldn’t teach this story in Sunday School, after all it might inspire young Christians to run off with a stranger, leave their job, and do a crazy thing like “fish for people.” Friends, this is not child’s play, but what Karl Barth called, “the strange new world of the Bible.”

In recent years, one of the biggest dangers to the church is that what was considered normal Christianity is now considered abnormal and what was not even considered Christianity at all is now become the norm and hub of our faith. For Matthew, this story gives us a model and a pattern against which all other claims to discipleship can be measured.

1. Why did Jesus choose Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow Him?

(i) They were fishermen (v. 18)

Jesus' first chose fishermen to be His disciples because "seeking and saving" of men is similar to fishing in several ways.

• Firstly, like fishermen, we must be self-denying and willing to lead a life of difficulty, struggles and challenges. Fishermen lead hard lives and work irregular hours. Though their lives are not easy, they are amply compensated by the satisfaction of the catch.

• Secondly, like fishermen, we must learn to depend on God. Fishermen know that their safety in the open sea and their success depend on God.

• Thirdly, we must be patient and persevering. Fishermen continue to cast their lines and nets even if they repeatedly fail to catch anything. They know that the more often they cast their nets, the greater the likelihood of catching fish.

• Fourthly, we must be willing to go where the prospects are. This often involves much effort, sacrifice and risk.

• Fifthly, we must realize that different methods are required to reach different types of persons. Apostle Paul said "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22). To the child, we speak with childlike illustrations, to the scientist we speak scientifically, to the unloved we highlight Jesus' love, to the self-righteous we highlight His holiness, etc.

• Lastly, fishermen realize that their skill is a practical one which must be learned by doing. We will never be able to witness until we do it. Attending classes on evangelism will be useless unless we are willing to try it.

He could easily tweak their professional aspirations and make them fishers of men. Just as they had worked in going after fish, now they would be going after men! … making more disciples (Matthew 28:19).

(ii) They were working hard (v. 18)

These are hard-working men who wanted to make an honest living. And then there are James and John. Matthew tells us not just that they were busy mending the nets, but that they were sitting in the boat with their father, mending the nets. Preparing the nets would include cleaning the nets, repairing any tears, and folding them up so the nets would be ready to cast again. This is what Jesus saw James and John doing. So these brothers, too, are occupied with the regular, everyday work of the family business. How many times in their life had they prepared the nets for another cast? How many different things had they talked about with their father and each other while they worked? Matthew really does paint for us a very simple and a very vivid picture of life as usual for four hardworking fishermen.

Throwing a fishnet into the waters and pulling it back into the boat filled with fish is not an easy task. They also knew how to mend something that was torn or broken. They knew what hard work was …

(iii) They were lowly and ordinary folks (v. 18)

Fishermen of that day did not operate in a "free market" economy. The fishing industry was state-regulated for the benefit of the urban elite. These urban elites were Greeks or Romans who had settled in Palestine following their military conquests, or they were Jews well-connected with King Herod and his sons. Everybody else was poor. In addition, there were taxes on both the fish product and on the processing, as well as tolls on shipping and land transport. Fisherman were at the bottom of a very detailed economic hierarchy, the main beneficiaries of which were Caesar, then Herod and …