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“The Decision”

photo of Greg preachingSermon by Dr. Greg Knox Jones
on Matthew 4:18-22
given January 27, 2008

Charley Robbins, known by his friends simply as “Doc,” died 18 months ago at the age of 85.

You may never have heard of Charley Robbins, but he was one of the most committed runners ever to hit the pavement. I wanted to say one of the most committed runners to ever lace up a pair of running shoes, but Doc rarely used running shoes. Most of the time he ran barefooted. And to say Doc was passionate about running does not fully convey his enthusiasm for the sport. On Thanksgiving Day, 2001, he ran the Manchester Road Race for the 50th straight year. It would have been his 57th in a row, but in 1951 when he was doing his medical internship in Cleveland, he couldn’t get back to Connecticut for the race.1 Doc’s story reminds me that if we are passionately devoted to something, there is no telling what might happen.

This morning’s passage from the Gospel of Matthew, paints an episode early in the ministry of Jesus. Needing a band of faithful followers who would be fervently committed to his cause, Jesus summoned several very plain, blue collar workers to join him.

Our text indicates that Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee when his eyes landed on two fishermen: Peter and Andrew. These brothers were casting their nets into the water hoping to haul in a big catch, when Jesus called out to them: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Our passage reports that immediately they left their nets and followed him. Walking a little further down the shoreline, Jesus spotted a man and his two sons in a boat mending their nets.

Jesus issued a similar invitation to them, and the two sons left the boat and their father, and cast their lot with Jesus.

The two sets of brothers made a decision that altered the course of their lives. They committed to following Jesus, and a new world opened up for them. But, how did they reach their decision so quickly?

Some think there must have been something so compelling about Jesus that these men knew intuitively that he was an extraordinary man, and they should not allow this opportunity to slip away. Still, you have to wonder if they asked at least a few questions before following him. Wouldn’t we?

“Jesus, if we follow you, where are we going and what exactly will we need to do? What sort of time commitment are you expecting? How much do you pay? What are the benefits? Is there some sort of orientation or training session? What about a forwarding address?

What about the father of James and John? How does their dad feel about them leaving him in the boat mending the net by himself? Did he feel abandoned? Or, did he say, “Yes, they’re finally out of the nest!”

We’re left with many questions unanswered, and I suspect that is intentional. I think Matthew stripped the story down to its basics to prevent us from focusing on side issues. The crux of the matter is simple: Jesus called and they responded. The consequence of their decision was enormous. From the moment they began to follow him, their eyes were opened to new realities and their lives took on fresh meaning.

And that’s the way it is for all who choose to follow Christ. Our lives are made rich as we are guided to new opportunities for serving God, as we are forgiven for a past wrong and given a reprieve, as we experience the joy of helping someone who really needs us, as we find the strength to persevere in awful times, as we discover hope for the future.

The decision to follow Christ clearly sets us on a unique journey, but we need to keep in mind that it is not simply a one-time decision. Throughout the course of our lives, we must decide over and over again the depth of our commitment. We encounter numerous opportunities that constantly demand a response from us, and the manner in which we respond either strengthens our commitment to Christ or stretches it thin.

For instance, each year when we are asked to make a financial pledge to the church, we face a decision. The portion of our income that we give to the church represents the level of our commitment. We also face such ongoing decisions as how frequently we will attend worship, and what mission endeavors we will embrace. We make decisions about our prayer life and how our faith will influence our home-life and work-life. We decide how we will treat the one who bags our groceries and the one who begs for a buck. We decide whether or not we will mentor a child, serve in a soup kitchen or go on a mission trip. These decisions combined, define the depth of our devotedness. They indicate whether we are simply going to sit on the edge of the pool and dangle our feet in the water, or whether we are going to slip into the shallow end and begin to move around, or whether we are going to climb to the top of the high dive and plunge into the deep water.

The current uncertainty in the economy and the turmoil in the world make us anxious. Uncertain times exert pressure on us to be cautious. We warn ourselves: “Play it safe. Stick with familiar routines. Be wary of new ventures.” And, yet, Christ calls on us to be daring and alert to fresh opportunities to share God’s love. Christ calls on us to be his partner in spreading God’s kingdom and helping it erupt in unexpected places. But since God’s kingdom of kindness and compassion, of faithfulness and forgiveness, of justice and generosity needs to take root in places we have never ventured before, we hesitate. We stick with the familiar. Fortunately, Christ does not let up on us. He calls for a radical reorienting of our purpose and priorities. Christ urges us to buck up the courage to follow him wherever he leads.

The great missionary doctor Albert Schweitzer exposed the world to the extensive poverty and the fundamental health care needs of the people of Africa. But he never would have accomplished what he did, had he played it safe. Schweitzer was an outstanding organist and a marvelous New Testament scholar. He could have maintained his stellar reputation and had a positive influence on people’s lives if he had continued on those two paths. However, God envisioned even greater possibilities for him. God believed Schweitzer possessed untapped gifts he needed to develop for the greater good of the world. So God touched his heart and whispered to the depths of his soul of a daring new adventure. And Schweitzer became a medical missionary founding a world-renowned hospital in west central Africa.

When Schweitzer wrote his autobiography, he included a chapter on his decision to walk away from his career as musician and scholar to become a doctor in Africa. He reflected on how comfortable his life was, when a voice beckoned him to something new. One summer morning in 1896, he awoke to the idea that he was being called to follow Christ into new territory. Then, immediately after setting his mind on becoming a missionary doctor, people tried to talk him out of it. He wrote about the battles he had to fight with his relatives and friends. He said, “They reproached me, tormented me, for the folly of my enterprise. They concluded I was not quite right in my head and treated me with affectionate ridicule.”2

But Schweitzer did not bend to their pressure or their perfectly reasonable arguments for why he should remain where he was and continue doing what he was doing. Instead, he threw caution to the wind and faithfully followed Christ. He made the decision to lay open his heart to the new possibilities God envisioned for him.

When the Irish rock star, Bono, spoke to the National Prayer Breakfast at the White House, he shared a glimpse of what motivated him to become a crusader for the poor of our world. He said, “I met a man who changed my life – in countless ways, large and small. I was always seeking the Lord’s blessing. I would say, ‘Look, I have a new song. Would you look out for it? I have a family and I’m going away on tour – please look after them. I have this crazy idea. Could I have a blessing on it?’ And this wise man asked me to stop. He said, ‘Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing. Get involved in what God is doing.’”3

You can do the same. You can keep your eyes peeled for the needs that are surfacing around you. You can tune your ears to the voices that are crying for help. You can listen to your own heart – to the things that make your eyes mist and put a lump in your throat.

Over and over again, we are faced with a decision: Will we ask God to bless our agenda or will we respond to the call of Christ to follow wherever he leads?

NOTES

    1. Amby Burfoot, AA Man of Steady Habits,@ in Runner=s World magazine, December, 2001, p. 56.

    2. John Buchanan, “Doing What You Need To Do,” September 10, 2006.

    3. Bono’s speech at the 54th National Prayer Breakfast on February 2, 2006, found online at the American Rhetoric Online Speech Bank.

       

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