Jesus Comes Down To The Water

EPIPHANY 3B 2012, 1/21&22/12

Simon and Andrew, James and John, were literally minding their own business by the Sea of Galilee that day a long time ago. It was a day just like any other day. Fishing wasn’t their hobby; it wasn’t a sport for them. It was a job; a job that took them to the same place, to do the same thing, to spend the same waking hours – day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.

They were minding their own business – the family business – the fishing business – and along came Jesus down to the water. Jesus came to the water where they worked and made a living and he turned their lives and their world upside down. Just like that, they walked away from the work they knew by heart, they walked away from a source of income that had made their lives comfortable, they walked away from the families and friends they loved and enjoyed, from the community they grew up in and were connected to, from everything familiar and safe and secure.

These four fishermen instantly and dramatically dropped everything to follow this carpenter’s son turned itinerant preacher talking about the kingdom of God, repentance and good news. For a few of us their actions are inspiring; a picture of what, (with a lot more courage), we could do with our faith. For others of us, their impetuous impulsiveness looks down right crazy; a cause for concern and a reason for calmer and collected heads to prevail upon them. But, I think, for most of us their willingness to risk absolutely everything to be with Jesus is a scary, scary thought.

You see, most of us aren’t “jump in with both feet” kind of people. Most of us, instead, are “baby step” kind of people. Most of us are inching our way into the kingdom, not crashing through its doors like gangbusters. And even though many of us may dream of having a bolder faith – a more daring kind of discipleship; the good news is that Jesus wants and loves and calls and uses “baby step” people, meek followers like you and me.

Jesus comes down to the water for us, too. But instead of yanking us away from life as we know it, he takes us from where we are and moves us little by little, step by step along the path of discipleship. The water I’m talking about, of course, is the water of Baptism; that’s where our following Jesus started before we even knew what we were doing.

At first, as little children, we followed Jesus by following those who cared about us. We learned to say our prayers from our parents. We learned to sing songs like “Jesus Loves Me” and “The B-I-B-L-E” from our Sunday School teachers. We learned to stories of the faith from our pastors. We followed Jesus by following those important role models in our lives.

It’s interesting that this is kind of what Jesus was asking Andrew, Peter, James, and John to do when he told them he would teach them how to fish for people. When we think of fishing we think of a rod and reel in our hands and a baited hook on the end of the line but that’s not the kind of fishing these guys did. They used nets and their nets would sink to the bottom and than they would pull up to their boats whatever fish were in their proximity. So, you see, the fishing Jesus was talking about had more to do with dragging than it did with luring. And, likewise, when mom and dad are dragging their kids to Sunday School and to worship, they are literally fishing them into the kingdom.

When we got older our need to belong became more important than simply following. We wanted to belong so badly that we dressed like our friends, we acted like our friends, and we did everything our friends did. And it became those connections that were the most important influences forming our faith. If our friends went to church, we wanted to go to church, if our friends were honest and responsible, we tried to be honest and responsible, if our friends got a kick out of helping others, we helped others, too, and it felt good.

I’ve watched some of these nature shows on TV that explore the underwater world. They show schools of fish swimming through the water as if they were one, turning in rhythm with one another, diving and ascending in precise movement. They belong together so strongly that they imitate each other perfectly. And that’s where a fisherman’s net comes in handy, because the chances are if you can catch one of them; you’ll catch them all. That’s why it’s so important at this stage in following Jesus we need to belong with those who will make a positive and faithful influence on our lives.

By the time we get through high school and mature into adulthood it isn’t enough to belong anymore and simply go along with the crowd. We’re asking questions instead of blindly accepting the answers and the conclusions of others. Just because a teacher or a parent or a pastor say it’s so doesn’t make it so anymore. We have to discover the truth for ourselves. We have to experiment with life and make mistakes along the way in order to discover the truth for ourselves. Sometimes such questioning of authority looks like rebellion. We might even act like prodigal children wandering off into the far country so we can ultimately discover the blessing of home. As painful as this stage in the formation of faith can be it is a necessary journey we must make so that our faith can be uniquely our own; a faith that we can live with conviction and confidence.

And looking back we are able to see that this Jesus who first met us down at the waters of Baptism was there with us all along. Jesus was there using every stage we’ve gone through to prepare us to be his disciples. Jesus was there and will always be there to see our lives unfold and to bless us with his love and grace. Amen.

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