Into the Deep

Henry Ossawa Tanner, Miraculous Haul of Fish

As we gather for worship at Seneca Presbyterian Church this Sunday, it will be our turn to enter the story. We have followed the narrative of God’s great story of salvation through the Hebrew Scriptures and into the Gospels. Last week, Jesus entered the scene as we “hit the red letters.” This week, Jesus calls his first disciples, and whenever you see a disciple in any of the Gospels, you need to see us.

I've always loved this story even as I taught it to children in years gone by. We can thank Luke for including the miraculous catch of fish. Matthew and Mark don't. In their versions, Peter and his partners just "drop everything" and follow Jesus. Luke gives us something of a reason why. In Luke's story, we see the unexpected power of life with this One who calls us to follow.  

Once while working with this story for a children's teaching assignment, I was struck by the fact that Peter and those with him almost drown while hauling in that miraculous catch. That fact adds to the wonder of the story. Would you leave everything and follow someone who almost got you killed? It is a marvel, isn’t it? Consider this: Jesus had taken Peter from emptiness to abundance; from empty nets to nets full of fish. Perhaps the awe of the catch along with the power of the preaching were just too irresistible. Perhaps Peter knew that following this One – even if it meant dying - was truly the only way to find life.

When our Wednesday evening study group looked at this text, we were drawn to: "they left everything and followed him." What did that actually mean for Peter and his partners? How much of a risk was it? And if this story is about us, does Jesus ask us to “leave everything” and follow him?

What is Jesus asking us to leave behind? 

• Our security?
• Our family?
• Our identity?
• Our dreams?
• Our understanding of how the world works?

And what does He offer in return?

• A holy calling
• A new and expanded family
• A new name: Child of God
• A vision of God’s kingdom
• An understanding of the way God’s world works

 Just what do you think?

All of Me

Our Thursday lunch-time Bible study group at Seneca Presbyterian Church - affectionately known as "Brown Bag and Bible" - has been studying the Gospel of Matthew for over a year. Just last week, we looked carefully at the story of the rich, young ruler as it is told by Matthew. (You do realize that you have to put Matthew, Mark, and Luke together before you get all three attributes: rich, young, and ruler, right?) The man comes to Jesus asking what he must do to "have eternal life" - which is another way of asking what must I do to "be saved?" We struggled with what Jesus asked this young man to do: sell all his possessions and then come and follow him. Once again, it highlighted an issue that keeps coming up - over and over again: does salvation (life, eternal life, wholeness, peace, entering the kingdom of God) come to us by grace or by works? As Protestants we immediately reply - instinctively - by grace, of course. BUT why then does Jesus first tell the young man to "keep the commandments" and then proceed to tell him he must go even beyond the commandments and sell all he has in order to "enter the kingdom of God"?

 That, my friends, is a question that takes a lifetime of faithful discipleship to consider and probably never answer - completely. Moreover, the entire idea of "selling everything" raises issues of our relationship with wealth. You cannot read any of the Gospels - not to mention the entire Bible - to know that how we deal with our possessions is mightily important to God. It is a difficult subject, especially in the current political climate, which makes it all the more important to address. I hope we can - but I don't think the pulpit is the place to do so. The issue touches us so deeply that meaningful conversation must happen in a context where trust is present and dialogue (not monologue) can take place.

But we don't have to talk specifically about money in order to explore the story of the rich, young ruler. Consider with me:

• What was this young man truly seeking?
• Why to you think he came to Jesus to find an answer?
• What to you think he was expecting that answer to be?
• Why did he turn away?
• What do you think happened to him after encountering Jesus?
• What does it really mean to follow Jesus with all our lives?

 I want to reflect with you on Sunday about what it means to transform lives. Faithful discipleship should change us. By grace, God receives us as we are. Then God proceeds to change us into what God wants us to be, for the sake of ourselves and for the sake of the world. Do you agree? How has your life changed since you began to follow Jesus?

Please enter the dialogue!