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Help-Mates in Ministry Matthew 4:12 – 23; Isaiah 9:1 – 4 Lucy, that great psychologist, who gives five-cent advice from her booth in Peanuts cartoon life, was in her usual readiness to give counsel to Charlie Brown. “Life is like a deck chair, Charlie,” she says. “On the cruise ship of life, some people may place their deck chair at the rear of the ship so they can see where they’ve been. Others place their deck chair at the front of the ship so they can see where they are going.” The good “doctor” looks at her puzzled client and asks, “Which way is your deck chair facing?” Without hesitating, Charlie replies glumly, “I can’t even get my deck chair unfolded.” It is true that many people are able (or so they say) to clearly know what direction they are going and chart that course. Others are content to focus on what they have done, where they have been and, at times, what has been done to them to prevent them from going anywhere special. Many of us, however, do have this issue of trying to get our chair open — let alone figuring out which deck to sit on — or which direction to face. Matthew’s version of Jesus calling his first disciples has to be VERY perplexing for many of us. It is one of those stories that we know so well that it may no longer jar us or amaze us as it should. Gospel writers of Luke and John do not include the drama that Mark and Matthew include with this call. Picture this — two sets of brothers, fishing. One set actually in the boat with their father…all fishing…working their trade, their business, their livelihood. Jesus walks by and TELLS them — doesn’t ask…doesn’t suggest — TELLS them to follow him. He will make them fishers of people…not just fish. The response is the same in both instances — with both sets of brothers. The word “immediately’ is used both times. The brothers hear and they immediately respond. In fact, one set — James and John — left not only their boat – but their father in it. You have to wonder what poor Zebedee was thinking that day…and may have been the reason that his wife would ask a special favor of Jesus later in his ministry. I have two brothers, and, unfortunately, they are not on the best of terms. Having had a bit of a falling out, they just choose not to talk to each other. That is my frame of reference — and certainly doesn’t have to be the way every family’s brothers exist. But I have a real hard time conceptualizing two brothers coming to a mutual decision about life change — immediately. And then to have it repeated with yet another set of brothers! Whether it could happen to my brothers or not — this is a mind boggling event — and Matthew has written it so we would get that drama and profound importance. This event would make perfect sense to Lucy, the five-cent psychologist, but, again, for those of us who have any moments of struggle with opening the deck chairs let alone figuring out which deck we will be on. The immediate decisions these men are able to make seem quite foreign to us. I believe Matthew’s point is a theological switch for us. We call this time in which we are living as the ‘seeker’ time. All of us, no matter age or experience, are searching for faith, for meaning, for importance…for he call in life. Many of us in this country have the luxury of spending enormous amounts of time and energy discovering our talents, our desires, that ways we might serve and be satisfied. Our hunger for knowledge, for understanding, for figuring out where we would fit and be satisfied keeps us active and alive. We don’t know (through Matthew’s eyes) that Peter, Andrew, James or John) were the least bit interested in that search for faith, knowledge, understanding. All we are told is that they were fishing one day and Jesus found them! We have it backwards! We keep searching and looking, hunting and trying to discover — hoping to find answers…wondering if we will find Jesus…praying to discover God. In reality — at least the way it happened with the four fishermen — Jesus found them. And when it happened, there was no floundering with opening the deck chair. They knew, they followed, and they did it immediately! That certainly seems to take a giant burden off our shoulders. Does it mean, we can merely wait and ‘be found’ then? The good news is that God is searching for us. God is working at finding ways to get our attention. God is going to great lengths for the confrontation that will make such an impact that we will respond like Peter, Andrew, James and John. And no, that doesn’t mean we can sit and wait. Nor does it mean we can continue with the excuse about not being able to open our deck chair. We need to be getting ready so that this mysterious God who is searching will be visible to us when the confrontation comes. I believe there are possibilities every day. I believe that Jesus Christ is standing in our pathway ready to change our lives…ready to help us see new directions…ready to enlist us as help-mates in his ministry…ready to challenge us to let go of old habits and unhealthy ways every moment. But most of us have learned avoidance quite well. Most of us have found ways to skirt the challenges, the opportunities, the changes in life that will allow the hold God wants on our lives. Most of us figured out how to clog our ears, cover our eyes, and chill our hearts so that it would take a miracle for God to get through. But I believe in miracles. Our faith is based on miracles. Today’s Gospel story is one of the best miracles we could hear. Jesus found two sets of brothers and told them to follow him. They responded immediately. That miracle is the foundation on which the Church of Jesus Christ was built. That miracle occurs over and over — which is why the church is alive and serving. May Jesus Christ find you, and may you be ready to respond — immediately! • SW |
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