“FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE CONSIDERATION”
MATTHEW 4:12-22
12 Now when Jesus heard that John
had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.
13 He left Nazareth
and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory
of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 so that what had been spoken through
the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--
16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."
17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim,
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea--for they were fishermen.
19 And he said to them, "Follow me,
and I will make you fish for people."
20 Immediately they left their nets
and followed him.
21 As he went from there, he saw two
other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and
he called them.
22 Immediately they left the boat
and their father, and followed him.
What are you waiting for? When was the last time someone said that to you?
What are you waiting for? Ask her to marry you.
What are you waiting for?
You’re going to have to have that surgery sooner or later.
What are you waiting for?
That research paper is due first thing Monday morning.
What are you waiting for?
Harry Truman wasn’t one to hesitate when a decision had to be made. That’s why he lost his temper one day. It happened while he was meeting with a few of his economists advisors. His economists kept saying over and over, “On the one hand you can do this, but on the other hand
you can do this.” After going around in circles for a while Truman finally
shouted, “For crying out loud. Will someone around here please find me an economist with only one arm?”
Jesus also wasn’t
one to hesitate. If something needed to be said he said it. If something needed
to be done he did it. Jesus didn’t give his first disciples much of a chance
to dilly dally either. When Jesus saw Peter and Andrew fishing beside the Sea of Galilee he said to them, “Follow me.” When
Jesus saw James and John in that boat with their father he said the same thing to them.
“Follow me.”
Jesus said, “Follow
me,” and that’s exactly what they did.
Matthew says that Peter and
Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.
Matthew says that James and
John immediately left their boat and their father, and also followed him.
The key word of course is
immediately.
They may not have decided
to follow Jesus right that second, but before he left Capernaum
that day they were right there beside him. They didn’t make the decision
to follow him the next day, or the next week or the next week. As difficult as
it may have been, they made the decision to follow him that day.
When I look at this story
it makes me think. Jesus wants all of us to follow him. If I’m serious
about following Jesus though is there something that he wants me to do right now? If
you’re serious about following Jesus is there something that he wants you to do right now? Not tomorrow or next week or at a time to be determined, but right now.
I know what Jesus is saying
to me. What is he saying to you? Maybe
he’s saying:
Why are you waiting to have
that heart-to-heart conversation?
Why are you waiting to help
that woman down the street?
Why are you waiting to tell
that person you fought with last week that you’re sorry?
Why are you waiting to follow
that dream that you’ve had all these years?
Now there are a couple of
things to keep in mind before you answer a question like that. The first thing
to remember is that Jesus isn’t going to force you to do anything. After
all Jesus didn’t force Peter and Andrew, James and John to follow him.
Jesus isn’t like the
farmer who gave a ride one day to a young hitchhiker. While they were riding
along, the farmer got to talking about the moonshine that he was fond of making. “Best
moonshine east of the Mississippi,” the farmer beamed. The young hitchhiker smiled, but said that he didn’t drink much. “Your moonshine would probably be too strong for me,” he said. The farmer shook his head. “Nonsense,” he said. At
that point he reached behind him and pulled out a jug. “Here,” the
farmer said. “Take a swig.”
The young hitchhiker politely declined. “Come on,” the farmer
said. “Take a swig.” Once
again the young hitchhiker politely declined. Now the farmer was offended and
angry. So, he slammed on the brakes, grabbed his shotgun, pointed it at the young
hitchhiker and hollered, “I said, ‘Take a swig.’” The young hitchhiker meekly nodded his head. “Don’t mind if I do,” he said. As soon as he took a swig of
the moonshine his throat began to tighten. His eyes began to water and he started
to cough and gasp for air. The farmer smiled and said, “Good ain’t it?” The young hitchhiker meekly
nodded his head as he continued to cough and gasp for air. The farmer then handed
his shotgun to the young hitchhiker. “Okay,” the farmer said. “Now you hold the gun on me and make me take
a swig.”
Jesus may ask you what you’re
waiting for, but Jesus won’t force you to do anything. The final decision
will always be up to you. It will be up to you just as it was for Peter and Andrew,
James and John when Jesus told them to follow him.
If you’re feuding with
someone, Jesus will tell you that you need to forgive that person.
You have to decide though
if you’re going to pick up the phone and give the person a call.
If you see a hungry child
on television, Jesus will tell you that you are your brother’s keeper.
You have to decide though
if you’re going to get your pen out and write that check.
If you’re wrestling
with a drinking problem, Jesus will tell you need to face your problem.
You have to decide though
if you’re going go to that AA meeting.
If you’re life is empty,
Jesus will tell that you need to seek first the kingdom of God.
You have to decide though
if you’re going to continue to lay up treasures for yourself here on earth or treasures for yourself in heaven.
Jesus may ask you what you’re
waiting for, but Jesus won’t force you to do anything.
David A. Berman is an motivational
author and public speaker who was written a little essay that puts this all into perspective.
His essay starts with these words:
Suppose someone gave you
a pen - a sealed, solid-colored pen.
You couldn't see how much ink it had. It might run dry after the first few tentative
words or last just long enough to create a masterpiece (or several) that would last forever and make a difference in the scheme
of things. You don't know before you begin…
(So) Would you plan and plan before you ever wrote a word? Would
your plans be so extensive that you never even got to the writing?
Or would you take the pen in hand, plunge right
in and just do it, struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the torrents of words that take you where they take
you?
…And of what would you write: Of love? Hate? Fun? Misery? Life? Death? Nothing? Everything?
Would
you write to please just yourself? Or others? Or yourself by writing for others?
Would your strokes be tremblingly timid
or brilliantly bold? Fancy with a flourish or plain?
…Would you sketch? Scribble? Doodle or draw? Would you stay in or on the lines, or see no lines at all…?
There's a lot to think about here,
isn't there?
Now, suppose someone gave you a life...
Someone did give you a life
of course. That Someone gave you a life and then that Someone came to dwell among
us as a simple carpenter full of grace and truth. Now that simple carpenter may
be looking at something that’s going on in your life right now and he may be saying, “What are you waiting for? Follow me, not tomorrow or a year from tomorrow.
Follow me today. Right now.”
Amen.
Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes
January 27, 2008
