“A New Path to a New Day”

by Bruce J. Johnson

January 27, 2002

“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. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (and women).”

Jesus utters these words “as he walked by the sea of Galilee.” It’s a small point, but an interesting one, that Luke, the Gentile physician who was more worldly than Matthew, always refers to the Sea of Galilee as a lake. But lake or sea, that body of water was very important, for it gave life to the entire region of Galilee. Thirteen miles long from north to south and eight miles across, it is surrounded, now as then, by rounded hills and rugged mountains. In Jesus’ day, there were nine populous cities along the shore. Josephus, the historian of Jews, once counted 330 fishing boats on the water. Fish, not meat, was the staple diet of families of Tiberias and Bethsaida, a town whose name literally means “House of Fish” (as Bethlehem meant “House of Bread.”) The fish were caught in two ways--- by drag or trawling nets and by casting nets. The latter were circular, up to nine feet across. Around the circumference of the nets were pellets of lead and a draw rope, so that the fish could be brought into a boat or onto shore. These were the kinds of nets that the two sets of brothers were using.

This, then, is the picture; and on the day in question, we can imagine Peter and his brother Andrew, standing in the water, tunics tucked under their girdles, casting their nets as they did each day, day in and day out, from dawn to dusk --- every day but the Sabbath. Passing by, Jesus says to them,

“Follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fisher.”

Now, two things should, I think, be said about this rather sudden change in four people’s lives:

First, it is entirely possible, maybe even likely, that Peter and Andrew, as well as James and John, had heard Jesus before. In fact, as we read last week from the Gospel according to John, Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist when he first met Jesus. Maybe the occasion recounted for us in Matthew this morning took place after all the excitement had died down over their wonderful discovery of the Messiah and the reality had set in--- that they had responsibilities. They had to earn of a living, provide for the family. Moreover, we learned that it was Jesus who gave Simon his new name—Peter, a name that is used in today’s passage. So, this account may well have been something along the order of “THERE HE IS AGAIN! And, the decision to follow may not have been all that impulsive. It may have been one of those decisions that is made but simply awaits its time of implementation!

Secondly, and maybe more importantly, we can’t overlook that sense of need and expectation, that feeling inside of so many--- maybe some of us, that says:

There is something missing and there must be something more---the feeling that always is, as it were, the passport to Jesus’ presence.

Obviously they were waiting and looking for something or someone to transform their livelihood into a life; they craved wider seas, their combustible hearts may have been awaiting the flame Jesus offered them as he passed by. Maybe Jesus’ eagerness sparked their youth; maybe his tenderness kindled their love, his authority their loyalty. Whatever their reason--- or lack of reason,

(Pascal was right when he said: “The heart has its reason that reason does not know.”)

what appears to be the case is that they knew they had to follow. Who knows where they would go or what they would do? That doesn’t seem important. They leave their nets and they take what has been commonly called “the leap of faith.”

Last Sunday I told one of my favorite Kierkegaard stories—THE PARABLE OF THE DUCKS. Well, today let me share with you one of his most oft quoted illustrations:

“There is man trapped on the edge of a cliff with a raging fire burning toward him. It will only be a minute or two before the fire consumes him when he hears a voice from down below the cliff, amidst the darkness, calling, JUMP!

The man answers, “But I can’t see you! There’s only darkness down there!

The voice from the deep shouts back, “Jump anyway. I can see you!”

Maybe that’s what it was like! Even though they couldn’t ‘see’ into their futures, they knew that their futures were with God and that following this man was what they had to do to get there! And maybe that applies to us as well.

You know, whenever I ponder this awesome moment for the disciples, I think there had to be confluence of two very powerful realities. On the one hand, there is the present--- the path well worn and the day well known!

Robert Coles, a well-known and wise psychologist who has done extensive work in the area of religious development in children, once wrote the following:

“In this life we prepare for things, for moments and events and situations… We worry about wrongs, think about injustices, read what Tolstoy or Ruskin have to say… then, all of a sudden, the issue is not whether we agree with what we have heard and read and studied… The issue is us and what we have become.”

At least in part, that is always the issue, isn’t it--- “us and what we have become.” In this life, its finally not what we do or don’t do, think or don’t think about; it’s not whether politically we are conservative, liberal, radical or whatever. Rather, it’s what we have become--- more generous or mean spirited, more thoughtful or slothful, merely clever or truly wise, better company or dull as dishwater. And here’s where faith enters in, for whatever we have already become does not have to be who we might be. And I believe the following with all my heart!

Christ does not seek to convert us from this life to something more than life but from something less than life to the possibility of full life itself.

Jesus said it this way:

“I have come so that you may have life and have it abundantly.”

I remind you again what Iraneus said:

“The glory of God is a human being fully alive.”

On the other hand, it is not only about us and what we have become but about others and what they can be…. And maybe this is a new path to a new day!

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been quoting from a neat little book called, Yeshua of Nazareth, spiritual master by Richard Chilson

Listen to these few words:

“For one thing, it’s not all about you.

Something bigger seems underway.

So much that passes today for spirituality is just naval gazing, a fall into narcissism.

What’s in it for me? But what if we are the problem all along?

Yeshua recruits in some higher cause, just what it is unclear as yet

He invites us to something surpassing our own selves to embrace all people.

He awakens us not only to our own dreams,

But to humanity’s hopes.

Yeshua gives us nothing just for ourselves.

“Share it or lose it.” He will warn us.

Only a constant flow of giving gives grace in its fullness.

Whatever he calls us to do, we at least sense now it will go beyond us to embrace the world.” (pp. 33-34)

That’s where the new path leads--- to the world and humanity—to a new day for it and us!

The story is told by M. Scott Peck, the famous psychologist and author, of a woman patient who was suffering from extreme depression. One day, when she was due for an appointment with him, she called on the telephone and told him that her car had broken down and that she wouldn’t be able to make her appointment. Dr. Peck offered to pick her up on his way to work but he explained to her that he had to make a hospital call before he got to the office. If she was willing to wait in the car while he made his call, they could have their appointment. She agreed.

When they got to the hospital, he had another suggestion. He gave her the names of two of his patients who were convalescing there, and told her that each of them would enjoy a visit. When they met again, an hour and a half later, the woman was an emotional high. She told Dr. peck that making the visits and trying to cheer up those patients had lifted her spirits and that she was feeling absolutely wonderful.

Dr. Peck responded by saying, “Well, now we know how to get you out of your depression. Now we know the cure for your problem.

The woman answered, ‘You don’t expect me to do that every day, do you?”

(Campolo, p. 91)

Yes, that is exactly what Jesus calls us to do daily… and one of the great tragedies of life is that we don’t act on that opportunity to be lifted from the doldrums of our lives into the fullness of life that is experienced in caring and sharing with others!

“Share it or lose it, he warns us still.”

For the most part, we all live and draw our lives from our seas of Galilee--- standing daily—hip high in the waters of life, casting our nets, making a living.

“Being us and what we’ve become.” Jesus calls us to make a leap of faith and join Him on this new path to a new day and to do so by embracing the world and attending to humanity’s highest hopes.

Amen