09-27-15 Use both legs when you walk

Scripture:  James 2:14-24

Genesis 22:1-18    TEST OF FAITH:  ABRAHAM

Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided." The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."  

          Can you imagine the struggle Abraham must have felt in his legs as he walked away from home, away from Sarah? How heavy his legs must have gotten from carrying burnt offering supplies for three days? The torture to his legs as he told the servants to remain where they were while he and Isaac went out of sight to worship and offer sacrifice. How it must have felt like walking through a sea of molasses toward the place where he would build the altar to murder his son?

          As difficult as that was he put one foot in front of the other to get to the place where God wanted him. What if only Abraham’s right leg worked? Or just the left leg? He would have dragged the non-working leg along taking much longer and making the trek unbearable, or he would have gone around in circles never arriving where God wanted him to be.  He had to use both legs, difficult as it was. Left leg is FAITH (sign on leg) and Right leg is WORKS (sign on leg) Show how it would work with one then with both.

 

Faith and works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again -- until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other.   William Booth in The Founder's Messages to Soldiers, Christianity Today, October 5, 1992, p. 48. 

                   Facebook Test: Believe-O-Matic

Good works (deeds) and compassion are:

Necessary to attain the ultimate reward or reality.

We are saved through faith and the grace of God; good works demonstrate faith.

There is no spiritual realm after life.

How important is this to you?

Low  Medium  High

 

James 2:14-24

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder. 20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.  

Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17, Heb 10:38 and Gal 3:11 all say “The just will live by faith.”

James spells out 3 kinds of faith:

1)    Dead faith (without works) – does not save.

2)    Intellectual faith (without works) – does not save – even the demons have that.

3)    Saving faith, proven by accompanying works. 

What are the works that prove our faith?

Romans 3:28-31

28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. (Keeping the law = circumcised / Not keeping the law = uncircumcised) 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

So works do not mean keeping the Jewish law, even though we should keep the ones that are timeless. Circumcision is not timeless – it was a sign for a specific group of people. Paul tells us a Christian is one who is circumcised of the heart not the flesh.

The works are not things we can do on our own. That would bring us right back to justifying ourselves by works, and we can’t do enough good works to justify ourselves before God. So, what are the works that prove our faith that James is talking about. Those works are the things that the spirit of God is accomplishing through us. The things beyond our selves. Abraham would never have considered sacrificing his son. His ability to do so was only because he had COMPLETE trust in God. Peter walking on water. Feeding the 5000. Paul starting churches among the Gentile world. Living out the fruit of the spirit when it is not your nature to do so. Responding to the spirit to act on Christ’s behalf. (Helping the guy with the stalled car the other day). Speaking a word of comfort to someone you don’t know because your faith in the spirit of comfort prompted you to do so. 

A boy and his broken eggs

A young boy, on an errand for his mother, had just bought a dozen eggs. Walking out of the store, he tripped and dropped the sack. All the eggs broke, and the sidewalk was a mess. The boy tried not to cry. A few people gathered to see if he was OK and to tell him how sorry they were. In the midst of the works of pity, one man handed the boy a quarter. Then he turned to the group and said, "I care 25 cents worth. How much do the rest of you care?" James 2:16 points out that words don't mean much if we have the ability to do more.  -  Stanley C. Brown. 

Dead faith VS living faith: Every time a man implements a new idea, he finds ten others who thought of it before he did. Trouble is, they only thought of it. 

Works will not save you – no matter how great they are. Faith without works will not save you for it is a dead faith. Faith that can’t help but be the hands and feet and heart and mouth of Christ in the world is a faith that you know truly saves. 

When someone dies who didn’t verbally express Christian faith, people say but he was a good person, he loved all people. Even if it were true, it doesn’t matter. Another might say, he said he was a Christian and was baptized when he was 10 years old. Maybe, but it doesn’t matter.

Matt 7:21, 24-27

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

09-20-15 Journey to the center of the church

Scripture:  John 1:26-31

Birth of the church

Jesus walking into the Jordon River announcing that the kingdom of God is among us.  Isn’t that what the church is supposed to be? The kingdom of God among us? Do you know there are people who would disagree with that, and say that the church is where I meet my friends, where I learn the bible, where I give to missions, where I have potlucks, where I meet with God. The church is one thing: The kingdom of God among us. People in Jesus’ day didn’t get that and here is the result: Matt 12:22-28

Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, (demons come indifferent forms – this one is exact opposite of last week’s Legion of demons) and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" (the kingdom of God among us)  24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons." 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 

          When I was 15 years old, on a Monday night in November in Zanesville Ohio, about an hour East of Columbus, the kingdom of God came near to me and I met the King and told him that I wanted to be in His kingdom, and in that moment, the King of the kingdom of God welcomed me in as a citizen of his kingdom.

          Someone might say, well then if you are in the kingdom of God/or the kingdom of heaven, how can you still be here on earth?  Great question.  Let me try and answer it.

JESUS ANNOUNCED TO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL – THE CHURCH / Baptism

          John 1:26-31

"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." 

ONLY THE KING CAN LET YOU IN TO HIS KINGDOM / Confirmation

Matthew 16:13-20

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 

PILATE SAW JESUS AS KING OF THE JEWS

John 18:31-19:22   (Narrate the story between Pilate and Jesus)

19:19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." 

BEYOND HIS EARTHLY LIFE JESUS REVEALS THE CHURCH/KINGDOM ON EARTH

Revelation 1:10-20

On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” 

PARABLES ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH

Matthew 13:31-33                (Church GROWTH)

He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Matthew 21:43-44                  (Bear Fruit or die)

"Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”

John 18:36                              (Not OF this world-but FROM another place)

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." 

THE LORD OF LIFE by Ann Weems

O Lord, we’re playing Pharisee again, more interested in the Sunday morning count
Than in the feeding of your sheep, more interested in stars for our crowns
Than in that cup of cold water, more interested in tradition and appearance
Than in the following of our Lord.

O Jesus, you were real and we made you saccharine and hung you on the church school wall and told all the little children you wanted them to sit still.
O Jesus, you were here and now and we made you something in the sweet by and by and told all the people in need to see you in heaven.

O Jesus, you walked in our shoes in our marketplace and we told you to stay in your sandals, in a faraway place, in a long ago time, stay back in the Bible.
O Jesus, we made you a baby that didn’t cry, we made you a boy with good manners, we made you a man, sweet and gentle.

We tossed you pennies, then told you how to spend them. We built you temples, then told you who could enter them.  We made you wood and plastic and concrete and locked you in the church. We made you a goody-goody god and stood before the world with joyless faces and pointing fingers and tsk-tsk-tsk cold voices, declaring thou-shalt-nots.

O Lord! We paid no attention to Who You Are: the Lord of Life! The head of the Church! The King of the Kingdom!

Jesus was into life in such a way that you either had to follow him or resent his attempt to bring you change. That’s still who he is: Someone who’s going to make you see yourself if you have ears to hear.

O Lord, we’re playing Pharisee again, Playing at church and making excuses about the real thing: Not me, Not now, Not with my income, Not with all I have to do…

Or making after-all speeches: After all, I give more than others I could name; After all, I do have five children; After all, I haven’t been feeling well…

Or putting God off: As soon as we get the house paid for, as soon as we get the kids through college, as soon as we get this painting finished….

Christ was crucified for saying, Follow me now. He was crucified for saying: You’re storing up treasures! Feed my sheep! You’re blasphemers! Love God with everything you’ve got! And don’t forget that cup of cold water.

Sweet and gentle? Meek and mind? Christ came treading into our marketplaces, our temples, our homes – even into our private person – Teaching in the temple - Preaching by the sea - Questioning religious customs - Breaking the ceremonial law - Righting injustices - Healing the sick - Being joyful in the company of friends - Calling the children - Chiding good church members - Caring for unimportant people - Seeking out the sinners.

Christ came humbling himself, came loving the poor, the hungry, the lonely. Christ came loving –This Lord of Life, this living, loving Lord.

O Lord, open our eyes to see the Pharisee within us. Open our ears that we might hear the prophecy of the possibility of change. Open the church doors that we might follow our living, loving Lord and king out into the marketplace and invite everyone we see into the kingdom of God on earth and to the kingdom of God eternal!

THE LORD’S THE KING’S PRAYER

Matthew 6:9-13

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

VIDEO – The Mission of the Church Matters

09-13-15 When Pigs Fly

Scripture: Mark 5:1-20

          What is the dream you would dream for a ministry for your church that you would participate in and be passionate about that would only be likely to happen when pigs fly?

          In other words, if time and money and resources were not limited, what is the ministry you think God may want FirstB to do? 

When you think about big dreams in scripture who or what immediately come to mind? The first is JOSEPH. Another is NOAH. Another is MOSES. In the NT ZECHAIAH, MARY, JOSEPH. Another is PAUL. Another is JUDAS. Another is JESUS!

We dream what some experts on the science of dreams call a “big dream.” Our dreams may be too big or too dangerous. Dangerous because God’s dreams disrupt the way things are, imagining the ‘oughtness’ of life that transcends the ‘isness’ of reality. Dangerous because God’s dreams may threaten the status quo and envision a new way of life. If your dream only confirms what already is; rubber stamping the norm, blessing the political empire of the day, it’s not God’s dream because God inverts our human way of doing things, flipping life on its head. The last shall be first. The least, the greatest. This is why Joseph’s brothers are so mad.

Dreaming is dangerous because it might get you into trouble. It may land you in a pit or in a Birmingham jail or in a grave. Dreamers put their life in danger because others may attempt to kill the dream. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a dreamer who put his life at risk. He dreamed a world that disrupted and disturbed the status quo in society. In 1963, a little more than 50 years ago, at the March on Washington D.C. for Civil Rights before the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King dreamed. “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day, even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…” This dream still plays on the iPod of this country’s historical memory.

But not everyone understood that dream. Not everyone understands that dream. Not everyone understands dreams. Not everyone can handle dreams. Not everyone, like Joseph’s brothers, wants our dreams to come true. Dr. King’s dream leads to his death. 

          Your church has a DREAM TEAM – actually called vision team made up of your deacons: Wes Russelle, Mark Owens, Jim Gentry, Nate Kennedy, Vicky Ferringer, and Ruth Turner. Church moderator Paulette Ellis, Church staff myself, Donovan Norton and Sabrina Harrison and church members at large Cheri McKay and Karen Stewart. We have been working since Feb and are having a vision team retreat in mid Nov. with leadership from the region. We want your input on vision for the church but as a start we have asked for your stories of your Unique Journey of faith and only one in the past 8 months has done that. We need the stories of the people – the info and pictures for the church directory. We need to know that we are moving forward as a team- a family – a community of believers headed in the same direction. I had given up on getting more of your stories – I figured I would only get them when pigs fly. I believe we will only become a growing church of 400 people worshipping on the weekends when pigs fly. I believe that we will have the greatest facilities and ministry programs for the magic valley when pigs fly.  What ministry do dream of that will only happen when pigs fly?

SCRIPTURE = When Pigs Fly!

Mark 5:1-20
          They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.   When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

          6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"

          Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

          "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." (Legion 6000 men +120 horsemen) And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

          A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. (must be 6000 pigs) The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about 2000 in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. (This story offends members of PETA – Pigs are part of God’s creation – which is of greater value to Jesus One man or 2000 pigs?)

          14 Those tending the pigs ran off (They had to be ticked off – the entire large herd was destroyed) and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. (What were they afraid of? – they should have been made unafraid) Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man — and told about the pigs as well. (Now the people must be thrilled and want to treat Jesus like the hero he is.) Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. (So it is ok to have this deranged super strog madman – but you Jesus, miracle worker – get out of here – we are scared of you and don’t want your kind around us.)

          As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."  20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

DETERMINATION IN USE

       Jan Paderewski was asked by a fellow pianist if he could be ready to play a recital on short notice. The famous musician replied: “I am always ready. I have practiced eight hours daily for forty years.” The other pianist said, “I wish I had been born with such determination.” Paderewski replied, “We are all born with it. I just use mine.” 

I hope you have a dream though dreams are not always welcomed, just like Joseph, whose name means ‘add’ was an unwelcome addition to his family. But if you aren’t dreaming, you’re dead. So dream on when the stormy clouds of doubt begin to roll back into your life. Dream on when depression wants to take a summer vacation and recline in your heart and mind. Dream on when it seems like the only person cheering you on is you. Dream on when it’s hard to dance because it feels like the devil is on your back. Dream on because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Dream on because God is not finished with you yet. Dream on because God will do more than we ask or even imagine. Dream on for nothing is impossible with God. Dream on.

Matthew 19:26  Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Seeker – Dream of knowing God personally.  Christian – Dream the dream of how God will use you and His church.

09-06-15 Breaking The Pumpkin Jar

Scripture: Matthew 13:3-9 

          The Story of the Pumkin Jar. How we are a church unique.

Not a church for everyone – not the best church ever, but a church for those who want to grow in a particular community of faith. If your parents are here I want you to look at them. If they are not here by death or location I want you to picture them. How many would say they are/were perfect parents? Is that true or were they perfect parents FOR YOU? You see, God put you in a unique family that may have been great for you. But your parents were not perfect.  But, hopefully they were the right ones for you.  Some people have parents that are anything but perfect. You can still have good parents without having perfect parents – Just the uniqueness of who your parents are is part of what makes you the person you are today.

          The church you are a part of makes part of who you are spiritually. We are not a perfect church, but we may be the right church uniquely just for you.  You don’t get to decide on who your parents are but, like marriage you do get to choose your church. If you have chosen FirstB as the church that has a Unique place in your life, I just want to say thank you, because that means you are a part of determining the influence on my spiritual life as well.

          There is a vision team who are currently working at defining what the uniqueness of our church is from all other churches on earth.  What we will find is not a perfect church, but a church that is the right church for some. Our job is always to give everyone we know the opportunity to decide if FirstB is the right church for them. We don’t have to convince anyone, we let the Holy Spirit do that. But we must give them the opportunity.

          Let’s take another journey through the farmer’s field and see how we might give people that opportunity to discover if our Uniqueness is right for them or not and see how different people might respond. Tell the parable of the SOWER! 

Matthew 13:3-9

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear." 

Matthew 13:18-23

"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." 

Matthew 13:1-4

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.”

A Parable of Fishless Fishers

Once upon a time there was a group of people who called themselves Fishers. They lived in a place where streams and lakes abounded and where there were fish in abundance. Week after week, month after month, year after year, the Fishers held meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish and how to fish. Again and again they defined what it meant to be Fishers, defended fishing as an honorable vocation and declared that fishing was the primary task of Fishers.

The Fishers continually sought new and better methods of fishing and for new and better definitions of fishing “in a new day, in a new way.” They proclaimed “the fishing industry exists by fishing as fire exists by burning,” and were ever creating slogans such as “Fishing: The Task of Every Fisher” and “Every Fisher Is An Outpost of the Fishers’ Club.”

The Fishers sponsored special meetings – rallies – called “Fishing Campaigns,” held “Fishers’ Months” and held costly national and worldwide congresses to discuss and promote fishing, to hear about new fishing equipment and “fish calls,” and to learn what new, more effective fishing bait had been discovered.

The Fishers appointed committees and hired staff and held more meeting to define and defend fishing and to decide which new streams should be considered for possible fishing. But – the staff and committee members did not fish.

Large and elaborate training units were created for the primary purpose of teaching Fishers to fish. Courses were offered in the needs of fish, the nature of fish, the care and feeding of fish and how to approach fish. Many of the teachers had earned doctoral degrees in fishology. But the teachers still did not fish. They only taught fishing.

Year after year, many completed the tedious training and were graduated and given fishing licenses. Some were sent to distant waters that were full of fish. Their going inspired others to respond to the call to be Fishers. These, too, were commissioned and sent out to fish, but, like the Fishers back home, they never fished. They built power plants to pump water for fish, supplied tractors to plow waterways and traveled here and there to look at fish hatcheries.

Others who said they wanted to be a part of the fishing parties but couldn’t go contributed funds to enable real live Fishers to go and to furnish fishing equipment. Still others thought their job was to relate to the fish in a “good, kind way” so that fish would know the difference between “good” and “bad” Fishers. A few even felt that to let the fish know that some Fishers were nice, kind, land-loving neighbors was enough.

Then, after one stirring meeting in which the necessity of fishing was preached, one young person felt a “call,” and soon after leaving the meeting actually went fishing. The next day the young Fisher reported catching not one but two outstanding fish. The other Fishers were overjoyed and began to honor the young Fisher for excellent work. They scheduled appointments for the successful Fisher to share the experience of success with others and tell other Fishers’ Clubs how to do it. Soon the new Fisher, much in demand as a speaker, quit fishing in order to have time to speak – and to serve on the General Board of Fishers International where his considerable experience could benefit all. 

Mark 1:16-20

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."  18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.  Mark 1:27-28   The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching — and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

 

In the broader context Jesus is casting out demons and people are amazed at his authority. Jesus didn’t come to feed and heal and even cast out demons – he came to forgive sins. By the things he does, he confirms what he says – that he has the authority.