GO FISH!
Matthew 4:12-23
Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A
Analysis by Louis Moehlman
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so 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—
16the 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.”
17From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
18As 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 fishers. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As 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. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
From Wikimedia Commons
“We follow, pointing others to the net (the Cross) and The Fisher – proclaiming the saving promise of the Good News.”
DIAGNOSIS: Fishing for all the wrong reasons, and failing to follow
Step 1: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem) – Let’s go fishing!
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” That’s what Jesus said. But we turn in into our own trophy campaign. “Follow me, and you will do great things!” What “me” have we been following?
Annual Meeting season is upon us. A good chance for a year-in-review. Do the right things the right ways; be that kind of disciple that we know Jesus wants us to be; follow where we know the Spirit is calling us, and we’ll be doing that thing Jesus promises us we’ll be doing. Fishing for people.
And we know if we’ve done well because we’ll have had more baptisms, more new members, and financial growth and stability!
Step 2: Advanced Diagnosis (Internal Problem) – How many fish did you catch this year?
Often, in this fishy business, it seems we are chasing a goal post that never seems to stop moving.
We end up fishing for people because we need more people to contribute to the budget and more people to fill the ever-harder-to-fill vacancies for the Council. Following Jesus (are we?) will guarantee growth and success!
What about decline? What about burn out? What about when crisis hits and we need to replace the sanctuary roof?
If I’m called to fish for people, why isn’t the Lord providing us with the people? Aren’t we working hard enough?
Anything other than “growth” means we aren’t finding the Lord’s favor or doing the work – the “fishing” – in the right and proper ways! Try harder and do better, and the Lord will provide us with fish for fishing, and bring people into our congregations so we can keep track of them!
Step 3: Final Diagnosis (Eternal Problem) – But that’s not what’s happening.
It’s what the trend line tells us about the denomination (speaking for my denomination, ELCA). One half of the size it was a decade ago. Church attendance, giving, membership, viewership, participation, activity – all in decline.
This isn’t what Jesus promised would happen!
We did the right things the right way (the first clue of our law-driven lives), and we’re no closer to actually finding people, and the work that we’re doing could hardly be considered fishing for people.
We’re engaging in wishful thinking and hoping that in living up to our own expectations (and rules) the Lord would send people this way! People who, of course, want to do what we want them to do, the way we want them to do it! But that’s not what happens.
And after following this guy Jesus long enough, the disciples realize just where all this fishing for people ends and what it requires – the death of The Fisher of Humanity himself!
That’s not the catch anyone is expecting. Listen, Jesus, I’m supposed to avoid this fate following you. If dropping my net and following you means following you to your death and ultimately mine, then I’m not interested. You can fish for people yourself!
But like it or not, we have no other fate but to end up the same way: on a cross and in a tomb. Following Jesus to his cross and then our own. And then dead… as required.
PROGNOSIS: Fishing with the Cross-shaped Net
Step 4: Internal Prognosis (Eternal Solution) – Where Jesus goes fishing
But that’s where Jesus goes to meet us. To the cross to gather into himself all people. The catch of the day that could only be accomplished with a cross-shaped net.
As heard from Fred Neidner, if you’ve ever looked at a fishing net, the intersection of the rope makes little crosses. The only way that God could ever imagine getting all people to himself is through the cross. The ultimate fishing net to fish for all humanity is the Cross. And that cross meets us in the waters of our baptism – baptized into his death.
Step 5: Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution) – Caught in Christ’s net!
We are fished out of the waters of our baptism – raised to new life! – with the net of Christ. Trapped in this net, we can’t help but follow him because that’s our fate. Trusting in the promise that The Fisher of Men has and will keep pulling us out of our watery graves, how can we help but share with others (other fishy, stinky, dead-smelling fish) about The Fisher of Men himself.
Step 6: Final Prognosis (External Solution) – Fishing with the Promising Net
The promise is that because of what God in Christ has done for us, we go out and bring others along. We can’t help but bring others along. Being a fisher of men isn’t our job; it’s The Fisher’s job. We follow, pointing others to the net (the Cross) and The Fisher – proclaiming the saving promise of the Good News.
With this Good News as our focus, metrics don’t seem to matter anymore, rather the proclamation of the promise that’s on our hearts and lips, telling others of what God has done.
So, despite what your congregational metrics look like, who cares? (Bishops, denominations, council members and some annual meeting goers, sure…)
What we get to do is point to The Good Fisher, and live in trust, inviting others to come and get caught.
