Sermon
Mark 1:14-20
What about the Others?
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Mark 1:14-20
What about the Others?
The gospel lesson for today begins with the arrest of John the Baptist. For Mark, there’s a clear connection between John’s arrest and the start of Jesus’ ministry. He writes:
“Now after John was taken into custody,
Jesus came into Galilee,
preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God…” (Mark 1:14)
But Mark leaves some unanswered questions here: Was it Jesus’ intent to carry on John’s ministry? Or, did he see this as a sign that his moment had come? We can only guess.
What we do know is that, when Jesus heard that John was in prison, he left Nazareth and moved to Capernaum, about fifteen to twenty miles northeast, and it was there that he called his first four disciples: Simon, Andrew, James and John. Now, on the surface, it sounds improbable that a total stranger could walk up to seasoned fishermen on the job and simply say, “Follow me and I’ll make you fishers of men,” and, just like that, they’d leave their nets and follow him. How could this be?
Charles Page gives us one option. Charles is an archeologist and Bible scholar who’s spent most of his life in the Holy Land. He’s the author of the book, The Bible and the Land. Based on geography and a little common sense, he imagines that, as a young man, Jesus may have made numerous trips to Capernaum. It’s a relatively short distance, and, growing up in a remote village like Nazareth, that’s where the action was.
Capernaum was a bustling city on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. In addition to fishing, there was commerce and industry. Capernaum sat on a crossroad between two major trade routes. There was a constant flow of traffic all the way from Syria to Egypt and back.
On any given day, the streets would be crowded with merchants and vendors. You could catch a whiff of fresh lamb roasting on an open fire, fragrant spices and exotic perfumes. You could hear other languages being spoken and see people dressed in all sorts of outfits. For a young man living in Nazareth, going to Capernaum would be like growing up in Hope and wanting to see the lights of Dallas, every once in a while.
So, Dr. Page imagines Jesus going to Capernaum, not once, but often; and, in time, making friends with other young people like Simon, Andrew, James and John. If so, they probably ate together and talked about their hopes and dreams for the future. Perhaps they’d sit around a campfire at night and Jesus would tell them about his vision of God’s New Creation and how, one day, he was going to announce it to the world.
It’s just a thought, but, if Charles is right, then it’s altogether possible that, when Jesus left Nazareth and went to Capernaum, it wasn’t the first time; and, when he came to Simon and the others, he wasn’t a stranger; and, when he said, “Follow me, and I’ll make you fishers of men,” they knew exactly what he was talking about.
Of course, we’ll never know for sure. All we have to go on is what Mark tells us, that Jesus went to Capernaum and started his ministry by calling his disciples.
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What intrigues me about this passage – and what I’d like for us to think about in the sermon this morning – is what about the others? Simon, Andrew, James and John were but four fishermen working their nets that morning. Most likely, there were dozens of others. Why these four?
Why didn’t Jesus make a public announcement and invite all those to step forward who wanted to be part of the kingdom? Why didn’t he run an ad in the Capernaum Crier: “Disciples wanted – no qualifications required – equal opportunity employer.” Why was he so selective?
Simon, Andrew, James and John were just the beginning. In the next chapter, Mark tells how Jesus passed by Levi, the tax collector, and said, “Come after me…” Just like that, he got up and left his office and became one of Jesus’ disciples. (Mark 2:14) Then in Chapter three, Mark says,
“He went up into the mountain,
and called to himself those whom he wanted,
and they went to him.” (Mark 3:13)
Mark names all twelve disciples: Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot. (Mark. 3:16-19)
But did you catch how Mark put this? “He went up into the mountain, and called to himself those whom he wanted…” What about the others? Were there some he didn’t desire?
Peter Sykes and John Krisch would say so. They’re the directors of the Jesus Film, produced in 1979. We’ve watched portions of it in Sunday school. When it comes to this scene where Jesus chooses his disciples, there’s a whole group of men milling around on the hillside. You can feel an air of suspense as Jesus walks among them and looks at each one closely, as if deciding whether or not he’s got the right stuff to be a disciple. To one he gives an approving nod; to another he smiles kindly, but walks on. In the end, twelve are chosen to follow him, while the others are free to go home and go back to their everyday lives.
So, is this how God works? Some are chosen; some are not? The witness of the Old Testament says so. Genesis 15 says,
“In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your seed I have given this land… the Kenites… the Hittites… the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.'” Genesis 15:18-21)
Just as Jesus chose twelve unlikely men and called them to be his disciples, God chose the people of Israel to call his own and not one of the other tribes of that day.
Now, you could say all this changed on the Day of Pentecost. That was the day the Holy Spirit poured out on Jesus’ followers and they began to proclaim the glory of God in their own tongues. It created such a stir that the neighbors came out to see what was going on, and Peter told them,
“But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘It will be in the last days… that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams… It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.'” (Acts 2:16-21)
According to Luke, about three thousand people called on the name of the Lord that day and were baptized. Ever since, this has been the prototype of our calling to be disciples of Jesus Christ. In the words of an old gospel hymn,
Jesus calls us over the tumult Of our life’s wild, restless, sea; Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, Saying, “Christian, follow Me!”
The message is clear: Hear his voice, accept his call, and be saved. If only it were that simple.
Oh, I know there are those who hear the Good News of the gospel and turn a deaf ear. They don’t want to leave their nets – metaphorically speaking – and live a life of service to others. They want to do their own thing, have fun, seek pleasure and avoid pain.
They’re the Jonahs of the world. When God tells them to go this way, they take off in the opposite direction. You know the story. And yet, we’re cautiously optimistic that God will catch up with them in the end and win them over.
And yet, there are others who hear the gospel but just don’t get it. The Good News of God’s love goes in one ear and out the other. They’re not stubborn and they’re not stupid. They listen and they do their best to feel what you’re feeling. Often they make an effort to comply and say the right words; but, somehow, it doesn’t take.
How do you explain this? Say, a family has three children. They all go to Sunday School and church growing up. Two go on to become elders or deacons. One never darkens the door of the church. Does that mean he/she is somehow lost? I don’t think so.
I started teaching Music Appreciation at UACCH this Spring. I’ve got twenty-two students in two sections. We’ve only had four classes so far, but I can tell you, some are likely to come out of the class with a love of great music, and some will do well to get a passing grade.
I can already see it in their faces. On Thursday, I played the opening movement of the Peer Gynt Suite, by Edward Grieg. It’s called, Morning. You’ve all heard it before. It’s one of the most beautiful passages I know. I watched the students as the music played. For some, the music washed over them like fresh breeze, while others had a blank, hollow look in their eyes, as if to say, “What’s this all about?”
So, what do you think? Is the love of classical music an acquired taste or an innate gift? Is calculus something we’re all born to understand? Or poetry? Or law? Why do some people find history boring, while others can’t get enough of it? You see where I’m going with this: Is faith something we grasp, or does it come as a gift of the Holy Spirit?
Paul seems to say both. He tried to persuade his fellow Jews that Jesus was the Christ, and he had little patience with those who wouldn’t listen. Luke writes,
“He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath,
and persuaded Jews and Greeks…
When they opposed him and blasphemed,
he shook out his clothing and said to them,
‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean.
From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!'” (Acts 18:4-6)
For Paul, the message was clear:
“If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
And yet, Paul also spoke of the elect – those God knew from the beginning of time and called to be instruments of his grace and love. He told the Romans,
“For whom he foreknew,
he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…
Whom he predestined, those he also called.
Whom he called, those he also justified.
Whom he justified, those he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30)
How could it be both? The answer is God gives us the ability to respond. Paul told the Corinthians, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ but by the Holy Spirit.” (1Corinthians 12:3) Scripture bears witness that, not only does God take the initiative claiming us as his children, God gives us grace to know him as Lord and Father of us all.
So, what does this mean for us this morning? If, by God’s grace, we’re chosen to be the people of God in the world today, what about the others? What about those who haven’t heard, or who refuse to hear, or who are not able to hear the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ?
First, it’s not for us to judge. The basis of God’s choosing is a mystery. Jesus chose the most unlikely individuals to be his disciples. In the same way, God chooses one and not another, and we don’t know why. Only this we know: Those who are chosen are no better than those who are not, and those who aren’t chosen are no worse than those who are.
Second, to be chosen is to be charged with the responsibility to serve the others. This is a great, old Presbyterian mantra: “We’re saved to serve.” We, who’ve been given the gift of hearing and understanding the gospel, have an obligation to share the Good News with others. We’re to be beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.
Third, at the end of the day, it’s not about us – who’s chosen and who’s not. It’s about the sovereignty of God who, out of God’s great love for us all has begun a New Creation in Jesus Christ and invites us to be part of it.
And this is the thought I hope you’ll carry home with you today: When those who are called reach out to those who aren’t and make a special effort to bring them along, everyone benefits, and we get a foretaste of the kingdom of God. John Greenleaf Whittier put it this way:
O brother man, fold to thy heart thy brother; Where pity dwells, the peace of God is there; To worship rightly is to love each other, Each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer.
Follow with reverent steps the great example Of Him Whose holy work was doing good; So shall the wide earth seem our Father’s temple, Each loving life a psalm of gratitude.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible.
Copyright 2009, Philip McLarty. Used by permission.