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First Jesus does it then Jesus calls those he does it with to go and do likewise.
What’s he doing?
First he’s announcing what era we’re in…the era of good news the Messianic Age…the age of justice and peace and wellbeing for all people…also known as the Kingdom of God as opposed to the kingdom of Caesar or Herod or
What else is he doing…he’s telling us we need to wake up our ideas…to turn around and face God and God’s way…the Messianic way if you like…Jesus way…the way of salvation for all people…
Repent slide
Most of our bibles translate the word Mark uses in this story as repent…but we’ve really twisted the meaning out of shape haven’t we…Jesus isn’t saying be sorry for all the bad stuff you’ve done Jesus isn’t talking about the past at all…he’s talking about the present…right now…
The kingdom of God is present…get in on it…
Metanoia slide
Repent in Greek…metanoia… metanoia…
meta...meta – turn or change
noia...noia to think, from nous mind
To think differently
What is indicated by this word is a transformation of the heart; a change of heart…a conversion to a different way of thinking feeling and being
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The kingdom of God is present…get in on it…
And go fishing…invite others to change their minds…to think differently…help others to recognise that the good news is the Kingdom of God is right now…the Messianic Age is right now…
And one by one Jesus calls people to follow him and they in turn share what they’ve discovered about God’s love and God’s way and one at a time if every single person who ever lived woke up their ideas…well…
Whole families and communities maybe even nations would undergo metanoia…a transformation into the kind of creation God intended where there is peace and wellbeing for all God’s creatures.
Now don’t get paranoid at how immediately Simon and Andrew and James and John followed Jesus … James and John were already disciples of John the Baptist and John had sent them off in Jesus direction. Remember … when he said …look there goes the lamb of God…
the one anointed and appointed by God…to announce the good news…of the kingdom.
So I guess when Jesus turned up on the beach where they were working…these guys would have been rapt to be invited.
So off they all set to spread the word together…
Jesus disciples learning from him…like every rabbi’s disciples did…absorbing from watching him how to live in the present kingdom of God…how to announce and proclaim the good news of God’s love for all people…freedom for the captives…light for those who live in darkness…
And all the while Jesus is preparing them for the day they didn’t even remotely anticipate…when they’d be sent out on their own… …to announce the good news… to do what Jesus did… to invite people to see the present through God’s eyes…without walls and boundaries…between Jews and everyone else…
Getting them ready for the day they’ll be without the physical presence of Jesus…but with the promised and delivered help of the Holy Spirit. [pause]
Is there any hint of a score card in what Jesus promises to teach them? Any suggestion of a competition? Any mention of earning points…collecting fly buys for the afterlife? Do we ever read about notches on the disciples’ belts or trophies on their walls of all the ‘fish’ they caught?
So what’s their motivation?
Do James and John and Simon and Andrew ask…what are we going to get out of this…what’s the payoff?
Not at all. Why is that do you think?
Ask…
Jesus’ first disciples aren’t thinking about winning a contest to bag the most converts…
Because when your bringing the good news of the Messianic Age…it isn’t about you…it isn’t about feeding your ego…building up your self-esteem…or earning your place in God’s good books…it’s about us…
Because when your bringing the good news of the Messianic Age…it isn’t about you…it isn’t about feeding your ego…building up your self-esteem…or earning your place in God’s good books…it’s about us…
It’s about the sharing the amazing discovery that you and everyone else on the planet are loved by God…about an incredible breakthrough in spiritual understanding which transforms our thinking forever about who matters to God and therefore who matters to us.
A change in our thinking…which makes us wake up our idears… and our relationships with everybody…as we follow Jesus in embodying God’s love and God’s justice and peace…we become hospitality personified…
wherever we go and with whoever we meet.
Why wouldn’t you want to share that?
And does Jesus promise Andrew and James and Simon and John they’ll see immediate results? Does Jesus assure them they will be able to measure their effectiveness and achievements? [Ask]
Maybe it’s enough to just spread the good news …maybe acting out the Gospel in everyday life…is enough…maybe doing what Jesus was doing is enough.
Maybe we’re not meant to know every outcome …maybe that’s for God to know…
to help us digest these question…let’s reflect on the implications of this short film called Strangers.[i]
Play video
My prayer is that you will be encouraged by this sermon and this film to shine the light of God’s love into the darkness of everyone you meet – even if you
never find out the impact of your actions.
never find out the impact of your actions.
And should you still doubt God’s love for you and so have no motivation to share it… I pray you’ll find someone who knows that love and can help you on your spiritual path.
And should you be convinced of God’s love for you yet question God’s love for all people… then I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will revisit the Gospel and that you will be transformed by the good news revealed in Jesus Christ.
