January 22, 2023
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois
Matthew 4:12-23[1]
What is the one
thing Jesus talks about most? The kingdom of Heaven or the kingdom of God. What
we sometimes get wrong is what that means. I believe that when Jesus talks
about the kingdom of God, he is talking about what God is doing in this world, with
these people, not a heavenly world yet to come or a kingdom of the afterlife. Now,
that does not mean that Jesus did not believe in a heavenly world. He certainly
did, and talked about that as well, but when Jesus taught or preached the
kingdom of Heaven, he was talking about God’s will being done on earth. The kingdom
of heaven has come near is about God’s will being done on earth as it is in
heaven.
The focus of Jesus’
ministry is the rule of God in this world, the will of God being realized on
this earth in the lives and relationships of people, in the structures,
systems, organizations, and institutions of society, and in all creation. The
kingdom of God is ultimately about the health and well-being of us in the here-and-now,
in this life, among these people. Heaven may be really nice, but Jesus didn’t
come to take us all to Heaven, but rather to bring Heaven here.
Jesus called
the disciples to follow him and fish for people. As modern day disciples of
Jesus, we too are called to share his passion and work, his love of God and of
people, his concern for the poor and the marginalized, his commitment to peace
and justice. In the water of Baptism, we symbolically die and rise again to
life, dying to the false self so the true self can flourish, ending the life of
sin and rising to the life of faith.
The call to
repent is a call to change the direction of our lives. Instead of living for honor,
glory, power, or fulfillment for ourselves, we decide to live for the honor and
glory of God, to love God and love our neighbor and work for a just world. The
call to repent and be a disciple of Jesus is a call to change the focus of our
lives so that we are centered in God’s rule and God’s will for life on earth, a
life focused on the well-being of others.
For some folk,
the invitation to repentance is understood as trying to make amends for all the
bad stuff we’ve done before we get in trouble. It is based on fear and avoiding
doom rather than learning how to love and being transformed. Fear of punishment,
especially eternal punishment, may motivate us to modify our behavior, but fear
cannot redeem us at the core of our being. As the author of 1 John wrote: “There
is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”[2]
Fear is not God’s tool for transformation.
It is not fear,
but love and the hope of redemption that is transforming. If we walk along the
road of life but do not fall in love with God and find ourselves compelled by Jesus’
vision of a just world for all, we will not be truly changed. We might become
religious, we might alter certain behaviors, we might join a church and become
part of a faith community, but unless we fall in love with God and learn how to
truly love others, we will not be transformed.
“As he walked
by the Sea of Galilee, [Jesus] 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 fish for people.’”[3]
They respond “immediately” and leave everything behind. Peter, Andrew, James,
and John jump at the chance to change, to seek a life beyond subsistence and
drudgery, a life pursuing a better world. This is Capernaum, land of Zebulun,
land of Naphtali, where the people have sat in darkness, in the region and
shadow of death. Jesus’s arrival is like the light of dawn breaking forth.
For these
fishermen, the power of Rome asserted control over the land, their production,
and the transportation and marketing of their catch with contracts and taxes. That
they jump at the chance for something new is not surprising. What is surprising
is that, even when it became clear this mission might be dangerous, they stuck with
it. John had already been imprisoned; he would soon be executed. Jesus doesn’t just
heal people, but teaches them a way of life that defies the empire and its fear-based
power. They will catch people, who will be transformed, and an entire world
will be turned upside down. Yet, even when the one who called them was taken to
the cross, they stayed the course.
They weren’t
particularly qualified to be change-makers. They had no training in sociology
or psychology. They may have known the scriptures, and heard stories of a
Messiah, but who were they to be partners in transforming the world with love?
Yet, they were chosen. Just some ordinary fishermen, but Jesus called them to
follow him. It would be a big change. It would be hard. It would be dangerous
at times. But it would also be wonderful, amazing, transformative.
The call is
being issued today, to us, to you and me, just us ordinary folk without much in
the way of training in transforming the world. But we are being called, not by a
figure on the seashore, but by the living Christ in our midst, in this very
room with us.
Follow me,
Jesus says, and shine some light into the darkness. Follow me and spread some
good news to people who need to hear it. Learn from me how to gather people into
a force for transforming the world with love. Follow me, says Christ, and
discover what it means to be fully human.
But, be warned.
The kingdom of Heaven means a world that is changed. It means defying empire.
It means dreaming new dreams. It means pursuing peace. It means standing for
justice with the marginalized and the poor. It means forgiving and loving
enemies. It means making God’s vision our vision, and serving God’s will rather
than our self-interest. It means loving others and helping them to love as
well. And like a great light dawning in a world of shadows, it will be
glorious. Amen.
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