Bible Text:

“As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him.”                                                                                      (Mark 1:16-18)

Jesus issues the call to discipleship not once, but twice. At least that’s what the New Testament implies. The first time he issues the call it is simple but direct: “Follow me.” The second time, he issues the same call, but with a twist. There is added responsibility. Let me explain. 

At the outset, Jesus meets you where you are. It may turn out to be totally unexpected, but it meets you in place. Surely the first fishermen weren’t expecting Jesus. They were middle-class workers along the Sea of Galilee. They were men who had acquired capital inventory and job security.  

Along comes Jesus, who says to them, “Drop it all and follow me.” Did they know him? There’s no evidence that they did.  The gospels are ruthlessly silent about this issue. There is no evidence of any previous acquaintance. There Jesus was, and all he said, simply, was this: “Follow me.” 

My own call was a bit different. I had previous experience. I grew up in a Christian home. I knew the teachings and the stories. I had sung many times the old hymn, “Tell me the stories of Jesus… scenes by the wayside, tales by the sea; stories of Jesus, tell them to me.” I was very aware of Jesus. I practice many of the values and disciplines of the Christian life. But I must add that I was not terribly attentive. Jesus was just quietly “there.” 

I heard the first call of Jesus several times. I heard it at Jumonville when I was a teenager. I heard it again when I was in college. But I really heard the first call most clearly in a seminary classroom. It was sometime in October of 1961. I don’t remember the date or the hour, but I do remember the month. I did not—at age 22—know exactly what that call meant. I only knew I had to follow. 

Why? Why did the fishermen follow Jesus? I think I know. There was no other choice. The call was simply non-debatable. I knew that Jesus held in his being the meaning of life—including my life. For me, Jesus became the complete picture. All I needed to know about God could be found and seen in him. 

There is a word used often these days in the vocabulary of a variety of people. It is the word “arguably.” Myron Cope uses it a lot, as one of the sportscasters for the Steelers. Maybe it’s a coined word. Maybe it’s a colloquial word. It’s certainly not in the dictionary. The meaning, I think, is this: “It may be debatable, but probably not.” I don’t think Jesus is debatable. I tried some of that debating in college. It was very academic and very unsatisfying. 

The disciples could have said, “Give us a day or two and we’ll get back to you.” They didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. I could have held off for a few months or a few years or even for a few decades. But I did not hesitate. I decided to follow Jesus because I was sure he was the epicenter of life. I still believe that. I made Jesus the reason for my life almost immediately. 

I decided to follow from the time I heard the call. No, I did not know what it really meant. Nor did I know where it would lead. I remember seeing a cartoon where a woman was standing at an elegant tea party. She was holding the teacup and saucer daintily in her hands, looking very poised and proper. What she did not know was that her slip had fallen and was lying at her feet around her ankles. The caption of the cartoon said this: “Confidence is what you have before you fully understand the situation.” 

I did not fully understand who Jesus was. I don’t think you have to hold all the answers before you can respond. You may say, “I know there is something in all of this, but I’m not sure I can define it.” Or you may say, “I know there’s a certain way about Jesus, but I’m not sure I can describe it.” Even if you’re not absolutely sure, you can still respond. 

Hans Kung writes, “The final distinction in Christianity is Christ. It begins with the man, Jesus.” Or Leslie Weatherhead writes, “Jesus is the person who has meant more to me than any other.” Even the emperor Napoleon—an unlikely source for this kind of quote—said once, “I know men, I tell you, and this Jesus was no mere man.” 

The invitation is not just for the sure and the certain. The invitation is for those who want a solid rock on which to stand. The invitation is for those who want a power greater than self in control of life. The invitation is for those who are running on empty and don’t want to do so any longer. The invitation is for those who are seeking spiritual friendship. Leslie Weatherhead wrote a little book called The Transforming Friendship. That may be the best description of Jesus I know. Here is a call for you who want to step into the persuasive pull of Jesus’ presence. 

When one of our grandsons was very young and just beginning to walk, he could not talk or communicate verbally. But he let me know very clearly what he wanted. He grabbed my finger and pulled. It was a powerful pull. I could be reading a book, talking on the phone, eating dinner, or even sleeping. I felt that hand grab my finger and pull me. It had a persuasiveness about it that could not be ignored. 

That’s how the first real call of Jesus felt. It seemed like a compelling pull. 

That first call was the beginning point of an extraordinary journey. It seemed urgent without being a crisis. It seemed compelling without any arm-twisting. It was life changing without being threatening. It was simply a gracious invitation. That is the way Jesus calls.  

But there is a second call. I now know that. According to the gospel story, Jesus called a second time. It happened by the same Galilean seashore. (Many of the important scenes in Jesus’ life took place along the Sea of Galilee.) It happened after the disciples had been with Jesus for a while—two or three years. It happened after his death and after his Resurrection. This time they knew him.  

They were well acquainted now. They had listened to dozens of parables—probably multiple times. They had seen many amazing acts of healing. They had seen lives changed by short conversations with him. They had had their own private conversations along the way. They knew something of the way that Jesus was leading. 

I remember seeing an epitaph on a tombstone that said, “I’ve gone ahead as you can see, so trust my lead and follow me.” Someone had added these words below; “To follow you I’m not content, until I know which way you went.” 

The disciples knew the way of Jesus. They knew it well. But now he calls them a second time with exactly the same words. Notice that. All Jesus says the second time is this, “Follow me.” The first and last calls of Jesus are exactly the same. 

For me, the second call came more gradually. It came over time. It came as I realized the magnitude of who Jesus was and is. That call came as I realized what Kingdom living might look like, what the Christian life was all about. 

I realized that following Jesus is not just a relationship. It is that! And that relationship is to be cultivated and nurtured. It is to be treated as any good friendship might be treated. But it is much more. 

I now know that to follow Jesus means much more than I thought it did in 1961. Following Jesus now stretches me beyond anything I might be on my own. I believe that Jesus takes me and makes “me” into “me better.” 

The chances are that when you graduated from high school or college, someone was guiding the processional at graduation with words for a lifetime: “Keep moving, keep moving.” Even after you make the initial decision to follow Jesus, God will say the same thing to you: “Don’t stop. Don’t stagnate. Keep moving.” That has certainly happened to me. 

For example, following Jesus now asks me to give my financial resources substantively. Whatever is entrusted to me must be used for Kingdom purposes. 

Elaine and I have always been tithers—always given 10%. That’s a staple in our lives. It has never been a question for us. But now I am asked to go deeper and farther. In fact, I have gone so deep and so far that I am now being audited by the IRS for my giving records.

We don’t give in order to boast. We give because God in Jesus has laid substantive giving on our hearts. It’s part of the call to follow him. 

Or another example: following Jesus has involved me in justice issues. It has involved me in those issues more than I ever could have imagined. Jesus asks a follower to help change systems that drag people down. Jesus asks me to fight for the highest good in community and in country. 

I don’t talk about it much. I don’t preach about it much. In order to do so, a Christian has to walk a very fine line between faith and politics. I’m not talking about religion and politics, but I’m talking about faith and politics. It is part of the second call: “Follow me.” Working with justice issues inevitably becomes quite controversial. There are very few direct teachings of Jesus to back it up.[i] 

I want you to know this morning how sad I am at the Harrisburg vote in the House and Senate last weekend. Slot machines will now be all over Pennsylvania within two years. In fact, Pennsylvania will have the largest number of slot machines of any state outside of Nevada. We will probably even have a stand-alone casino on the north shore of Pittsburgh between the two stadiums. 

I like Governor Rendell. I really do. But I am deeply disappointed in his enthusiastic endorsement of this bill. It is not a solution to the state’s financial woes. 

Gambling is an evil that brings greed and addiction. Gambling is the coward’s way to raise state and local revenues. Please note that this is not a political statement. It is a Jesus follower statement. 

I believe the call of Jesus means involvement in justice issues. 

The second call of Jesus stretches me. It stretches me a lot. It stretches me beyond my confidence level, beyond my normal preference and style, beyond anything I could have predicted 40 years ago. 

I invite you to consider the call of Jesus in your life this morning. That call comes from wherever you happen to be on your faith path to wherever God is leading you ahead. 

But I would remind you that there are two calls. One is a call to a relationship: “Get to know me. Get acquainted.” Then comes a call to make significant changes. The call is prayerful listening and courageous confrontation. The call is to quiet meditation and to respond to crushing needs. The call is both one on our knees and in the city streets. 

Both calls are an important part of the total picture. Both calls are a part of the wonder and the way of the Christian journey.