You may have heard the story about the fisherman who had a fantastic reputation for his ability to catch fish. Everyday he would go out in his boat and bring back an incredibly large number of fish, and his reputation spread far and wide. One day a stranger came to the camp and wanted to go fishing with him. The fisherman said, “Come back to tomorrow morning at 4:30, and we’ll go. The stranger was back the next morning, and two men got into the boat. The stranger was puzzled at what he saw. All the fisherman carried was an old rusty, green tackle box and a dip net. There were no fishing poles, no casting rods no reels — none of the paraphernalia normally associated with fishing.

They motored across the lake and got back into a little secluded cove. The fisherman opened his rusty tackle box and pulled out a red stick of dynamite. He took a match, very casually struck it — as the stranger’s eyes grew wider. He lit the fuse and tossed the stick over his shoulder. When the dynamite had exploded in the water, fish began rising to the surface. Very calmly, the fisherman began dipping into the water and putting the fish into the boat with his dip net.

The stranger then reached into his pocket, pulled out a worn leather billfold; opened it up to reveal a shiny metal badge - he was a Game Warden. “You’re under arrest! It’s against the law to dynamite for fish.”

Again, very calmly, the fisherman reached down into the old rusty green tackle box, and pulled out a second stick of dynamite, struck a match, lit the fuse, and handed the stick of dynamite to the Game Warden. The Game Warden was so confused that he took it. The fuse was burning in his hand. The fisherman, with a gleam in his eye, and a glee in his voice, said, “Are you going to fish or just sit there?”

Our scripture lesson today is about some fishermen. It is the familiar story of Jesus’ call of four of his disciples – all fishermen. Mark gives the specific setting for the call of one other disciple – Matthew the tax collector. Then in Chapter 3 he names the original 12 whom Jesus calls, but gives no details about their calling.

We focus today on the call of the first four disciples because there are challenging lessons for us here. I’ve titled the sermon, “Fish or Cut Bait.” Are you familiar with the phrase? It’s an expression in the vernacular of the challenge to get on with our primary calling – to be disciples. Fish or cut bait…it’s usually in the form of a question: “Are you going to fish or cut bait?,” meaning, “Are you going to spend your time getting ready – or are you going to get on with the task at hand?” – or it may mean “The time has come; we can’t dilly-daily around any longer; we have to act now or there will be no chance for action.” “Fish or cut bait” expresses a kind of urgency, a call to decision. It signals momentous opportunity. Let’s look at our scripture lesson with that image as a backdrop for our thinking.

I

Note first the simple fact, already indicated, that these men Jesus called were fishermen

These first followers were simple folk. They did not come from the schools and the colleges. They were not leaders in the church, or a part of the aristocracy. They were neither learned nor wealthy. They were fishermen - that is to say they were ordinary people.

“No one ever believed in the ordinary as Jesus did. Once George Bernard Shaw said, ‘I’ve never had any feeling for the working classes, except the desire to abolish them and replace them by sensible people.”

Once in a fit of temper, Carlyle declared there were 27 millions of people in England — mostly fools! Jesus did not feel like that.

Lincoln took his cue from Jesus when he said, “God must love the common people – he made so many of them.” It was as if Jesus said, “Give me 12 ordinary men, and with them, if they will give themselves to me I will change the world.”

As we look at these folks whom Jesus called to be his disciples, signal truths stand out.

One, anybody can be a follower of Jesus.

What a heartening fact for the person who feels incapable or unworthy. And there are far more people in those categories than we usually acknowledge. I run into them - all the time in this congregation – people who feel incapable of living the Christian life, of following Jesus, of taking responsibility in his Kingdom’s work. And there are, oh, so many, who feel unworthy. Isn’t it great that being a Christian disciple is dependent neither upon our ability or our worthiness. Anybody can be a follower of Jesus.

The second signal truth that stands our in the fact that Jesus first called simple folk is this: The Kingdom’s advance is not dependent upon our normal perceptions of power.

No word captures the truth better than that word from Zachariah — the word that came to him in a vision when the angel of the Lord spoke to him: “Not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.”

Paul gave us the best picture of it when he wrote his first letter to the Corinthians. Listen to him:

For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were born of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

You see, the Kingdom’s advance is not dependent upon our normal perceptions of power. God uses our weakness our limitation, even our failure to bring about his good. Let me spell it our again – two things we conclude from the fact that the first people Jesus called were common fishermen.

1) Anyone can be a follower, and

2) The Kingdom’s advance is not dependent upon our normal perception of power.

II

And that leads to the second focus. Note the call itself. Verse 17: “And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make fishers of men.”

This is, first of all, a call to join Jesus.

The “Follow me” call of Jesus is an offer of companionship – “to walk the same road” is the meaning behind that word. The case of the Greek word carries with it the idea of joining with someone. Fellowship, joint participation, a side by side communion with one another.

In another setting, Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me cannot be my disciple loves me.” That’s the key to what we are talking about here. Faith begins, not when we accept a set of teachings, nor when we embrace a particular lifestyle, nor when we subscribe to a certain ethic. The Christian faith and our discipleship begins when we meet Jesus in our own heats, pour out our love to him from the depths of our being, and begin to walk with Him.

Some years ago, Dr. J. Edwin Orr was speaking to a group of college students at the University of Chicago on precisely this subject. When he got through, a young woman stood up and said, “I object. If a person believes in communism, he is a Communist. If he believes in socialism, he is a Socialist. If he believes in capitalism, he is a Capitalist. And if he believes in capitalism, he is a Capitalist. And if he believes in Christianity, he is a Christian.” “No,” said Dr Orr, “that’s not necessarily so.” The woman was quite puzzled. “I don’t understand.”

Dr. Orr looked down and noticed that the woman was wearing an engagement ring. “Let me ask you something,” he said, “Do you believe in marriage?” “Believe in marriage? Well, yes, of course I do. In fact, I’m engaged to be married this summer to a man who goes to another university.” “Well, wonderful,” said Dr. Orr. “I wonder if I could ask you to do something. Would you please come up here and stand in front for just a moment.” The woman hesitated for just a moment and then said, “Well, yes I will.” And she came up in front of the group.

Then Dr. Orr spotted a young man back in the corner of the room who was wearing a sweat shirt. This young man had been particularly attentive during the evening. “You, back there, you wearing a sweat shirt. Would you please come up here too?” said Dr. Orr. “Well, yes, I guess so,” said the young man, and he came up to the front of the group as well. As he was walking up to the front, Dr. Orr said, “Son, let me ask you something, too. Do you believe in marriage?” The young man replied, “Well, yes, yes, I believe in marriage. I’m not planning to get married or anything like that, but I certainly believe in marriage.” “Well, I’m delighted to hear that,” said Dr. Orr.

“Now,” he said, “let me ask the two of you to do something. Will you please take one another’s hand?” After the couple did that, uncertain as to what would happen, Dr. Orr then placed his hands on their joined hands. Then he said, “Since the two of you have both indicated that you believe in marriage and since I am a fully ordained minister with my credentials registered in this state, I hereby pronounce that you are man and wife!”

“Whoa! Wait a minute!” said the young woman, “You can’t do that!” Dr. Orr said, “I can’t? Why not?” The young woman said, “Well, because marriage is not a philosophy! It’s a relationship, and a very personal and special relationship at that! I don’t even know this fellow!” Dr. Orr smiled. “You’re right,” he said. “It’s a very special and a very personal relationship. And so it is with Christianity. Christianity is not a philosophy at all, but a very special and personal relationship we have with Jesus Christ!”

He had made his point –and I hope I have.

Of course it’s important that all of us believe in the teachings and the principles of the Christian faith, It’s important that we embrace the Christian lifestyle and that we honor the Christian ethic and that we uphold a Christian value system.

But, the key – the key is to know Jesus personally in our hearts and love Him fully with all our being. To respond to Him when He says, “Whoever comes to me cannot be my disciple unless he loves me.”

So, the call is first of all a call to join Jesus.

But it’s also a call to a task. Jesus said, “Follow me – and I will make you become fisher’s of men.” Don’t miss this – discipleship involves accepting the task to which Jesus calls us.

Note the imperative in Jesus’ call — “I will make you” —— that’s strong and direct language. Do you feel about what I do? The follower of Christ has no choice — he is a fisher of men. Jesus term in his call to the disciples. In Greek it means “to take alive.” In fishing parlance, it meant to catch fish in such a way that they were still alive when brought to the shore for sale.

Now these four fishermen were to become fishers of men in the same way. They were able to take a man alive! (Ogilvie)

It’s amazing, isn’t it? So few contemporary Christians are fishers of men.

The intended fruit of one Christian is another — that is we are to bring others to Jesus. Jesus put it all too clearly in his ministry: “I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes, away, and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. . . “I am the vine, and you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit...” (John 15: 1,2,5). Fruitfulness is not a luxury; it is a requirement. The qualification is not just believing in Christ, but it is in being reproductive.

How do we do it? We do it by loving people selflessly enough, long enough to earn the right to speak to them. We do it by cultivating our relationships with Christ intentionally enough that when we have earned the right to speak, we will have something to say and people will listen because our actions, our transparent Christian concern and character will validate our words.

How do we do it? We do it not out of our gifts alone, but out of the inspiration and guidance of the Indwelling Christ. Jesus said, “I will make you fishermen of me.” Not only does that suggest an imperative — it suggests that Jesus will equip us for our witnessing task. We will not be left without the right word if we will depend on Christ. And when the words don’t come, our presence will be more powerful than words for the indwelling Christ will be and do through us what is needed in the moment.

The call is clear, “Fish or cut bait.” Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Register the truths clearly.

1. Anybody can be a follower of Jesus.
2. The Kingdom’s advance is not dependent upon our normal perceptions of power.
3. The call is to join Jesus — to be with Him.
4. The call is also to a task – to be a fisher of men.

The unknown poet plotted what should be the spiritual journey of each one of us:

“I walked life’s way with a careless tread,
I followed where comfort and pleasure led;
Till at last one day in a quiet place,
I met my Master face to face.

I’d reared my castles and built them high,
Till their turrets touched the blue of the sky.
And I’d vowed to rule with an iron mace
When I met my Master face to face.

I met Him and knew Him and blushed to see
That His eyes in pity were fixed on me,
And I faltered and fell at His feet that day,
And my castles melted and vanished away.

They melted and vanished, and in their place
I saw naught else but the Master’s face.
And I cried aloud, ‘O make me meek
To follow the path of their bruised feet’

My care is now for the souls of men.
I’ve lost my life to find it again,
E’er since that day, in a quiet place,
I met my Master face to face.”

Look at Him now. He’s here — and He’s saying to you, “Follow me - and I will make you fishers of men.

We don’t share what has been given us.

In his call, Jesus says we don’t have any alternative. “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. It’s not an option, but an imperative.

How do we do it? We do it by loving people selflessly enough long enough to earn the right to speak to them. We do it by cultivating our relationship with Christ intentionally enough that the key is to know Jesus personally in our hearts and love him fully with all our being. To respond to Him when he says, “Whoever comes to me cannot be my disciple unless he loves me.”

So, the call is f a call to join Jesus.

But it’s also a call to task. Jesus said, “Follow me - and I will make you become fishers of men.” Don’t miss this discipleship involves accepting the task to which Jesus calls us.