The Third Sunday after Epiphany
January 26, 2014 - Pastor Adam Moline
Isaiah
9:1-4 1
Corinthians 1:10-18 Mathew 4:12-25
Grace, mercy and
peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our text today is from the Gospel lesson just read, especially these
words, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Thus far our text for today.
Dear friends in
Christ. When I was in high school, and
even up to a few years ago I guess, I had a t-shirt with a rephrase of today’s
Gospel lesson on it. Across the top it
had a picture of a Northern Pike along with big letters that said, “Jesus said
– Go fishing.” And then underneath were
these words, “He said nothing about fixing the sink, mowing the lawn, washing
the car, weeding the garden or walking the dog.”
But this text
today really has nothing to do with fishing in the way that you and I think
of. Jesus was looking for fishers of men,
not catchers of sardines or perch. Jesus
was looking for people to bring sinners into the fold of the church so that
they might be forgiven forever inheriting eternal life. Jesus was looking for men to cast the net he
commanded they cast, so that And for
this type of “fishing,” there were no nets involved, no fishing poles, no ice
houses or anything like that.
Jesus has a
different lure that he wishes these newly called disciples to use as fishers of
men. His holy Word. It’s the same lure that Christ himself is
using at the beginning of our text today, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand.”
To our ears, this
message seems like one that could never catch the sinful people of this
world. How can you tell someone to
repent? To do so you’d have to tell them
that what they are doing is sin! They’d
have to admit that they themselves are sinners!
How could that get people to join the church? How could that net catch people?
The answer is
truly sobering isn’t it. If people are
honest, if you are honest, you are a
sinner. You are guilty. You do need to repent. Yes, each one of you here. No, you aren’t holier than the other people
here. Each one of us has sinned in our
thoughts words and deeds – as we confess each week. And because of your sin, you haven’t pleased
God. You’ve broken not just one or two
of the 10 commandments, but all of them time and time again. Yes, dear friends, you need to repent. You need to heed the preaching of Christ and
his messengers in our text today. Repent. Turn from your sin.
And the net of
Christ’s Word offers more than just condemnation and a need to repent. The message of Christ goes on. “For the kingdom of God is near.” The kingdom of God is coming to you, yes
you. In fact you belong to the kingdom
of God, you baptized and forgiven sinners are citizens of heaven already
now! The kingdom of God is at hand, and
is freely given here in this building, in this very room. You have been caught in the net of Jesus
Christ, you are the men and women to whom Christ’s call has won.
The kingdom has
caught you by call of its ruler. He has
called you to belong to him, purchasing and winning you not with God and silver
as payment, but with his own precious blood and death. Your king wears a crown that is made of
thorns and draws blood for your forgiveness.
Your king rules from the throne of a cross, where he was nailed to
forgive your sins. Your king has made
all well in God’s eyes, by his own suffering on your behalf.
Dear friends, you
have been caught by Christ, caught by his Word, by his call, and washed in his
blood. Your sins are forgiven by him,
and for his sake. In the name of
Jesus. Amen.
