Matthew 4:18-22 Last week we talked about the call of the disciples and I shared my skepticism that these 4 fishermen simply encountered Jesus as a perfect stranger, without him having an established reputation and decided to walk away from everything they knew, including how to support themselves simply because Jesus invited them to. I shared my musings that I imagined Jesus hanging out getting to know them, establishing trust, and maybe sharing some of his own stories too, and then inviting them on a new journey with him.
And I invited you to reflect on your journey with Jesus—is he some random stranger or is he a curious student? Is he trusted and known? A
teacher or a friend? And I hope I was clear then and can be clear now that we aren’t all meant to be in the same place on our journey.
I also want to be clear that I think Jesus is equally curious and interested in each of us as individuals. Jesus isn’t more interested in pastors than the laity. He’s not more interested in men than women, or adults than children. Not more interested in rich than poor, white than black, or straight folks than queer folks. One thing that is VERY clear from Jesus’ life and ministry is that he’s deeply invested in people—all people. The fishermen are an example of this—they weren’t high up in the ranks, they weren’t generally well respected, they were everyday guys without much status. Maybe more than the shepherds in Bethlehem, but definitely not ranked like the Sadducees or the Pharisees. And yet Jesus chose them. It’s kind of like saying, “if Jesus can choose them, then I guess he can choose anybody.”
Now, we do have a few more stories about “the least and the lost” or the “outcasts” in the gospels, but that’s not because Jesus valued them more, but because others valued them less, so when Jesus puts them on a level field, it stood out and people took note. You see when Jesus gave time, attention, and honor to people who the community saw as “unworthy” people saw it as weird or misplaced. It’s kind of astonishing that despite Jesus’ example and his instructions to follow his example, 2000 years of practice, and millions of Christians who follow him, we still struggle with this principle. We value people differently. We value their gifts, their knowledge, their credentials, their ideas, and even their personhood differently. And Jesus challenges us to break apart those structures and assumptions.
All right, so what does that have to do with discipleship? Well, it means Jesus’ invitation to follow him is for you, and your neighbor, and your co-worker. It’s for people who seem to be getting it right in life and people who seem to perpetually get it wrong. No one is excluded from this possibility of a relationship with Jesus—no matter what you might think of them, no matter what might have happened to them, no matter what choices they may have made, no matter how much hot water they are in right now—everyone is loved by Jesus and everyone is invited to follow him and his example.
And we can be disciples of Jesus when we get it wrong. And they can still be disciples of Jesus when they get it wrong. Discipleship does not demand perfection, it does require persistence. By definition, we’re not a disciple if we’re not following Jesus. We may not be following well, we may be a bit distracted, but if we are at least following and emulating, then we are disciples.
I feel like maybe we need to create some nuance with our language. We’re going to play a game of semantics. How many of you consider yourself a Christian? Does that feel like a comfortable title? What does that mean to you? What does it mean to be a Christian? That you believe in Jesus? Believe in him as to what? As a prophet? As a good teacher? As the Son of God? Now, how many of you consider yourself a disciple? Is that a comfortable title? Are you a follower of Jesus? Do you learn from him? Do you ask him questions? Do you seek his wisdom? His advice? His guidance? Is there a difference between being a disciple and being a Christian?
At their core, I don’t know that there is. Both mean to follow Christ. But I think practically speaking we’ve come to live and understand them differently. Lots of people call themselves Christian, often, as we know, without really understanding what that means, or being clear about the doctrines of Christianity. But it seems like fewer people call themselves disciples. At least from my perspective, that word carries more weight, more responsibility. Before I call myself a disciple, I want to do some self-reflection and be clear if I’m actually following Jesus. So for our purposes today, even though I think they are synonymous, we’re going to stick with the disciple language so we can underscore the expectation of action—of doing what Jesus did, living as he lived.
Maybe some fair parallels would be with other things we do. If I say I’m something, generally you’ll follow-up with a question about frequency or style. Right? For instance, f I say I’m a runner you might ask me what kind of distances I do, or how often I go, or what my pace is. Or if I say I’m an artist, you might ask what my latest project is or my favorite medium. If I say I’m a cook, you might ask what types of things I like to make, or what my favorite dish is. If I’m a reader you might ask whether I like fiction, non-fiction, or sci-fi or about the latest book I read. Right? If I claim to be something you want to know how I live into that. And if I claim to be a disciple you should have similar questions --what am I doing that emulates Jesus’ example in the world? How am I following Jesus?
And for any of these things, if we don’t have the answers…if I’m a runner, but don’t have a path I go, or a normal distance, or haven’t gone for a run in years….then I’m not a runner…I used to a runner, but I’m not right now. And if I claim to be an artist, but again, haven’t done any art things in forever…I used to be an artist, maybe even I claim that as part of my identity, but am I really an artist now? Is that distinction making sense? I want us to be clear that discipleship is about what we are actively doing to follow Jesus.
Alright, so are you a disciple? Are you doing things that follow Jesus’ example? Let’s talk a little about some of those things...what is the example? what did Jesus do that we are called to do as well?
-He studied the scriptures….this is something we see early on when Jesus’ family went to the temple. He was 12 and they were on their sojourn for the holy days and In Jerusalem for a while and then headed out to go home and it was a couple of days later when they realized, Jesus wasn’t with their caravan. Where was he? He was back at the temple, learning, and teaching from the scriptures. And then throughout his ministry, we find him sharing the scriptures from the Jewish tradition and pushing those lessons to the next level. Jesus spent intentional time studying the scriptures. So, if we want to follow his example, we are invited to do that too. Now, that doesn’t have to be for hours every day, but enough that if someone asks you about this part of discipleship, like, what scriptures are you studying? you say, oh yeah, I’ve been reading (Matthew, or Genesis, or the psalms, or Galatians…pick one!) Spend a little time studying the scriptures!
-Jesus spent time with people—I know this is different with the pandemic, but you and I both know that the phone still works to call, and the post office is still delivering letters, and there are marvelous new(ish) things like Facetime and zoom that let you see someone and talk to them at the same time. Jesus wasn’t a hermit. He talked with people—really talked with people, listened to them, got to know them, learned about what was happening in their lives. So, who are you spending quality time with as a disciple of Jesus?
-Jesus offered compassion, he looked with a lens of grace—we know this is a core tenant of the faith, and yet, people are so people-y. We’re so human. We’re flawed. We’re imperfect. And sometimes we’re downright impossible to deal with. And yet, it seems that when Jesus looked at people he saw them as they were created….as children of God, and with that view his heart was softened. They weren’t just tax collectors or prostitutes, they were beautiful, beloved children of God. And as we seek to follow that witness—people aren’t just blue or red, they aren’t simply faithful or unfaithful, or kind or rude—they are children of God. And we are called to treat them as such—with tenderness, a desire to understand them and their perspective, and to offer empathy and grace. On this one, remember discipleship doesn’t require perfection, but it does require persistence. We’re going to get it wrong, people can be hard, but our job is to keep at it. Remember they are children of God. And to try and look with grace again.
-Jesus held people accountable—I have to be honest, this one is really hard for me. I’m a peace-maker. I was taught to practice decorum (which generally, as a woman, translates to keeping things “nice”). I am not a fan of conflict or confrontation. And yet, Jesus says there is a standard, not always a standard we agree with, but there are particular ways to live and follow God. Now, we could spend a whole sermon series into that one (maybe we will later this spring or summer!) but for now, there’s a basic way to look at it. This isn’t about constantly calling people out and telling them they are wrong. It’s not to slap people on the wrist every time they miss the boat. But let’s look at the standard, who does Jesus rebuke the most? The Pharisees and Sadducees. If there’s anyone Jesus regularly holds accountable it’s them. In reading the gospels you might get the impression that he doesn’t like them. But I don’t think that’s it. Why do you think it is that Jesus has the most to say to the Pharisees and the Sadducees? Because they were the religious leaders, they were the ones who studied the law, they were the ones who taught the law—and yet, somehow, they kept missing the point of all that they had studied. Jesus doesn’t get all ticky with the tax collectors or the prostitutes, not because he doesn’t care, but because they aren’t steeped in religious rules…but the Pharisees and the Sadducees, they should know better. So for us today, the bar is different for new believers, and definitely for non-believers than the standard we have for folks who have been steeped in the faith. I’m going to say it plainly if you’ve been at this discipleship thing for awhile…5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 50 years…the standard should be higher…again, not perfection, but persistence. People should be able to look to your life and your example and see plainly that you are consistently trying to follow Jesus and live as he lived.
He built community—he loved all people, and he invested in particular people for deeply meaningful relationships. The disciples are known by name for a reason--they were Jesus’ people--they were his community. We aren’t called to be besties with everyone, we are called to compassion for everyone, but Jesus knew significant and meaningful relationships take time and intentionality and even he needed them. These were life-giving, God-fearing friendships. How are you fostering those in your life?
Now, this isn’t meant to shame you or make you feel bad. This is meant to help us set the bar. What are the standards? How can we live faithfully as disciples of Jesus? **also, this is not an exhaustive list of how to follow Jesus, but it is a starting place. Something we can keep turning back to so we can check-in and look for ways to stay faithful. Where are you strong? How might you then mentor someone in that way of following Christ? And where do you need a little fine-tuning? (or a lot)? We aren’t meant to arrive in our faith walk….we are meant to keep at it. So, how might you take the next steps? How might you intentionally choose to follow Christ?