May 10 Sermon

May 10

 

So far we have seen how John introduces Jesus as Almighty God come in the flesh, the word who was with God and was God

We then looked at the promised forerunner who would introduce Jesus to Gods chosen people and His baptism

We then saw how Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted and how He overcame so that we might also

 

After Jesus’ baptism John and Jesus split up but were doing pretty much the same thing.

John was baptizing and so was Jesus, although He himself was not baptizing but His disciples were

And then we read this

John 3:25-30 (ESV)
²⁵  Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification.
²⁶  And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”
²⁷  John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.
²⁸  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’
²⁹  The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.

Now listen to the next verse

³⁰  He must increase, but I must decrease.”

 

These are perhaps the most important words John, or any other disciple have ever said

Man’s biggest problem has always been pride

John could have easily been jealous that more people were going to Jesus than to him

After all, he’s been doing this for some time now

He is the one who introduced Jesus

But John knew that it was no longer about him, and perhaps it never was

 

How often I have heard pastors bring attention to themselves

Look at the latest book I wrote

Look at how large I have grown my congregation

Look how many people I have brought to the Lord

It seems more about them than it is about Jesus

When a pastor focuses on himself or his accomplishments, then people’s eyes are not on Jesus

³⁰  He must increase, but I must decrease.”

These are the last words of John before being arrested and eventually killed by Herod

 

Now it is time for Jesus to call those who will be His disciples and some who will become apostles

 

How do you choose friends?

Do you look for certain kinds of people?

Perhaps those who have the same interests or like the same things

Certainly, those you hope you can depend on if things get tough

It seems Jesus had a different set of criteria.

 

After Jesus was baptized, we read this

John 1:35-38 (ESV)
³⁵  The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,
³⁶  and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
³⁷  The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
³⁸  Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?”  

 

How would you answer that question?

Suppose Jesus appeared to you today and asked you, what are you looking for?

Can you be sure that your answer would be pleasing to Him?

I find the disciples answer curious

And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

Was this because they wanted to stay with Him or were they offering a place for Him to stay?

John 1:39-40 (ESV)
³⁹  He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
⁴⁰  One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

 

The tenth hour according to Hebrew reckoning is about 4PM

Almost time for the evening meal and so they stayed with Jesus that day

We are introduced to the first one Jesus chose and his name was Andrew, the brother of Peter

And Andrew goes and tells his brother

John 1:41-42 (ESV)
⁴¹  He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
⁴²  He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

We know that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and John must have told Andrew far more than is recorded to have come to the conclusion that Jesus was Messiah

When he brings Simon to Jesus, Jesus changes his name almost immediately

Jesus changes his name from Simon which means a hearer to Peter which means a rock

That name will play into Peter’s character as we’ll see later

 

 

If we read all four gospels together we have some gaps of unexplained time

John’s gospel suggests that Andrew and another disciple went to Jesus the day after Jesus’ baptism

But we know that Jesus immediately went into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted

 

But they may have left the next day and went back to work because Matthew records something that happens later, after John the Baptist is arrested by Herod

 Matthew 4:18-22 (ESV)
¹⁸  While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
¹⁹  And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
²⁰  Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
²¹  And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
²²  Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

 

The key word in these verses is the word immediately

I believe Peter and Andrew already had contact with Jesus and Andrew even introduced Him to Peter as Messiah at which time Jesus changed his name

James and John however were not previously introduced, but have the same response to Jesus invitation

Jesus says follow me and the response is immediate

They left their boats, their family business and presumably their family and went with Jesus

Who does that?

 

Andrew and Peter were casting their nets in the water fishing

Perhaps in the shallow waters or how else would they hear Jesus

James and John are repairing their nets perhaps from a night of fishing

But we are told that they were all fishermen

And that is the same word Jesus used in his invitation, I will make you fishermen of men

I don’t know how I would have understood that statement

How do men fish for men?

Oh, sure you can answer that now in the 21^st century knowing what Jesus had in mind

But did these men understand what Jesus was saying?

Regardless, the four men (three of whom become Jesus’ inner circle) drop everything and follow Jesus.

 

If these four men, leaving their nets and business, were not interesting enough, we read this about another disciple

Matthew 9:9 (ESV)
⁹  As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Tax collecting was a very lucrative business

You had to collect the tax Rome demanded but then you could add on any other amount you wanted for yourself

As long as Rome got their part, they really didn’t care

But the people cared

The Jews hated tax collectors. They were considered traitors to their people because they worked for Rome

In fact, when talking of less desirable people they often said sinners and tax collectors

Placing tax collectors in a special category

 

While the word does not appear in the text, the grammar suggests that Mathew got up and immediately followed Jesus

He left his table, and the money and just went with Jesus

While we are not told, I am convinced Mathew was touched in a way that demanded a response to Jesus’ invitation

Mathew and Mark record the next verses with Jesus reclining at a table but only Luke tells us whose table and why they were there

Luke 5:29-30 (ESV)
²⁹  And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.
³⁰  And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 

There is that expression tax collectors and sinners?” 

They were considered the lowest of the low

Mathew seems to have been so moved by Jesus calling him that he had to throw a great feast

We are told there were other tax collectors and others who the Pharisees say were sinners

But my question is, why were the Pharisees and scribes there?

Did Mathew invite them and if he did why did they come if they were so offended.

 

At any rate Jesus gives them an answer but perhaps not the one they expected

Luke 5:31-32 (ESV)
³¹  And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
³²  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

There are actually people who think Jesus called them because somehow, they deserve it

Like they have lived a life that Jesus approves of

Actually, they have more in common with the Pharisees than the ones Jesus really wants

 

Jesus compares Himself to a physician making house calls on those who need a doctor

But he has not come to call the righteous as if any could qualify

Instead He has come to call sinners unto Himself.

That’s you and me

Jesus wants people who recognize their sinfulness and their need for a savior

Those who unlike the Pharisees are willing to humble themselves and leave everything to follow Him

 

So far, we have focused in on disciples who later became apostles, but Jesus called many, many more unto Himself and I want to look at one more

Luke 19:1-4 (ESV)
¹  He entered Jericho and was passing through.
²  And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.
³  And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.
⁴  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.

This is not just a tax collector but rather a chief tax collector

This was a man who had many other tax collectors who worked for him

Clearly a very successful man since we are told he was rich

By Luke 19 Jesus was known throughout all of Israel and Zacchaeus wanted to get a look at this man everyone was talking about.

He was a very short man and so he climbs a tree to get a better look

Rich men just did not do this. It would have been very beneath their status, but Zacchaeus didn’t care

How far would you lower yourself to see Jesus?

 

Luke 19:5-10 (ESV)
⁵  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
⁶  So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
⁷  And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
⁸  And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
⁹  And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
¹⁰  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

 

The effect that Jesus has on a person’s life can sometimes be very drastic

Zacchaeus comes down from the tree and receives Jesus joyfully.

The Greek actually implies with great joy

And why not. Imagine if Jesus came to you and said tonight, I’ll be staying at your house

Clearly Jesus was prepared to forgive the fact that this man was a tax collector but not the Pharisees

“He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”

In what world did these religious leaders think they were not sinners?

In what world do people today think they are not sinners and in need of a savior?

 

But welcoming Jesus into his house was not the dramatic part

“Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

Zacchaeus’ heart is so changed that even in his restitution he goes well beyond what the Law required

Half of his possessions to the poor and restoration of four-fold

That is a dramatic conversion and Jesus recognizes it as such

“Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
¹⁰  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

 

I believe this was a smack at the Pharisees

They thought they, were righteous just because they were sons of Abraham

Jesus says, so is this man

But that is not why salvation has come to his house

This man had demonstrated true repentance and humility

 

As was the case in Mathews house where Jesus compares himself to a physician coming for the sick

Here He is the seeker who seeks all who are lost

He who left the 99, the crowds in the street, to seek the one that was lost

In each of these conversion cases John the Baptist’s words ring true

He must increase and I must decrease

It’s always about Jesus and if it is not then some realigning is in order

Where do you need to decrease this week that Jesus may increase in your life?

 

Let us pray