Matthew 4 v 12-22 Call of First Disciples: 27/1/08: 8am St. Mary’s: 11.15am St. Michael’s: Revd. Julia Boothby


The race to be the next American President is on and the news from the election trail is to be heard regularly on our own news and on websites and newsreels across the world. Still, it has to be said that if I were to be voting in the election I would vote for Jed Bartlett. For those of you who may not have come across this candidate, I have to tell you that he exists only within an American drama production called The West Wing. This television programme ran for eight wonderful series with Martin Sheen playing the president. He is, and I make no comparisons with actual politicians here…I leave that up to your imagination…honest, caring, informed, prone to human weakness and admitting to getting things wrong, speaks the truth and believes in God.

What I particularly remember is an episode early in the series when in a series of flashback we see how Jed Bartlett won the presidency race. We see a young hot shot political figure called Josh working for a presidential candidate who in his heart he knows has not got what it takes to be the president.. He and his friend Sam are talking and Josh is trying to persuade his friend to come and work for his candidate. Sam asks…is he the real thing? Josh doesn’t reply and looking at his face Sam says…I guess not. Next scene is Josh watching Jed Bartlett at a small rally, talking to people and even more importantly listening to them. He meets him and talks to him and realises that this is the man he wants to go and work for, here is someone who has got what it takes and so he goes back to his friend Sam and says look at my face….Sam looks at his face and realises that this is the real thing and there and then gets up, walks out of his lucrative job and goes to work for the Bartlett campaign.  The real thing….that was what they believed they had found in Jed Bartlett and as the series unfolds of course, this is television after all, we see him taking the presidency by storm and being a wonderful figurehead.

I was strongly reminded of that episode when I read the gospel reading for today of the call of Jesus to the first disciples. Picture the scene, a normal day for Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. All of them at their days work as fishermen, fishing, mending nets, probably enjoying some casual chatter as they worked. No sense that anything was likely to change and along walks Jesus. We don’t know if they knew who he was, we don’t know if they had heard that he was the one who had been going around calling people to repentance. All that we know is that Jesus saw them and said to them
“Follow me..” and immediately they got up and went with him.

It must have been an extraordinary moment. Was it the way that Jesus looked at them? Was it the tone of voice that he used? Whatever it was it was enough to convince them that here was the real thing…they got up and leaving their nets where they were, leaving their family and homes and friends, they went with him.

And from that moment on their lives were to be radically different. It is an interesting exercise to try and read the gospels from the disciple’s point of view. To begin with, immediately following his call we see those first disciples watching Jesus healing the sick, curing the possessed and the paralytic alike, preaching the word and being followed by crowds wherever they went. Nothing could have prepared them for this complete change of lifestyle and they often got things wrong or misunderstood. Yet, even when they deserted him Jesus remained faithful and comes back to them from the dead to fill them with his Holy Spirit and so empower them to go and tell the whole world about him and the good news that he brings.

From a fisherman’s net to a fisher of men, these men were to experience something extraordinary. They were to experience at first hand the kingdom of God. Their very identity was changed. They would no longer be known as fisherman but rather as those who followed Jesus. Think of Peter in the courtyard at Jesus trial. He is recognised by the serving girl not as a fisherman but as one of those who had been with Jesus. He denies it three times. That is not who he is, but then comes that moment when he goes out and cried bitterly because he has betrayed not only Jesus, but himself, the person he really is, a disciple.  These men met with God and he transformed their whole life, turned it upside down and brought these men to a place where 2,000 years later their names and their acts would be known by countless millions across the world.

And it is this question of identity that I want us to think about in relation to ourselves. Being called by God, turning to Christ, becoming a disciple, whatever terminology we use, the meaning is the same. We are those who believe in God and who trust in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. And as disciples we are taught that we must give up everything we have to follow him, just like the first disciples did. And that is perfectly true. But I think that it is easy to forget that not only do we give up all that we have, but we also give up who we are. Our identities are changed. We are no longer our own but Christ’s, his children, his loved ones. Our whole nature is changed, we put off the old self and put on Christ Jesus.

“ It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”

This is the language used time and again in the Bible of those who have turned to Christ, who believe in him and follow him. Being a disciple is not just about what we do, it is first and foremost about who we are.

And the simple truth is that we are Christ’s. We are no longer our own, we do have to deny ourselves, offer up our lives, take up our cross, whatever language we choose self denial has to be there. This is no easy road that we will take, the way will be long and hard at times.  BUT, the joy is that who we are is children of God, his beloved, his longed for and bought at great price, his chosen ones.

I was sent a card this week that brought that message home afresh to me. It is picture of a man carrying a young girl in his arms and the message on the card says this

"This is the story of the prodigal daughter" - it should really be called the running Father who waited every day for his girl to come home- the daughter who had rejected him so badly - but when he saw her from a long way off - he ran to her and hugged her and kissed her.

That is who we are, the child in the arms of God. Can there be a greater joy or privilege than to know that we his. This is the message of true discipleship. Not just that we get up and leave all that we have and follow him but that we belong to him.

I want to leave you with the words of an old hymn

“ I’ve found a friend: O such a friend
He loved me ere I knew him.
He drew me with his cords of love
And thus he bound me to him.
And round my heart still closely twine
Those cords which none can sever.
For I am his and he is mine
For ever and forever.”