Do you really want to be a fisherman?

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Jeremiah 16:14-18 NLT

“But the time is coming,” says the Lord , “when people who are taking an oath will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ For I will bring them back to this land that I gave their ancestors. “But now I am sending for many fishermen who will catch them,” says the Lord. “I am sending for hunters who will hunt them down in the mountains, hills, and caves. I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me. I will double their punishment for all their sins, because they have defiled my land with lifeless images of their detestable gods and have filled my territory with their evil deeds.”

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Okay folks get your thinking caps on. Are you ready to dig in a bit and not just get your ears tickled?

Jeremiah has been asked by God to reveal a terrible judgment God had in store for his wretchedly wayward people. This judgement was so hideously harsh it is difficult to read. In fact, if you understand your sinfulness, (oh I do hope you properly see your sinfulness) then you will rightly fear God. I would suppose reading about the prophesied judgment God was declaring and knowing a bit of history of the Jewish nation will make you sit up and take notice. You'll take God a bit more seriously. This kind of stuff should make you question your views about God.

So God says due to thier sin, his people would be judged very very harshly.

Then he says as he always does someday he'll restore his people and rescue them from thier own sinful hearts, from the surrounding nations, and from God's own judgement. They needed God to rescue them from God, himself.

You too more than anything else, need God to rescue you from God himself.

So up to the point that Jeremiah records God saying he'll put them back in the land he gave to their ancestors we're on a restoration theme (Jeremiah 16:14-15).

But the next bit is not part of this welcomed restoration message. God says, "I see every sin" (v. 17) and "I will double their punishment" (v. 18).

God's point is you will not escape judgement.

So how will God make sure he judges every last one of the sinners among his people?

(Just, a reminder if you are reading through Jeremiah with me you already know that God had said every single one of his people were sinners worthy of harsh heinous judgement)

God will have helpers. These helpers will make sure that judgment comes to everyone. God says he sees every sin and no matter where you hide, he'll find you.

So God's judgment bailiffs, his subpoena servers, would be fishermen and hunters!

Yep you heard right. Fishermen are the messengers of judgement.

Now you should read these verses in a new light.

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Matthew 4:19 NLT

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Mark 1:17 NLT 

His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”

Luke 5:10 NLT

So just before the good news of restoration there will be a wrapping up of judgement. There will be a transition between the end of exile and judgment and the beginning of restoration and promise.

The transition will be fishermen.

This happened then at the time of Jesus with his disciples.

But if today in any way we are in a microcosm living the bigger story,it is that before people can be saved they must face judgment. Now for me as a fisherman it means telling people why Jesus died on the cross for them.

You see you can't have the good news till you've had the bad.

You are a sinner worthy of judgement.
When I say that, I'm a fisher of men.
Now let me tell you that Jesus took your judgment for you.

That's what this passage of Scripture is about.

Our gang: Lessons from lists.

LUKE 8:1-3 ESV

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

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Jesus was a radical! He was completely sinless and in all ways then pleased God the Father. But social conventions just were not important in his values compared to pleasing God the Father and loving people.

Jesus first priority was to declare God's word, to spread the good news, to proclaim the gospel, to preach the Kingdom of God. See by simply informing people of God's rule and by raising awareness of God's intentions Jesus was implementing that rule. People hear and they are then responsible. Simply to tell the truth reveals lies. It isn't clever or complicated. See I'll prove it; I'll declare a fundamental truth with no clever explanation and you'll see the implications of "bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God."

Jesus Christ the Son of God is the creator of everything that is and all that is has been made by him. Or as John put it in the Gospel according to John,

" All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:3 ESV

See the implications of this simple declaration of truth?
Even if you don't understand it all. You can understand it is the equivalent of God saying, "It's Mine!" 

You may not fully grasp all this means, I'm sure I don't but it does call us to a halt. It begs is to reconsider everything.
So what might this simple declaration of truth and good news mean?

Indeed everything is God's. He made it. He owns it. He determines it purpose and usage and future. It is not random. It is not up for grabs. You can't take it all for yourself. You have no right to hoard it. You have no right to deny any thing of anyone. It's not yours. You didn't make it. In fact God made you. Therefore you are not your own and do you have the right to possess anything unless of course God choose to share what is his.

Listen to everyone.  "I saw it first. I worked for it. I was given it by my father. I want it. You don't deserve it. Give it to me."

To all that Jesus declares, "It's Mine!"

Now you have to negotiate with God. Claim it as your own and you are a thief and a liar.

But this passage goes on to then further undermine ideas of class, propriety, and common sense.

Who are Jesus partners in the confirmation of God's Kingdom intentions? Well, it was the twelve and a group of dodgy women with questionable backgrounds.

I can't tell you how excited I am by this royal kingdom of God decree as it were.

Every government sets out how it will rule in its manifesto and then confirms those intentions by appointing a cabinet or some other distribution of power and authority. These are the people the ruler is sharing his power with. These are the ones who are going to help him get it done.

So who is Jesus associating with? Who are the appointees in the Kingdom of God?

Uneducated, unknown, people of no account are Jesus' choice. He picked men and women both. He wasn't afraid of people with potted pasts or people ill equipped and unqualified.

And how was this enterprise going to get off the ground? Well it appears as though the creator of the universe and owner of heaven and earth was going to get things going by relying on the financial support of a few women who were until recently a bit loopy and slightly dangerous. Possibly worse yet one of them is funneling wealth from the treasuries of a rival ruling house.

Jesus wasn't worried about how people would spin things. He didn't need a PR person. Jesus confirms God's Kingdom by telling the truth and inviting anyone to be part of the gang who follows God's rule.

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Thoughts from a very encouraging friend, Kevin Bonardt

Hi Wm

 

These women had had their lives touched by Jesus. He had healed them and they were changed. And you can tell they were grateful.

 

It was unusual to have women follow Rabbis, but these women are not just following in terms of walking after Jesus, but are expressing their thankfulness in using their finances to support Jesus and his disciples. They are doing it without coercion. They are doing it as a sign of love and support and thankfulness. Their financial gifts are a sign of their worship, of their new-found relationship with Jesus, with the God who made them and has healed them. Their encounters with Jesus, and their listening to his word, have brought about a reaction that costs them, but it is a cost they gladly offer. And such is their example that Luke purposefully mentions them at the beginning of ch8.

 

And then, at the end of the section, we read...

 

 "Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”"
(Luke 8:19-21 ESV)

 

Jesus' family are those who hear the word of God and do it. And who are the examples of this? The women mentioned at the beginning of the chapter I think (in sharp contrast to the Pharisees, teachers of the Law, or Israel)

 

Kevin

(Kevin,)

I may not have expressed it well , but this is what makes me so happy about this passage! I agree entirely with what you have said about the passage and would like to include it as a addendum my blog today if that is ok with you, giving you credit of course.

Wm

What is the story's climax?

Acts 13:38-39 NLT

“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do.

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Everyone loves a good story. What often makes a story more interesting is when we can relate to it and it includes something of our own history.

Paul was invited to speak some words of encouragement to the Jews in Antioch of Syria.

Now my interest in this account is all the more keen these days because I have a number of Syrian friends. And actually Paul summarises hundreds of years of God's work in a few paragraphs.

But the most exciting part is the climax of the story found in Jesus.

Paul says, proclaiming Jesus is the whole reason for the story,and Jesus is the reason for the events of world history and telling the story climaxing in Jesus was specifically why Paul was there in Antioch of Syria talking to people.

The reason is the good news about Jesus.

Jesus forgives sins. In fact, Jesus would forgive their sins. The disobedience against God done by them right there in Antioch of Syria wound be forgiven by Jesus. The lies of the Jews and Gentiles right then and right there would be forgiven by Jesus. The adultery, the theft, the pride, the selfishness, the lusts and the greed were all able to be forgiven by Jesus. And Jesus could make them right with God. These blessed Jews and Gentiles listening to Paul in Antioch of Syria were told that it wasn't through striving to be good by keeping Moses' (God's) law that would make then right with God. No.

Belief in the forgiveness of the risen son of God, Jesus was what would make them right with God.

Admission that they needed forgiveness, belief that Jesus could and would forgive, trusting Jesus' forgiveness made them right with God rather than their own failed attempts at keeping the law of Moses (God), this was the climax of the whole story. This was the climax of every story ever told in the Bible.

Oh and in these few verses in this the most exciting climax to all good and true stories we learn so much theology. Paul teaches us that: (read the passage below the line to get the larger context.)

Jesus is man and yet...
Jesus is the son of God
Jesus can and will forgive our sin
Jesus can and should be believed in.
Jesus can and will make the believer right with God.
Our sin makes us not right with God.
The law of Moses (God's law), can not make us right with God.
We need to be made right with God.

Can you agree with Paul, you are a sinner who needs to be made right with God?
Can you trust the Good News about Jesus?
Those who believe that Jesus forgives their sin are made right with God!
You don't have to keep the law and measure up.
You have to believe in Jesus.

This is good news indeed.

Will you believe it today?
Will you tell someone else?

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Acts 13:15-43 NLT

After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.” So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “Men of Israel,” he said, “and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me. “The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery. He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years. “After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ “And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel! Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized. As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But he is coming soon—and I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the sandals on his feet.’ “Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us! The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath. They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway. “When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead! And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel. “And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. ’ For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’  Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’  This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay. “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do. Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said, ‘Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’ ” As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God.

Seek and you will find.

Acts 8:26-36, 38-40 NLT

As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.” Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”  He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

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One of the questions I've encountered over the years is, "What about the people who've never heard about Jesus?".

Jesus wants the good news to be proclaimed and explained everywhere to everyone.

This story demonstrates God's commitment to seek and to save those who are lost.

Here in chapter 8 of Acts it seems like a lot has happened. But we need to think back over the beginnings of the church.
In chapter 1 the expectation is set that the good news would travel to the very end of the earth.

Acts 1:8 NLT

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In chapter 2 it seems that the whole world is hearing and responding to the good news when the Holy Spirit comes on the disciples.

Acts 2:9-11 NLT

"Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”

So the seeds of the good news have been planted.

So it is no wonder that after the first persecution of the church scatters the believers some back presumably to their home lands that Luke the author of Acts shows us how God is sending his great news about Jesus to the ends of the earth, or at least to Africa.

See since the beginning God has been stirring the hearts of far flung folk to seek him and rewarding their seeking with finding.

God is more concerned about the world than you are. It had been good plan all along to get his message out. No one will be able to say to God that they wanted to know but God failed to get the message or to them.

Are you as concerned about getting the message out as God is?
Will you obey as Philip did? Will you leave an active growing needy work in "Samaria" to walk in a desert? Will you be led to tell those seeking Jesus?

So what about those who haven't heard the good news? Will God send you? Has he already sent them to you?