Following The Light Of The World

S.B.: Matthew 4: 12 -23

A funny thing happened one day during the Beres family annual camping trip to Fisher’s Island when I was 10 years old. We were settling in for the evening, Mom was cooking dinner, and a certain nameless kid was trying to watch his favorite TV show when a thunderstorm knocked out all the electricity on the island. This was not an uncommon occurrence on the island, but each time it was unsettling. Slowly, my mom, dad and I moved through the Fisher’s Island retreat house and we found a flashlight. Click! Light shone in the room and overflowed down the hallway. We looked at each other with some relief. It was going to be alright… we were not in total darkness anymore… there was light!
Next we found the candles and matches… We placed our candles in strategic places, and the darkness was held at bay. Then, we relaxed and waited for the repair trucks from the electric company. Since there was no electricity, we could not watch television, or listen to the radio, or do much of anything that required electricity. So we talked with each other and shared stories. We stayed up late that night, just laughing and being silly… On that night, light cast out all darkness.
Jesus is the light of the world. He is the one that casts out darkness. In his ministry, he cast out darkness as he preached, taught and healed. His light was not kept for a select few… his light was not just for the Jews alone, but for the Gentile as well… and so, just as the light shines on all who are in its glow, so the light of Jesus is for everyone. The light of Jesus could not be restrained or contained, but it overflows, and it touches everyone.
After Jesus hears of John’s arrest, he withdraws to the area of Galilee… This means leaving his hometown of Nazareth and taking up lodging in Capernaum. Yet, he is not often home… Instead, Jesus devotes his time to preaching, teaching, and healing. He is on a mission.
If you take a careful look at the four gospels, you will find that only Matthew’s gospel introduces this change of a hometown from Nazareth to Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee. This small detail is significant for those who understand the settlement of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the promises that God makes to each of those twelve tribes. The prophet Isaiah says that the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. Matthew’s gospel presents the idea of Jesus being the light of the world, but it is in John’s Gospel where we hear that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it…” It is also in John’s gospel that we hear the voice of Jesus saying “I am the light of the world… Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!”
Many of the Old Testament Prophets, and certainly John the Baptist focused on the theme of repenting of our sins… Many times in the Old Testament do we hear the words echoed by John the Baptist… “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Jesus not only echoes this prophetic message of repentance, he fulfills the message… The Son of God was declaring that the KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND!!!
Jesus calls us to repent… When Jesus calls on us to repent, he is calling us to do three things… first he calls us to agree with God’s word that says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”. Then he calls us to change our direction… to turn away from those things… from our actions… from our attitudes… from everything that puts a wedge between us and God’s presence in our lives… and take up a new heading… to take up our cross daily and follow HIM!”
Jesus calls us to follow him… When Jesus calls us to follow him, we need to realize that ministry is not intended to be a solo enterprise. The scene of Jesus calling the fisherman into ministry is a familiar one, but Matthew keeps the story to a bare minimum… There is no description in Matthew’s gospel of a bad night of fishing… there is no mention of Jesus’ advice about letting down their nets on the other side of the boat… nor of nets overflowing to the breaking point… Jesus simply calls the disciples and they IMMEDIATELY follow him.
I remember listening to a very captivating speaker during a Lenten program 11 years ago in Southbridge. The preacher was a representative of a ministry which focused on sharing God’s word with seafarers… this organization maintained Chaplains in many ports along the Eastern Seaboard, and as he was sharing about that particular ministry, I felt a tug on my heart as that pastor echoed Jesus’ words “take up your cross and follow me.” During the reception afterward, I gathered up the courage to talk to the gentleman, expressing a deep desire to learn more about that ministry and how I could participate. “I am leaving for the port in a half hour… can you be ready to come with me in half an hour?” I looked at my watch… it read 9 p.m., and I was about to ask for a few more minutes so I could make the trip home to pack a small travel bag…
He smiled, put a hand on my shoulder, and said “I appreciate your willingness to be a part of this ministry, but Jesus’ words are clear… when he called those fishermen, they dropped everything right there, and immediately ran after Jesus… Brothers James and John even left their father to mend the nets…”
At the time, I felt as if I had failed that test, but I was faced with the realization that being a Port Chaplain was not what God wanted me to do… At what point do we as people of faith leave our questions aside and follow the Light of the World, trusting in God to provide the answers? At what point do we take a departure from our comfort zones, from our own intellectual prowess, and follow HIM, trusting in him for our source of supply? At what point do we wake up to the words of Proverbs 3: 5 and 6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding (the Good News Version tells us to “not rely on what we think we know…”) In all our ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path.”
Jesus calls two teams of brothers… Peter and Andrew… and then James and John. All of them respond with radical obedience… their response is immediate… and striking…
Would Jesus get that same response from you if he told you to be ready to move out in half an hour? How would you respond to his call?

The theme that runs through the first chapters of Matthew’s gospel is OBEDIENCE. People genuinely desire to please God… people genuinely desire to live in a right relationship with Him, and respond to his call with radical obedience. And, of course, some people do not want light to be cast upon them, because they are comfortable in their own ways. Others are so lost that they are stumbling around in the dark and waiting for somebody to show them the way.
So, where do you stand? The words to “I have decided to follow Jesus” make a declaration of radical obedience. The world behind me, the cross before me… though none go with me, I still will follow… and… will you decide now to follow Jesus?” Making the decision to follow Jesus means following him even though nobody else follows him… embracing the cross when those around you throw rocks at you and give you a hard time. When my mother was a little girl, she and my Aunt Katy would walk home from school, and because they did not attend the local Greek Orthodox Church, or go to the Catechism classes that were being taught in the Alexandroupolis Public Schools, often the other kids in her class would taunt her mercilessly, and throw rocks at mom. Mom and Aunt Katy would often come home bloodied and crying, and my Yiayia and Papou would remind their daughters of the words “the world behind me, the cross before me… no turning back… no turning back.” And my Mom and my Aunt Katy have lived their whole lives in service to almighty God.
What legacy are we going to leave to those who come after us? How are we going to be remembered and talked about by the saints who come after us?

I Bid You Peace,
Pastor Ken+