Matthew 4:12-25
Jesus Christ is a Superstar.
By chapter 4, Matthew has finished telling us all the background, about who Jesus is, where he was born ..
Now Jesus is a grown up. He’s left his home in Nazareth, and it’s time to launch his big mission to save the world … and Matthew puts him on centre stage, with his name in big Broadway lights …
As if to say, ‘Come and see the show. Jesus Christ Superstar. The greatest show in the world!’
And then he adds rock music, flashing lights and glitter falling from the ceiling. Have a look, you’ll see it all in chapter 4 (v15-16) …
“The people sitting in darkness have seen a great light” and, more accurately than your translation there .. “the ones who sit in the land and darkness of death, on them a light has risen.”
The land of death … is the world we live in.
… Matthew paints a picture of this dark place where the crowds gather in, and then he adds big lights, spotlight on Jesus. Everyone who he touches gets healed, and he travels from town to town and his fame grows.
Jesus Christ is a Superstar. You could almost make a musical out of it.
In fact, he has such instant appeal, that young men working in their father’s fishing business, basically run away from home just to be a part of the show.
We all know the story so well. Jesus waltzes up to Peter and his brother Andrew, and James and his brother John, and he says, “Follow me” and immediately they leave their nets and follow him.
So these guys just leave Dad in the boat to mend, dry and fold big heavy nets on his own … now Dad’s gonna have to pay laborers to help him …
They’ve abandoned the family business and their families. Why? Because Jesus is a Superstar!
So they follow and with time, they learn a new trade: fishing for people (v19).
It’s a trade that we’re all being trained in … learning how to fish people out of the darkness of the world, and draw them into the light.
How do we fish for people?
Well, I reckon a good starting point when you’re learning a trade is to watch how the expert does it. That’s Jesus in this instance.
I think, we tend to think of fishing for people as being about getting people to come to church.
Kind of like this …
(demonstrate with fishing rod)
- so, it’s like this is the church up here where the people of God are (on the yellow carpet), and out there is the dark place (the world)
- so I get some bait (Alpha, Mum’s group, Men’s group)
- so I just cast out, and connect with someone (choose someone), and then I reel them in
- and you come over here and become a Christian
And, there’s nothing particularly wrong with this.
But it’s not really the approach Jesus uses … when he says, “I will make you fish for people.” He’s talking to professional fishermen who use nets.
And in Matthew 13, Jesus says,
“The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind, when it was full they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets and threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age.” (v47-49)
We know very well, that there will come a judgment day, and on that day God will separate the saved from the damned. But he will do that, not us.
The bit we do is fish for people. It’s a separation process that is preparing for the day. We separate darkness from light. And it’s just like a net drawing fish out of the sea.
(demonstrate with a net)
- he doesn’t stay in heaven, he wades out into the world
- he covers people with his truth
- he isn’t afraid to get wet
- he gets his hands dirty, casting his net and hauling it in
Matthew describes this from v23. Jesus Christ Superstar is casting his net widely: around Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem and Judea. Soon the disciples are commissioned to do exactly as he’s shown them.
What is this net made of?
… have a look at v23-24 and you’ll see that there are three fibers to Jesus’ net:
1. Proclamation … he proclaims the good news of the kingdom
- and as he calls people to repent and believe, he begins separating life in the flesh from life in the spirit
2. Teaching … he teaches in the synagogues
- teaching the scripture separates truth from lies
3. Healing … he heals every disease and sickness among the people ..
- Jesus begins separating people from their sickness and making them whole
- And he delivers people who are demon possessed from their oppression
It struck me that these three ministries would make a good basis for a church mission statement. Something like:
Speak the Gospel
Teach the Bible
Build Community that demonstrates God’s love
But you know, most congregations have holes in their nets.
Some churches don’t preach the gospel. They don’t preach Jesus as the Risen Lord. They preach something else.
But here at St Thomas, we do. We call people to repent and believe in the good news of Jesus Christ. We’re not ashamed of that.
Some churches don’t teach the Bible. They just feed people with wishy washy platitudes.
But here, we feed people with God’s Word. In fact, I’m doing it now.
Some churches don’t do healing or deliverance ministry. They just pretend that that kind of thing is an optional extra … that’s just for wacky Pentecostals.
But we do healing ministry … oh no hang on, actually we don’t. Not really.
Do we do deliverance ministry at St Thomas?
Holes in our net.
Don’t worry. This is not another sermon about how you all should be doing more. You are all doing so much. This parish is just bursting with team ministries. It’s all there.
It’s just that how we do the ministry we do, can always be more like Jesus.
And when we see Jesus and the disciples ‘fishing for people’, we notice that it’s much much more, than convincing people to believe.
It is a dramatic, hands-on ministry, of separating darkness from light.
And when we do it well, it’s attractive. We don’t need to stand around with our fishing rods trying to get people to come to church, because they come in droves.
Because every human being wants to be free of something. And Jesus is the great deliverer. He’s a Superstar!
So, maybe you wanna think about the ministries you are involved with in this parish, as well as outside of it …
And ask, do we repent to one another here? Do we turn away from sin?
Do we test everything we do against the scripture here? Do we regularly read the Word?
Do we talk openly about the thing we’re struggling with in life? And do we lay hands on each other and pray for healing?
Do we discern the spirits? Do we pray aloud against demonic strong-holds?
Let me do it now … any spirit here amongst us that seeks to quench the Holy Spirit I rebuke and bind in Jesus’ name.
Because if we do these things, in all of our worship, and our small-groups and our team-ministries … we’re gonna see people set free from darkness.
Jesus will always show up. And his fame will increase. He’s a Superstar.
He’s a Superstar.
He’s a Superstar.
