third Sunday of Epiphany

Matthew 4.12-23, Titus 2.1-8, 11-14, Jeremiah 3.21-4.2

12 Now when Jesus^* heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.¹³He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,¹⁴so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ¹⁵ ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—¹⁶ the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.’ ¹⁷From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’^*Jesus Calls the First Disciples

18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen.¹⁹And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed him.²¹As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.²²Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People

23 Jesus^* went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news^* of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

I’d like to invite you to look with me at the painting by the Italian artist, Duccio di Buoninsegna’s, The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew. We’re going to spend the next few moments considering this picture and the gospel reading it depicts , which we have just heard read to us.

When this picture was painted, in the thirteenth century, the written word was not readily available to people. This painting was one of the rear panels of Duccio’s magnificent Maestà in Siena cathedral. With more than fifty individual scenes, the altarpiece was about fourteen feet wide and towered to gabled pinnacles some seventeen feet over the main altar. It was installed in June 1311 after a triumphant procession through the streets of Siena. Priests, city officials, and citizens were followed by women and children ringing bells for joy. Shops were closed all day and alms were given to the poor. The Maestà was a huge undertaking for which Duccio received 3,000 gold florins—more than any artist had ever commanded.

Why? Well, the altarpiece depicted scenes from Jesus life and most importantly it spoke to the people of Siena of what it was to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus. Remember, most could not read, so these beautiful images not only showed the people the gospels, they revealed gospel truths to enable them to grow as disciples, followers of Jesus.

Some of you may know that my husband is a boat builder here in the Midlands. Maybe like me, when we first met, you’re wondering how you can be a boat builder in the middle of England. Well the answer is there is a very high proportion of lakes, reservoirs and the canal system where people mostly sail for pleasure. But look at this boat here in Duccio’s painting, it is used for work, to catch fish to sell for your livelihood. It’s a picture of day-to-day existence and tells us what Peter and Andrew gave up to follow Jesus. These small business men, working with their families probably made enough to live on. Fish were plentiful and there were markets to sell to the people in Capernaum. It must have been hard work and not without risk but I guess it was a relatively secure income though by no means the luxury end of sailing for pleasure!

So why in this painting are Andrew and Peter turning to the figure on the shore? Why might they want to give up their relatively secure lives as fishermen to follow Jesus?  

It’s the same question for us today. Why did this person stop being a doctor with a lifetime of security and income to become a vicar? Why did that accountant on a substantial income give it up to work for an overseas aid agency? Why did that person go to study at theological college instead of staying at home with the children? And these are just a very few examples of friends of mine. Christians all over the world daily put their lives at risk; and make significant changes in lifestyle for their faith.

The answer lies in the disciple in blue in our picture and in the signal his right hand makes – pointing to Jesus. They are drawn to Jesus himself, His magnetism and His personality. In return, Jesus is reaching out his right hand to them. Today, we too are and can be drawn to Jesus as we meditate and reflect on the Jesus we meet in the Bible and as we pray to know Jesus in a deeper way. For some, this yearning to know more of Jesus comes slowly and quietly, for others it’s a revelation that comes dramatically, as it did for Andrew and Peter by the lake. However it is for you, at whatever place or pace, you will know that stirring in your heart. Because Jesus is always there waiting for us to respond to Him, to respond to His call to follow Him.

Following Jesus. We may not know where exactly. In this picture Jesus says to Andrew and Peter, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ I doubt they knew what that meant! For them it meant they’d both end up crucified as Jesus did. Through grace, God shows us things step by step. The disciples didn’t know either that a vast church in Rome would be dedicated to Peter or that Andrew would be the patron saint of Scotland, Greece and Russia. Neither the glory nor the pain was revealed as Jesus stood and called them to follow him. But they turned from their fishing to follow Jesus.

It wasn’t just that Jesus was magnetic character though. Our reading tells us that Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching and proclaiming the good news, curing every disease and every sickness among the people. Word got out quickly; Jesus healed people. Imagine how wonderful that must have felt to people without access to modern medicine. If you look very carefully at the picture, you will see a halo around head of the figure of Jesus.  Within this halo (which isn’t easy to see in this reproduction) is the cross. Jesus healed people as a sign of the new thing that God was doing through him. The sovereign God was saving and reconciling all people through Jesus and that was to happen in Jesus’ death on the cross.

After this encounter with Jesus, Andrew and Peter were no longer working at their family business. They were at the centre of crowds, caught up with following Jesus.

What about us tonight? Have we responded to Jesus’ call to follow him? Is there a conversation we need to have with God who manifested himself amongst us, who met with us and who calls us?

And if we are on the journey of following Jesus, then what might we do this week to encourage others to hear that the God who created all things and loves all things, is at work and that they too are invited to come journey with Him. Amen.