Breaking Points
Poor Zebedee. Poor, poor Zebedee.
No parent is perfect. Every mother, every father, makes mistakes. We know this. But for the most part, as long as a parent is trying their best; to provide for their children, to raise them into decent human beings, to build character and instill morals and values, we call them a good parent.
Values like respecting other people, especially elders.
Like being kind and hospitable.
Or, not being a quitter and finishing a job once you’ve started it.
We place a strong value on a person’s perseverance; on their stick-to-it-iveness, on their ability to grit their teeth and get the job done, even when they don’t want to do it; even if it’s tough, even if it hurts.
So in our Gospel reading this morning, when Jesus calls Andrew and Simon to stop their work and follow him… well… ok, they’re (presumably) grown men; they know what they’re doing. And then they continue on to James and John and he calls them…
They put down their work, and leave to follow Jesus. Right in front of their father.
“Immediately (Jesus) called them. And they left their father, Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.”
I have a hard time imagining that Zebedee was ok with that.
We’re not told what Zebedee’s reaction was, to seeing his sons drop their work to go run off with their friends. But I can remember several occasions in my own life when I’d shirk my chores to go to the lake, or hang out at someone’s house. And when I’d get home from an afternoon of goofing off, with the lawn unmowed, the firewood unstacked, my homework undone - you can bet that I heard it from my dad, and it wasn’t pretty.
Zebedee might be forgiven for seeing his sons drop everything to follow Jesus and thinking, “man… that Jesus… what a real jerk!”
They’re not out on the water for fun – they’re fishermen; this is their livelihood. This is how they keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, and they simply walk away.
Sometimes, though… dropping everything and walking away can be in our best interest.
Anxiety is a real thing we all experience. Burn-out is a real thing that happens to people. Exhaustion is a real thing that happens when we do too much. We need breaks. We need sabbath. God rested and commands us to stop what we’re doing and rest as well. But sometimes, it’s not just a break we need, but a completely new direction.
Sometimes, just sometimes, something comes along… a person comes along… an idea comes along… that makes us want to drop whatever we’re doing and look for something better. That in order to move on to bigger and greater things in our lives, we have to be willing to let go of the smaller things we know and are comfortable with.
It’s not that John and James will never fish again, but rather than simply casting their lines to catch fish, Jesus tells them that they will spend their days to fish for people. To share his message of hope and love, and to bring people to faith.
Sometimes, the best thing we can do, is to be a quitter, if it lets us live a better life.
It’s not that John’s and James’s lives were terrible before Jesus came along. We can think of times when dropping everything and moving on is clearly a positive step; when we’re leaving a dead-end job for a career that we love; when someone leaves an abusive relationship for independence; when we quit any number of bad habits that hurt our health. All of those things would make us say, “yes, clearly – quit those, because any alternative is better.”
From what we can tell, John and James are doing fine. They have a trade – same as a lot of people in that time and place. They work with their father. They put food on the table, have a roof over their heads… they’re not leaving a terrible, awful, horrible life.
Yet still, in Jesus, they see something much, much bigger than themselves. And so, when he comes along, John and James, they quit the task at hand, believing that Jesus will lead them to a greater, more rewarding, more fulfilling life.
Maybe Zebedee knows this, and understands.
Or maybe he doesn’t and gets annoyed at this Jesus character coming along and leaving him in the lurch. We don’t know.
But we do know that when Christ comes to us, and asks us to follow, we have a choice to make. Do we drop what we’re doing, leave all else aside, and follow our God? Or keep plodding through with our earthly work, whether its casting our nets into the sea, or plodding through with our old routines, until it kills us?
Everybody has a breaking point. Everybody has a limit where we simply can’t do any more. Jesus Christ invites us to into new life before we break, before we burn out, before we die, because in Christ there is no death.
This is not an invitation to quit your jobs, leave things undone, shirk your chores. Although we might forgive Zebedee for thinking that. But to be aware of what truly matters. Work is important; following through is important; seeing things to the end is important. But compared to the glory and mercy and love of Christ’s kingship, when he calls us to follow… who are we to say no?
In the face of God’s awesome power, we are powerless. When the disciples left their boats, they were risking their jobs; their livelihoods… they were leaving their families in some pretty tight binds. Yet they did this without flinching. Without hesitating or equivocating or negotiating. They heard their Lord calling to them, and they followed.
It remains as important for us to follow the call of our Lord Jesus Christ as it was important for them. We have no greater calling than that which God himself gives us. Let us pray that we are able to hear it, to know it, and to obey it, to God’s own glory. Amen.
Let us pray.
Holy Lord, you know too well the pressures of this world. We are each pulled in a thousand different directions. Our workplaces, our homes, our schools, and our friends are each clamoring for our attention. Lord, we pray that we are able to hear the clarion call of your voice, and that when you ask us to follow you, we are able to do so without hesitation. Our work on earth keeps us busy and fed and productive. But in you there is rest, true nourishment of the soul, and peace of the spirit and the senses. Lord, keep us attuned to your will, and remember us into your holy Kingdom. We pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Poor Zebedee. Poor, poor Zebedee.
No parent is perfect. Every mother, every father, makes mistakes. We know this. But for the most part, as long as a parent is trying their best; to provide for their children, to raise them into decent human beings, to build character and instill morals and values, we call them a good parent.
Values like respecting other people, especially elders.
Like being kind and hospitable.
Or, not being a quitter and finishing a job once you’ve started it.
We place a strong value on a person’s perseverance; on their stick-to-it-iveness, on their ability to grit their teeth and get the job done, even when they don’t want to do it; even if it’s tough, even if it hurts.
So in our Gospel reading this morning, when Jesus calls Andrew and Simon to stop their work and follow him… well… ok, they’re (presumably) grown men; they know what they’re doing. And then they continue on to James and John and he calls them…
They put down their work, and leave to follow Jesus. Right in front of their father.
“Immediately (Jesus) called them. And they left their father, Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.”
I have a hard time imagining that Zebedee was ok with that.
We’re not told what Zebedee’s reaction was, to seeing his sons drop their work to go run off with their friends. But I can remember several occasions in my own life when I’d shirk my chores to go to the lake, or hang out at someone’s house. And when I’d get home from an afternoon of goofing off, with the lawn unmowed, the firewood unstacked, my homework undone - you can bet that I heard it from my dad, and it wasn’t pretty.
Zebedee might be forgiven for seeing his sons drop everything to follow Jesus and thinking, “man… that Jesus… what a real jerk!”
They’re not out on the water for fun – they’re fishermen; this is their livelihood. This is how they keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, and they simply walk away.
Sometimes, though… dropping everything and walking away can be in our best interest.
Anxiety is a real thing we all experience. Burn-out is a real thing that happens to people. Exhaustion is a real thing that happens when we do too much. We need breaks. We need sabbath. God rested and commands us to stop what we’re doing and rest as well. But sometimes, it’s not just a break we need, but a completely new direction.
Sometimes, just sometimes, something comes along… a person comes along… an idea comes along… that makes us want to drop whatever we’re doing and look for something better. That in order to move on to bigger and greater things in our lives, we have to be willing to let go of the smaller things we know and are comfortable with.
It’s not that John and James will never fish again, but rather than simply casting their lines to catch fish, Jesus tells them that they will spend their days to fish for people. To share his message of hope and love, and to bring people to faith.
Sometimes, the best thing we can do, is to be a quitter, if it lets us live a better life.
It’s not that John’s and James’s lives were terrible before Jesus came along. We can think of times when dropping everything and moving on is clearly a positive step; when we’re leaving a dead-end job for a career that we love; when someone leaves an abusive relationship for independence; when we quit any number of bad habits that hurt our health. All of those things would make us say, “yes, clearly – quit those, because any alternative is better.”
From what we can tell, John and James are doing fine. They have a trade – same as a lot of people in that time and place. They work with their father. They put food on the table, have a roof over their heads… they’re not leaving a terrible, awful, horrible life.
Yet still, in Jesus, they see something much, much bigger than themselves. And so, when he comes along, John and James, they quit the task at hand, believing that Jesus will lead them to a greater, more rewarding, more fulfilling life.
Maybe Zebedee knows this, and understands.
Or maybe he doesn’t and gets annoyed at this Jesus character coming along and leaving him in the lurch. We don’t know.
But we do know that when Christ comes to us, and asks us to follow, we have a choice to make. Do we drop what we’re doing, leave all else aside, and follow our God? Or keep plodding through with our earthly work, whether its casting our nets into the sea, or plodding through with our old routines, until it kills us?
Everybody has a breaking point. Everybody has a limit where we simply can’t do any more. Jesus Christ invites us to into new life before we break, before we burn out, before we die, because in Christ there is no death.
This is not an invitation to quit your jobs, leave things undone, shirk your chores. Although we might forgive Zebedee for thinking that. But to be aware of what truly matters. Work is important; following through is important; seeing things to the end is important. But compared to the glory and mercy and love of Christ’s kingship, when he calls us to follow… who are we to say no?
In the face of God’s awesome power, we are powerless. When the disciples left their boats, they were risking their jobs; their livelihoods… they were leaving their families in some pretty tight binds. Yet they did this without flinching. Without hesitating or equivocating or negotiating. They heard their Lord calling to them, and they followed.
It remains as important for us to follow the call of our Lord Jesus Christ as it was important for them. We have no greater calling than that which God himself gives us. Let us pray that we are able to hear it, to know it, and to obey it, to God’s own glory. Amen.
Let us pray.
Holy Lord, you know too well the pressures of this world. We are each pulled in a thousand different directions. Our workplaces, our homes, our schools, and our friends are each clamoring for our attention. Lord, we pray that we are able to hear the clarion call of your voice, and that when you ask us to follow you, we are able to do so without hesitation. Our work on earth keeps us busy and fed and productive. But in you there is rest, true nourishment of the soul, and peace of the spirit and the senses. Lord, keep us attuned to your will, and remember us into your holy Kingdom. We pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.