On the shores of Capernaum Jesus called His first disciples. A small fishing village on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee would be the hub of Jesus’ three years of ministry. He moved to Capernaum after His cousin John was put in prison, and it’s the place He would also call His first followers and invite them to become carriers of His message.
From these shores of Capernaum the message of Jesus would travel to Damascus and beyond along the trade and travel routes that surrounded this small fishing village. Though small in size it was not small in influence. Capernaum would be a strategic location for getting the glorious message of Jesus to the world around it. Capernaum has become sacred ground for me. As I was in Israel last year I began to contemplate how from the shores of Capernaum to the shores of Cape Town the message of Jesus has resonated through centuries of history, countless cultures, developed and undeveloped nations, redeeming billions of people – the hope we all so desperately need and the message of saving grace to the world. This past Sunday I shared about the significant moments from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 4 which contextually happened on the shores of Capernaum. I shared about the message, the invitation, and the mission.
The Message
The message of Jesus was a simple one: “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” To be sure it held more depth than what we may imagine at first glance. It wasn’t an old timey, angry toned “R-E-P-E-N-T!” But, rather, an invitation to see life as it really is. God’s good government has come to earth. Heaven is here…now. As we follow Jesus we experience the fulness of life. Not later, but now. N.T. Wright in Simply Christian understands it this way: “[The kingdom of heaven is at hand]…what did he [Jesus] mean? The prophet Isaiah, in line with several Psalms and other biblical passages, had spoken of God’s coming kingdom as the time when (a) God’s promises and purposes would be fulfilled, (b) Israel would be rescued from pagan oppression, (c) evil (particularly the evil of oppressive empires) would be judged, and (d) God would usher in a new reign of justice and peace…The world was to be turned the right way up at last.” I absolutely love the last line of Wright quoted: “The world was to be turned the right way up at last.” Not everyone is in love with the message of Jesus. He is King of Kings and Lords of Lords. Submitting to the King and His Kingdom isn’t always good news for those areas of our lives that we prefer to remain under our rulership, our control, and our government (in America think time, money, power, influence, status, and control). Jesus slowly and patiently continues to invite us to lay our leadership down and take up His rule. But, as Jesus would find – not everyone is like Simon, Andrew, James, and John…some people aren’t so willing to give up their nets and become fishers of men.
The Invitation
The invitation Jesus gave appears quite spontaneously in Matthew 4. I love that! Jesus invited. The first disciples followed. But, it is good for us to note that these fishermen had been watching, listening, and seeing how Jesus was making a stir in this fishing village of Capernaum. It may have been as short as a few days or as long as a few months but they had seen Jesus ministering. The synagogue is a very short distance from the shores. Perhaps, they’d come in from a long night of fishing, come to worship, and heard Jesus preaching and teaching at the synagogue. Maybe they had come across a miracle or two. Maybe it was a relative who had been set free from demonic possession. Whatever they had seen and heard had lodged in their minds and done a number on their heart. So much so, that when the Rabbi Jesus called them to become followers of His (Talmidim in Hebrew) they say “yes!”
Each of us is invited to follow Jesus. Each of us is personally invited to walk along the same journey these first followers chose. As I mentioned earlier, on these shores all the way to the shores of Cape Town the invitation came to me. It comes to you as well. You can follow Jesus. It is a life free from the pulse of this world. A life that walks deeply with God, surrendered to His ways, and yielded to His truths. A life redeemed to Heaven and apart from hell. A life free from the power of sin, forgiven, made new. It is a journey of obedience and worship. But, when you’ve lived under the yoke of evil empire, broken systems of government and power, and found yourself a slave to the sentimentality of earth Jesus comes and invites us to live the life of Heaven, hear now. Simon and Andrew new this. No nets could hold them back.
The Mission
The disciples, like you and me, are called and commanded to keep the mission going. The message is quite simple: “repent, heaven is at hand.” We have the privilege of sharing that same message in any number of ways but when you peel back the layers it’s the same few words. I encourage people often “turn away from the idols and gods of this age. Seek God. Let Heaven come rule and reign in your life.”
I wonder this week who God has divinely set in your path to share the message of Jesus with this week? Who have you come across that is bound by the logic, pursuits and cycles of this world and has been let down time and time again. Sin doesn’t work. Pain doesn’t work. Lies don’t work. We were created for more. Your friends, family, and coworkers were created for more. They were created to take the invitation of Jesus all those years ago on the shores of Capernaum…”come, and follow me.”
Paul Deary 