WEBVTT 00:00:01.380 --> 00:00:06.080 Okay, so I got really excited about this idea 00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:08.419 of the following component, and then Chris came 00:00:08.419 --> 00:00:09.960 up and he said, Michael Jackson. I was like, 00:00:10.199 --> 00:00:13.419 that's exactly what I was gonna say. Because 00:00:13.419 --> 00:00:17.480 for me, the first thing I remember being a follower 00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:23.160 of was Michael Jackson. So I am a 1970s kid, 00:00:23.219 --> 00:00:27.100 which means my musical awareness really started 00:00:27.100 --> 00:00:31.160 in the early 80s when I realized I could start 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:34.000 making my own musical choices about the radio 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:39.280 stations. And Thriller had come out in 1983. 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:44.520 And I watched the premiere of the Thriller video. 00:00:45.229 --> 00:00:48.369 And it absolutely terrified me and made it so 00:00:48.369 --> 00:00:52.689 that I slept with covers right over my head for 00:00:52.689 --> 00:00:58.789 years. But I mean, it was an amazing video. Can 00:00:58.789 --> 00:01:01.189 we all agree if you saw it when it came out? 00:01:01.530 --> 00:01:06.430 So Michael Jackson was the thing in every, every 00:01:06.430 --> 00:01:11.209 single way. Seeing me try to figure out the moonwalk 00:01:11.209 --> 00:01:16.200 was a sad story. but also I can laugh at it now. 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:20.959 I did never forget or figure it out. So yes, 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:23.659 for me the things that I have followed most through 00:01:23.659 --> 00:01:26.799 the years have been like musical things. So Michael 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:32.359 Jackson for sure. Also in 1983 was the peak of 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:36.799 the band The Police. Thank you. And so that... 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:38.780 had my full attention, that's when Synchronicity 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:42.280 came out. And then from there, once Sting went 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:45.439 rogue, we are not breaking up, you totally broke 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:50.739 up. I followed Sting for the next... that hasn't 00:01:50.739 --> 00:01:55.689 stopped. So, I've seen him. A lot. Like, I've 00:01:55.689 --> 00:01:58.650 probably seen him 12 times. So I, like, feel 00:01:58.650 --> 00:02:01.269 like I literally am following him across, like, 00:02:01.269 --> 00:02:04.530 the country and the globe and being like, I actually 00:02:04.530 --> 00:02:06.450 don't know how I've not met him at this point. 00:02:06.510 --> 00:02:08.169 I have to tell you, that's where my delusion 00:02:08.169 --> 00:02:10.669 stands on this. I can't believe I haven't met 00:02:10.669 --> 00:02:13.150 him, and I cannot believe we have not sung together 00:02:13.150 --> 00:02:18.810 message in a bottle. Do you understand me? This 00:02:18.810 --> 00:02:21.250 is where following can take you from sometimes 00:02:21.250 --> 00:02:23.449 if you let it really run the gamut of, like... 00:02:23.189 --> 00:02:27.789 almost 50 years. I do love following global politics. 00:02:28.349 --> 00:02:30.949 I obviously spend, I mean, if you know me, you 00:02:30.949 --> 00:02:34.870 know that I work globally a number of times throughout 00:02:34.870 --> 00:02:36.810 the year. So following global politics isn't 00:02:36.810 --> 00:02:39.150 just like fascination for me, although it is 00:02:39.150 --> 00:02:41.629 part that, but it is also awareness. Like I go 00:02:41.629 --> 00:02:43.729 to places in the world where like what is happening 00:02:43.729 --> 00:02:47.270 geopolitically impacts the people that I work 00:02:47.270 --> 00:02:51.009 with and the work that I do. And so I'm fascinated 00:02:51.009 --> 00:02:56.659 with the global the global enmeshment that we 00:02:56.659 --> 00:03:00.180 all have, and so that's something that I follow 00:03:00.180 --> 00:03:07.979 a lot. But guys, in the last 12 days now, what 00:03:07.979 --> 00:03:12.780 did we follow? Artemis! That was amazing. Who 00:03:12.780 --> 00:03:17.080 did follow that journey? Space nerds, where are 00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:23.889 you? Right? It was the most incredible, beautiful, 00:03:24.409 --> 00:03:27.909 inspirational stuff I have seen in a long time. 00:03:27.949 --> 00:03:31.590 Not just the pictures that they sent, but the 00:03:31.590 --> 00:03:36.270 people that were on that mission were incredible 00:03:36.270 --> 00:03:39.050 people and doing something incredible together. 00:03:39.310 --> 00:03:44.129 It was the most... If you were following Carol, 00:03:44.389 --> 00:03:47.229 anybody? The Carol bit? Like one of them? They 00:03:47.229 --> 00:03:50.409 got to name, thank you, a crater on the moon 00:03:50.409 --> 00:03:53.849 after one of the crewmates late wife. I say one 00:03:53.849 --> 00:03:55.689 of the crewmates. It sounds like one of his late 00:03:55.689 --> 00:04:00.949 wives. After the, Reed's late wife, Carol. And 00:04:00.949 --> 00:04:04.689 the crew got emotional. I'm watching it. Hearing 00:04:04.689 --> 00:04:08.009 Houston say, copy that, Carol. Like, all of it 00:04:08.009 --> 00:04:11.629 was so gorgeous. And her legacy will now live 00:04:11.629 --> 00:04:16.889 forever in this named moon crater. So. Following 00:04:16.889 --> 00:04:21.329 things can do something so incredible to us, 00:04:21.430 --> 00:04:25.589 right? Like it brings us, it ties us together 00:04:25.589 --> 00:04:29.470 in these really unique ways. And following something 00:04:29.470 --> 00:04:31.949 brings people together that you might not have 00:04:31.949 --> 00:04:34.910 expected you to align with, right? Like you might 00:04:34.910 --> 00:04:38.750 be like, you and I, I didn't see it, but we are 00:04:38.750 --> 00:04:41.769 here and we collectively are facing this together 00:04:41.769 --> 00:04:45.040 and we love this. And so of course, when we're 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:48.160 talking about following something, obviously 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:51.060 I'm going to move towards following Jesus. We're 00:04:51.060 --> 00:04:52.939 at a church, right? This is obviously where I'm 00:04:52.939 --> 00:04:55.459 going. I'm not setting this up to tell you at 00:04:55.459 --> 00:04:57.579 the end of the message, and did you know? Of 00:04:57.579 --> 00:05:01.000 course we knew. But there's something so incredible 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:03.060 about following things. And this is a part of 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:06.680 the following with the church, right? You stand 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:09.959 side by side with others that you probably didn't 00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:12.949 expect to find yourself side by side with. facing 00:05:12.949 --> 00:05:16.870 the same direction, moving in the same direction 00:05:16.870 --> 00:05:23.629 together, unified over this thing. In our case, 00:05:23.910 --> 00:05:32.360 unified by this person. So yeah, with this. With 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:34.060 this idea of following, we're going to be looking 00:05:34.060 --> 00:05:35.500 at, you know, we're in the book of Matthew for 00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:37.600 this series. And so we're going to be looking 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:40.899 at the calling of the first disciples. Not all 00:05:40.899 --> 00:05:45.300 of them. That would be a long message, which 00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:48.079 I am known for. But we're just going to look 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:50.779 at the first four disciples that were called. 00:05:51.220 --> 00:05:54.160 So we're not ready to go there yet, but we will 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:57.199 be in Matthew 4 if you want to get that ready. 00:05:58.050 --> 00:06:00.310 There are Bibles on your table. You can pull 00:06:00.310 --> 00:06:04.949 up Matthew 4 on your phone as well. But I am 00:06:04.949 --> 00:06:06.750 going to give you some context. So we're in the 00:06:06.750 --> 00:06:08.009 book of Matthew. We're going to be looking at 00:06:08.009 --> 00:06:10.990 the calling of Jesus' first disciples. But brief 00:06:10.990 --> 00:06:13.350 context, because chapter 4 in Matthew, that's 00:06:13.350 --> 00:06:16.110 not very far along. And so the first two chapters 00:06:16.110 --> 00:06:18.709 of Matthew are the Christmas story. It's the 00:06:18.709 --> 00:06:21.470 families fleeing of Mary and Joseph and Jesus 00:06:21.470 --> 00:06:25.730 to Egypt, and then a return. In chapter three, 00:06:26.069 --> 00:06:28.230 though, so that's chapters one and two, spend 00:06:28.230 --> 00:06:30.810 two chapters on that and then they make a big 00:06:30.810 --> 00:06:34.129 jump, make a big jump ahead in chapter three, 00:06:34.490 --> 00:06:38.209 where we go right to John the Baptist doing what 00:06:38.209 --> 00:06:42.870 John the Baptist does. He baptizes. We know that 00:06:42.870 --> 00:06:49.029 John the Baptist is Jesus' cousin. So we find 00:06:49.029 --> 00:06:51.209 him in chapter four, he's baptizing people, excuse 00:06:51.209 --> 00:06:54.420 me, chapter three, baptizing people. And John's 00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:57.040 message is calling them to repentance. He calls 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:00.220 people to repentance, and he's spitting out wild 00:07:00.220 --> 00:07:02.600 things like, you brood of vipers to the Pharisees. 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:07.899 He's kind of really all for it. He really goes 00:07:07.899 --> 00:07:15.279 hard. So in this account, John, Jesus, so actually, 00:07:15.420 --> 00:07:17.800 in the account, in the book of John, excuse me, 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:19.500 we're going to kind of be back and forth with 00:07:19.500 --> 00:07:24.480 a few Johns, Jesus meets some of, John the Baptist's 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:27.319 own disciples, because John the Baptist also 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:30.259 had disciples. He was a teacher of a kind, and 00:07:30.259 --> 00:07:34.300 he had followers. And so they are also preaching 00:07:34.300 --> 00:07:38.279 this same message of repentance. And so Jesus 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:42.259 asks to be baptized. And then from there, he 00:07:42.259 --> 00:07:44.720 heads into the wilderness, where he is tested 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:49.139 for a period of 40 days, where he is put under 00:07:49.139 --> 00:07:53.800 a number of tests. But when he comes back, he 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:56.860 finds out that John the Baptist has been arrested. 00:07:57.500 --> 00:07:59.660 John said some things that the political leaders 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:04.259 didn't care for, and they just decided to take 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:06.959 him in. So I'm gonna start with, this is not 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:08.959 our passage, but I'm setting it up by just reading 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:13.379 to you Matthew 412. And so it says, when Jesus 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:16.439 heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:21.740 to Galilee, leaving Nazareth, and he went and 00:08:21.740 --> 00:08:26.250 he lived in. Capernaum so from that time on Jesus 00:08:26.250 --> 00:08:29.110 began to preach so we're seeing here the start 00:08:29.110 --> 00:08:31.870 of Jesus's preaching ministry And so from that 00:08:31.870 --> 00:08:35.029 time on Jesus began to preach repent which we've 00:08:35.029 --> 00:08:37.909 heard before From the kingdom of for the kingdom 00:08:37.909 --> 00:08:41.070 of God for the kingdom of heaven has come near 00:08:41.070 --> 00:08:44.809 so he's effectively taking up John's message 00:08:44.809 --> 00:08:49.110 Taking up John's mantle And so this does lead 00:08:49.110 --> 00:08:52.590 us to the passage that we are in today Again, 00:08:52.590 --> 00:08:56.269 I invite you to take a posture of response. At 00:08:56.269 --> 00:08:58.490 the house, we often do that by standing, if you 00:08:58.490 --> 00:09:01.769 are able to do that. However we respond, let's 00:09:01.769 --> 00:09:05.970 give our full attention to the scriptures. This 00:09:05.970 --> 00:09:13.649 is Matthew 4, 18 through 22. I'm reading from 00:09:13.649 --> 00:09:15.750 the New Revised Standard Version, the updated 00:09:15.750 --> 00:09:20.129 version. It says, as he walked by the Sea of 00:09:20.129 --> 00:09:22.600 Galilee, he is Jesus. As he walked by the Sea 00:09:22.600 --> 00:09:25.759 of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who's 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:29.000 called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:32.919 a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And 00:09:32.919 --> 00:09:35.860 he said to them, follow me and I will make you 00:09:35.860 --> 00:09:39.259 fishers of people. And immediately, they left 00:09:39.259 --> 00:09:42.480 their nets and followed him, and he went from 00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:45.639 there. He saw two other brothers, James, son 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:48.440 of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:51.389 with their father Zebedee. Mending their nets 00:09:51.389 --> 00:09:54.830 and he called them and immediately they left 00:09:54.830 --> 00:09:58.370 the boat and their father and followed him Let's 00:09:58.370 --> 00:10:04.129 pray Jesus today as we read the stories and the 00:10:04.129 --> 00:10:08.509 accounts of the calling of your first Followers 00:10:08.509 --> 00:10:12.809 as it as it is This is the lineage we are attached 00:10:12.809 --> 00:10:18.110 to these first followers Shared your message 00:10:18.110 --> 00:10:21.419 and then There became more followers and more 00:10:21.419 --> 00:10:24.379 followers. And we get to be here 2 ,000 years 00:10:24.379 --> 00:10:29.980 later, followers of you, because of these four 00:10:29.980 --> 00:10:33.320 people that followed you. And that is an incredible 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:36.139 thing to think about. We're so grateful. We're 00:10:36.139 --> 00:10:38.480 so grateful for those that came before us. And 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:40.960 so as we talk about this today, help us be mindful 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:44.500 of what it means to follow you, what that looks 00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:47.980 like for each of us, and how we see that in our 00:10:47.980 --> 00:10:54.899 own lives. I pray this in your name. Amen. So 00:10:54.899 --> 00:11:01.039 whether people are church people or not, Jesus 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:03.919 and his disciples are a known entity. That's 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:05.779 not something that most people are like, oh, 00:11:05.820 --> 00:11:09.419 I don't know about that. Most people in the world 00:11:09.419 --> 00:11:12.080 have seen, many people in the world have seen. 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:15.740 The Last Supper and Renaissance art alone will 00:11:15.740 --> 00:11:18.720 tell you about this guy and his band of followers. 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:25.500 We have certainly mythologized them to a pretty 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:28.340 significant degree because we are far removed 00:11:28.340 --> 00:11:30.820 from them and there's so much content when it 00:11:30.820 --> 00:11:32.659 comes to Jesus and the disciples. Like I said, 00:11:32.799 --> 00:11:36.879 Renaissance art alone had a very, very hard hold 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:42.279 on the narratives of the Bible. But certainly 00:11:42.279 --> 00:11:46.679 songs and art and retellings and retellings of 00:11:46.679 --> 00:11:48.759 Bible stories. And if you grew up in Sunday school, 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:50.820 like you would have heard about so many stories 00:11:50.820 --> 00:11:53.419 about Jesus and his followers. It is easy to 00:11:53.419 --> 00:11:58.860 have so much of that between us and these scriptures 00:11:58.860 --> 00:12:02.440 informing us. That I think it's very easy to 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:08.820 treat these early followers of Jesus as something 00:12:08.820 --> 00:12:14.190 extra human. almost as like magical and mystical. 00:12:15.950 --> 00:12:19.250 And that Jesus was this unknown entity and he 00:12:19.250 --> 00:12:24.110 showed up and he said, follow me. He just dropped 00:12:24.110 --> 00:12:28.870 everything like zombies and walked away. The 00:12:28.870 --> 00:12:32.730 account is that simple and so we keep it that 00:12:32.730 --> 00:12:36.250 simple and therefore we forget that these are 00:12:36.250 --> 00:12:39.350 human beings. That we're doing very human things. 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:44.740 And it's hard to remember that stuff. So we've 00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:47.580 definitely sanitized the story, forgetting how 00:12:47.580 --> 00:12:50.799 human it was and how even relatively small the 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:53.759 world was in these towns and how interconnected 00:12:53.759 --> 00:13:00.059 things were. And so Matthew here is giving us 00:13:00.059 --> 00:13:02.860 a bit of an origin story, like a clear starting 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:06.779 point. And though it's very likely that Jesus 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:09.580 knew each of these folks prior to this moment, 00:13:09.940 --> 00:13:13.659 actually what we get here is the moment that 00:13:13.659 --> 00:13:18.820 they chose to respond to and follow Jesus. So 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:22.279 Simon, who we come to know as Peter later on, 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:26.600 his brother Andrew, James, and his brother John. 00:13:27.460 --> 00:13:30.860 These are four people that would become. incredibly 00:13:30.860 --> 00:13:33.179 key participants in the story of Jesus here on 00:13:33.179 --> 00:13:36.200 earth and in the establishment of the church. 00:13:37.559 --> 00:13:40.000 And of course, we know their story is on this 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:42.940 side of things. And I would say at the time that 00:13:42.940 --> 00:13:46.240 this gospel was circulated, so did those hearing 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:50.440 it. They also had the later version because they 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:53.019 had, by that point, they knew Peter as a significant 00:13:53.019 --> 00:13:58.169 church leader. John had become effectively Mary, 00:13:58.330 --> 00:14:02.490 the mother of Jesus, he had become her son as 00:14:02.490 --> 00:14:06.549 Jesus, at the foot of the cross, handed her over 00:14:06.549 --> 00:14:10.190 to him to be cared for. Andrew became a church 00:14:10.190 --> 00:14:12.610 leader to the northern Greek cities of Byzantium 00:14:12.610 --> 00:14:14.629 and James's missionary work was said to have 00:14:14.629 --> 00:14:17.409 gone as far as Spain. So if anybody's heard of 00:14:17.409 --> 00:14:19.929 the Communio de Santiago, Daryl has walked it. 00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:23.379 Friends of mine and I have walked it. The community 00:14:23.379 --> 00:14:25.860 of Santiago is known as the Way of St. James 00:14:25.860 --> 00:14:29.500 because the cathedral in Santiago allegedly has 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:35.860 the bones of this James here. But did Matthew's 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:37.860 contemporaries in the time of his writing know 00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:40.500 their origins? So just like today when you hear 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:42.460 someone younger talk about something you grew 00:14:42.460 --> 00:14:44.899 up with, you hear them talking about it like 00:14:44.899 --> 00:14:47.620 they just discovered it. Like it never existed 00:14:47.620 --> 00:14:51.539 before in the world. A while ago, there was a 00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:57.720 reel going around of a girl saying, we need a 00:14:57.720 --> 00:15:01.299 phone. We need a phone, but it stays at home. 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:04.700 And it only stays at home, but it's for everyone. 00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:08.700 And then this guy stitches in. He goes, oh, gosh. 00:15:10.779 --> 00:15:14.120 Oh, gosh. What year is it? She's talking about 00:15:14.120 --> 00:15:22.559 a landline. Yes, what a great idea. We should 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:25.980 have a phone that stays. I can't believe we haven't 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:31.360 thought about that. Or you get the like, were 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:34.000 you around when? And then they tell you something 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:37.019 about something that happened in your high school 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:42.440 years. So Matthew is like, we need to go to school 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:46.059 because I need you to sit down, dear readers. 00:15:46.539 --> 00:15:49.700 There's some stuff you don't know. And we gotta 00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:53.080 get this stuff to you. So we're gonna do some 00:15:53.080 --> 00:15:55.299 construction today and piece together some stories 00:15:55.299 --> 00:16:00.159 of these friends and followers of Jesus. So back 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:02.240 to the verse, it says, as he walked by the sea 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:05.659 of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is 00:16:05.659 --> 00:16:09.379 called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting 00:16:09.379 --> 00:16:13.179 a net into the sea, for they were fishers. So 00:16:13.179 --> 00:16:16.320 in this account, we meet Simon Peter first. This 00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:20.580 is one of those moments where you can imagine 00:16:20.580 --> 00:16:24.179 the kids later on saying, did you know that Peter 00:16:24.179 --> 00:16:26.860 used to be called Simon? And then everybody's 00:16:26.860 --> 00:16:33.879 like, we knew. We all knew. So it's like that. 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:38.120 However, in the collective gospels, we actually 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:41.840 meet Andrew first in the account of Jesus' baptism 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:45.169 in the book of John. In the first chapter we 00:16:45.169 --> 00:16:50.429 read at verse 29, the next day, John the Baptist 00:16:50.429 --> 00:16:53.590 saw Jesus coming towards him and said, look, 00:16:53.870 --> 00:16:56.809 the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the 00:16:56.809 --> 00:17:00.269 world. And then John the Baptist gave this testimony. 00:17:00.389 --> 00:17:03.590 I saw the spirit come down from heaven as a dove 00:17:03.590 --> 00:17:06.130 and remain on him. And I myself did not know 00:17:06.130 --> 00:17:08.750 him, but the one who sent me to baptize with 00:17:08.750 --> 00:17:11.359 water told me. The man on whom you see the Spirit 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:13.759 come down and remain is the one who will baptize 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:17.119 with the Holy Spirit. I have seen and I testify 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:21.079 that this is God's chosen one." So John's testimony 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:24.000 here is key. John the Baptist's testimony here 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:27.000 is really important. Goes on to saying that verse 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.640 35, the next day John was there again with two 00:17:29.640 --> 00:17:33.359 of his disciples. And when he saw Jesus passing 00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:37.500 by, he said, look, the Lamb of God. Y 'all pay 00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:41.700 attention. I'm telling you, this is him. You've 00:17:41.700 --> 00:17:43.380 all been looking. Because if you are Jewish, 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:47.559 you are looking for the Messiah. This is it. 00:17:49.019 --> 00:17:51.380 So when the two disciples heard him say this, 00:17:51.460 --> 00:17:54.900 they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw 00:17:54.900 --> 00:18:00.099 them following and asked, what do you want? That's 00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:01.660 my interpretation. It could be very like, what 00:18:01.660 --> 00:18:06.140 do you want? What do you want? What do you want? 00:18:07.180 --> 00:18:09.980 They said, Rabbi, which means teacher, where 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:14.079 are you staying? He said, come, you'll see. So 00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:17.140 they went and saw where he was staying, and they 00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:22.059 spent the day with him. Andrew, Simon Peter's 00:18:22.059 --> 00:18:25.759 brother, was one of the two who heard what John 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:29.619 had said who had followed Jesus, and who had 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:34.279 followed Jesus. So we meet Andrew, who has already 00:18:34.279 --> 00:18:37.700 now met Jesus. and has spent some time with him. 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:41.700 After this meeting, the first thing Andrew did 00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:45.859 was to find his brother, Simon, not yet Peter, 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:50.900 and tell him, we have found the Messiah. And 00:18:50.900 --> 00:18:57.779 Andrew, he brought Simon to Jesus. So the day 00:18:57.779 --> 00:19:00.019 when Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee that 00:19:00.019 --> 00:19:02.259 we see in Matthew 4, and he comes upon the brothers, 00:19:02.299 --> 00:19:05.099 this is not a weirdo story of a stranger coming 00:19:05.099 --> 00:19:10.859 up. and being like, hey, get in my van. Andrew 00:19:10.859 --> 00:19:14.559 had already spent a small bit of time with Jesus. 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:19.759 So when Jesus says, follow me, Andrew had the 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:22.799 full testimony and witness of his own beloved 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:28.740 teacher giving credence to this Jesus. In scripture, 00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:32.000 broadly, Andrew is not spoken about much. We 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.720 don't get a ton of his story, but let us say 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:41.089 here. that we do not have Peter, three time denier 00:19:41.089 --> 00:19:44.210 of Christ and the eventual rock on which Jesus 00:19:44.210 --> 00:19:47.569 says he builds his church. We do not have Peter 00:19:47.569 --> 00:19:51.470 without his brother Andrew. And without Andrew 00:19:51.470 --> 00:19:56.150 and his trusted word, Peter does not follow Jesus. 00:20:00.170 --> 00:20:06.069 On to Peter. We know Pete. cutting off years 00:20:06.069 --> 00:20:10.809 of soldiers, denying Jesus three times, first 00:20:10.809 --> 00:20:14.650 leader of the church, known for his impulsive, 00:20:15.069 --> 00:20:18.710 passionate personality. He was named the Rock 00:20:18.710 --> 00:20:23.910 by Jesus. Peter was often the spokesperson for 00:20:23.910 --> 00:20:27.670 the 12 apostles, known for being outspoken, enthusiastic, 00:20:28.029 --> 00:20:32.950 impulsive, sometimes brash. He was the first. 00:20:33.549 --> 00:20:39.369 He was the first one to truly recognize among 00:20:39.369 --> 00:20:43.869 them Jesus as the Messiah. Matthew 16, 13 says, 00:20:44.430 --> 00:20:47.549 Jesus came into the country of Caesarea Philippi. 00:20:47.890 --> 00:20:50.930 He asked his followers, who do people say that 00:20:50.930 --> 00:20:53.230 I am, the son of man? He's like, what are you 00:20:53.230 --> 00:20:57.130 hearing? And so the disciples said, some say 00:20:57.130 --> 00:21:00.009 you are John the Baptist, and some say Elijah, 00:21:00.230 --> 00:21:04.279 and others say Jeremiah. one of the early preachers, 00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:07.299 and he says to them, he points the question at 00:21:07.299 --> 00:21:12.900 them, who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter, 00:21:14.259 --> 00:21:17.799 because his brother told him, his brother followed 00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:22.700 John, and as John's witness, I think Peter is 00:21:22.700 --> 00:21:28.980 ready to say, you are the Christ, you are the 00:21:28.980 --> 00:21:32.980 son of the living God. Jesus said to him, Simon, 00:21:33.619 --> 00:21:36.839 son of Jonah, you are happy because you did not 00:21:36.839 --> 00:21:39.460 learn this from man my father in heaven has shown 00:21:39.460 --> 00:21:44.599 this to you. And I tell you that you are Peter. 00:21:45.099 --> 00:21:47.680 This is where Jesus names him. On this rock, 00:21:48.420 --> 00:21:53.640 I will build my church. If it's not clear, Petra 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:56.710 means rock. The powers of hell will not be able 00:21:56.710 --> 00:21:59.549 to have power over my church. And I will give 00:21:59.549 --> 00:22:02.750 you the keys of the holy nation of heaven. Whatever 00:22:02.750 --> 00:22:06.369 you do not allow on earth will not be allowed 00:22:06.369 --> 00:22:09.529 in heaven. Whatever you allow on earth will be 00:22:09.529 --> 00:22:13.049 allowed in heaven. Then, with strong words, he 00:22:13.049 --> 00:22:15.569 told his followers to tell no one that he was 00:22:15.569 --> 00:22:26.200 the Christ. I just revealed big stuff. What are 00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:31.119 we going to do? Do you guys ever, like, for those 00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:33.500 of you who follow the Avengers Marvel stuff, 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:37.380 like, there's the whole thing about don't tell 00:22:37.380 --> 00:22:41.140 Tom Holland the end of a movie because he will 00:22:41.140 --> 00:22:47.019 inadvertently spill it on live TV. Don't tell 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:52.140 Tom Holland that Jesus is the Christ before it's 00:22:52.140 --> 00:22:56.480 time to let people know publicly. I mean, I can 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:59.140 imagine this moment being one of those like, 00:22:59.319 --> 00:23:00.880 you know those like, the little features like, 00:23:00.980 --> 00:23:03.759 you may be wondering how I got here. This is 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:06.480 like Peter being like later on like, how did 00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:10.059 I get, how did I, I just got handed, did you 00:23:10.059 --> 00:23:13.380 just hand me the keys of heaven? I don't, what 00:23:13.380 --> 00:23:16.440 do I do with those? What, I don't understand 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:18.779 what just happened. I don't know that I'm ready. 00:23:19.950 --> 00:23:22.809 And so Peter, who needed his brothers leading 00:23:22.809 --> 00:23:25.509 to get him here, became one of the most prominent 00:23:25.509 --> 00:23:29.269 leaders in the early church, arguably the most 00:23:29.269 --> 00:23:34.470 prominent leader. So next we come to James and 00:23:34.470 --> 00:23:39.029 John, known as the Sons of Thunder. who wanted 00:23:39.029 --> 00:23:41.470 to call down, they're called that, because they 00:23:41.470 --> 00:23:45.170 wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town 00:23:45.170 --> 00:23:47.130 when the people there did not welcome Jesus and 00:23:47.130 --> 00:23:50.190 the disciples. But they were rebuked, so Jesus 00:23:50.190 --> 00:23:52.529 rebuked them. He took care of it. He was like, 00:23:52.750 --> 00:23:56.609 do you want us to call down fire from heaven? 00:23:57.569 --> 00:24:00.890 Because they didn't say, welcome in. So James, 00:24:01.930 --> 00:24:04.450 they have a whole thing going for them. But James 00:24:04.450 --> 00:24:08.150 and John, son of Zebedee, their father. They're 00:24:08.150 --> 00:24:12.049 all fishermen and due to the proximity of the 00:24:12.049 --> 00:24:14.970 boats in the sea with Andrew and Simon It is 00:24:14.970 --> 00:24:17.769 actually believed that this was a group like 00:24:17.769 --> 00:24:21.390 in business with each other that these were connected 00:24:21.390 --> 00:24:26.170 Fishing like a fishing industry And so these 00:24:26.170 --> 00:24:30.210 four these four that were called were likely 00:24:30.210 --> 00:24:35.029 already friends if not just business partners 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:40.480 So James, John, and their dad, Zebedee, were 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:42.900 likely partners with Andrew and Peter's family. 00:24:43.420 --> 00:24:47.079 Not them, but we also potentially know something 00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:50.440 about their mother. Church tradition, as well 00:24:50.440 --> 00:24:52.440 as biblical scholarship. There's been a lot of 00:24:52.440 --> 00:24:55.700 talk about this with a lot of biblical study. 00:24:55.900 --> 00:25:00.660 We know of a woman named Salome. It was a common 00:25:00.660 --> 00:25:04.859 name, but Salome was Zebedee's wife. therefore 00:25:04.859 --> 00:25:08.099 their mother, and it is believed by some that 00:25:08.099 --> 00:25:10.400 she is actually the sister of Mary, mother of 00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:13.319 Jesus. There's a lot of times where Salome is 00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:18.400 there with Mary in situations that would be appropriate 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:22.059 that this is a sister relationship. So if in 00:25:22.059 --> 00:25:25.299 fact this lineage plays out as scholarship holds, 00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:31.109 James and John are also Jesus' cousins. So to 00:25:31.109 --> 00:25:33.210 that note if they are indeed cousins hearing 00:25:33.210 --> 00:25:35.589 Jesus call them sons of thunder is more like 00:25:35.589 --> 00:25:40.890 a oh gosh you sons of thunder You know like it's 00:25:40.890 --> 00:25:44.609 one of those like a brotherly a brotherly sort 00:25:44.609 --> 00:25:48.029 of rebuke a knowing you dudes are like bulls 00:25:48.029 --> 00:25:51.630 in a china shop and So here we have James and 00:25:51.630 --> 00:25:55.329 John and they were also quite likely not just 00:25:55.329 --> 00:25:59.329 random strangers getting in the van as well So 00:25:59.329 --> 00:26:03.210 what we are beginning to see is that Jesus, understanding 00:26:03.210 --> 00:26:06.630 that it was perhaps time to step up into the 00:26:06.630 --> 00:26:11.430 gap left by his now imprisoned cousin, knowing 00:26:11.430 --> 00:26:16.450 that John was really leaving a vacancy, he went 00:26:16.450 --> 00:26:21.769 to those he knew were without a teacher and he 00:26:21.769 --> 00:26:26.490 had already built some trust with. So those he 00:26:26.490 --> 00:26:30.190 knew John had already had trust with as well. 00:26:31.329 --> 00:26:34.309 So he reached out to them and began his circle 00:26:34.309 --> 00:26:40.109 of disciples with them. As an aside, later in 00:26:40.109 --> 00:26:42.470 the story of Jesus when on the cross he looks 00:26:42.470 --> 00:26:45.730 down at his mother and sees next to her John, 00:26:46.450 --> 00:26:49.509 it makes some great sense as to why he would 00:26:49.509 --> 00:26:55.029 say to him and his mother, When Jesus saw his 00:26:55.029 --> 00:26:57.849 mother there and the disciple whom he loved standing 00:26:57.849 --> 00:27:00.549 nearby, he said to her, woman, here is your son. 00:27:01.049 --> 00:27:03.990 And to the disciple, here is your mother. From 00:27:03.990 --> 00:27:06.250 that time on, this disciple took her into his 00:27:06.250 --> 00:27:09.869 home. And it's quite possible that he's saying, 00:27:10.289 --> 00:27:13.930 she's your aunt, but she's now your mother. And 00:27:13.930 --> 00:27:18.130 you are to take care of her. And so in partnership, 00:27:18.750 --> 00:27:22.250 this group of four, and sometimes three out of 00:27:22.250 --> 00:27:25.390 four of them emphasized, formed this informal 00:27:25.390 --> 00:27:29.150 circle of trust among the 12 disciples. Jesus 00:27:29.150 --> 00:27:31.190 allowed them to be the only apostles present 00:27:31.190 --> 00:27:33.329 at three particular occasions during his public 00:27:33.329 --> 00:27:36.069 ministry, the raising of Jairus' daughter, the 00:27:36.069 --> 00:27:39.250 transfiguration of Jesus, and Jesus' agony in 00:27:39.250 --> 00:27:44.670 the Garden of Gethsemane. James and John, and 00:27:44.670 --> 00:27:47.700 in another tradition, also their mother, asked 00:27:47.700 --> 00:27:50.799 Jesus to grant them seats on his right and left 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:55.259 in glory, which is not as wild of an ask and 00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:58.539 not as random of an ask if it is, in fact, an 00:27:58.539 --> 00:28:02.799 aunt asking about this for her sons, his cousins. 00:28:03.460 --> 00:28:06.240 They should have this place. They are your family. 00:28:06.779 --> 00:28:11.900 Wouldn't that be the right thing to do? About 00:28:11.900 --> 00:28:14.259 the group Jesus sent only Peter and John into 00:28:14.259 --> 00:28:16.640 the city to make preparations for the final Passover 00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:19.839 meal John together with Peter took a prominent 00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:22.079 part in the founding and guidance of the church 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:25.140 eventually He was with Peter at the healing of 00:28:25.140 --> 00:28:27.339 the lame man at Solomon's porch in the temple 00:28:27.339 --> 00:28:29.900 and he was also thrown into prison with Peter 00:28:29.900 --> 00:28:33.079 Later only Peter and John went to visit the newly 00:28:33.079 --> 00:28:36.799 converted believers in Samaria Remember when 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:39.880 John wanted to bring down fire on a Samaritan 00:28:39.880 --> 00:28:46.440 town Is John the right choice? While he remained 00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:48.980 in Judea and surrounding area, the other disciples 00:28:48.980 --> 00:28:51.900 returned to Jerusalem for the apostolic council. 00:28:52.099 --> 00:28:57.220 This is in 48 to 50 AD. Paul, in opposing his 00:28:57.220 --> 00:28:59.920 enemies in Galatia, explicitly recalled that 00:28:59.920 --> 00:29:03.359 John, along with Peter and James, the just, were 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:06.559 collectively recognized as the three pillars 00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:12.480 of the church. So this is an origin story. with 00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:16.440 a through line. Because these are the things 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:19.460 that the hearers of and the readers of this passage 00:29:19.460 --> 00:29:23.319 would know about these guys now, but may not 00:29:23.319 --> 00:29:28.859 know the starting point. So it's easy to forget, 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:32.240 especially when we know of their accomplishments 00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:37.200 later on, that these are real people. Humanizing 00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:40.000 them is not just helpful, but it reminds us that 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:43.079 we are disciples and followers also in the same 00:29:43.079 --> 00:29:47.220 lineage. So Andrew and Simon Peter followed Jesus 00:29:47.220 --> 00:29:49.299 because they believed he was the promised Messiah, 00:29:49.579 --> 00:29:51.680 a conviction driven by their previous discipleship 00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:53.920 under John the Baptist and witnessing Jesus' 00:29:54.160 --> 00:29:57.259 authority. Andrew was immediately convinced, 00:29:57.279 --> 00:29:59.859 subsequently bringing his brother Simon to Jesus, 00:29:59.940 --> 00:30:02.599 who then recognized Jesus' authority and potential 00:30:02.599 --> 00:30:04.920 to transform their lives from fishermen into 00:30:04.920 --> 00:30:08.289 leaders. John and James may have followed because 00:30:08.289 --> 00:30:12.170 Andrew and Peter did and they trusted them So 00:30:12.170 --> 00:30:14.670 I think it's important that Jesus started with 00:30:14.670 --> 00:30:18.470 these men Because John the Baptist had not just 00:30:18.470 --> 00:30:20.589 paved the way in his pronouncement of Jesus's 00:30:20.589 --> 00:30:22.630 identity, but he helped to pave the way in these 00:30:22.630 --> 00:30:26.690 men's lives He was setting Jesus up for them 00:30:26.690 --> 00:30:31.019 to follow so that when their teacher was taken 00:30:31.019 --> 00:30:34.079 from them and a vacuum was left, Jesus was able 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:38.180 to extend the invitation to instead follow him 00:30:38.180 --> 00:30:43.440 with a message they already knew, but being the 00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:46.440 one who could then take it to its fullest expression. 00:30:48.740 --> 00:30:51.000 Truthfully, I think the setting of this narrative 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:57.069 and the setup is incredible. And truly, I have 00:30:57.069 --> 00:31:00.269 no grand revelation of a spiritual nature to 00:31:00.269 --> 00:31:02.170 this message. You know, sometimes, like, messages, 00:31:02.369 --> 00:31:04.069 you expect them to have this, like, spiritual, 00:31:04.089 --> 00:31:06.829 reflective moment. We don't have a spiritual 00:31:06.829 --> 00:31:10.789 truth bomb. But the point in telling these stories 00:31:10.789 --> 00:31:16.170 today, in the remembering, I hope, unveiled mythology 00:31:16.170 --> 00:31:22.210 has moved, has fallen away. That we have entered 00:31:22.210 --> 00:31:26.490 into a very human... story and seeing humans 00:31:26.490 --> 00:31:30.930 engaging with each other at a human level. Because 00:31:30.930 --> 00:31:33.789 the Bible is a big collection of stories, many 00:31:33.789 --> 00:31:36.650 of which feel hard to access sometimes, and it's 00:31:36.650 --> 00:31:41.130 often because we are asking it to impart deep 00:31:41.130 --> 00:31:44.109 spiritual wisdom every time we open its pages 00:31:44.109 --> 00:31:48.170 or its app or its audiobook, however you ingest 00:31:48.170 --> 00:31:53.400 it. And of course, it does that. God speaks to 00:31:53.400 --> 00:31:58.579 us through the words that are held in this anthology. 00:31:59.740 --> 00:32:01.660 But if that's what we're always expecting of 00:32:01.660 --> 00:32:06.119 it, that can also often be a lot for us and can 00:32:06.119 --> 00:32:09.599 make the Bible overwhelming for us to the point 00:32:09.599 --> 00:32:14.599 that we're like, I just not today. But if the 00:32:14.599 --> 00:32:18.700 book also gives us access to the vast and varied 00:32:18.700 --> 00:32:22.869 stories of people through time, that have also, 00:32:23.150 --> 00:32:26.029 just like us, sought to know and connect with 00:32:26.029 --> 00:32:30.450 God, then what we will find is a deeply accessible 00:32:30.450 --> 00:32:34.109 book full of hope for our own, as A .W. Tozer 00:32:34.109 --> 00:32:39.289 says, pursuit of God. And so today, the story 00:32:39.289 --> 00:32:41.750 is of these four and how they came to follow 00:32:41.750 --> 00:32:45.049 Jesus and become deeply integrated into Jesus' 00:32:45.269 --> 00:32:47.950 life. It makes me think of my own following of 00:32:47.950 --> 00:32:53.299 Jesus. The book of Matthew was probably written 00:32:53.299 --> 00:32:58.400 somewhere between 75 to 90 AD, at least five 00:32:58.400 --> 00:33:02.720 to 10 years after Mark's gospel, which we have 00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:07.519 said is the first one dated to be written. And 00:33:07.519 --> 00:33:10.380 Matthew and Luke for sure were likely, I say 00:33:10.380 --> 00:33:15.140 for sure, most likely were based on Mark. It 00:33:15.140 --> 00:33:19.420 was written. Matthew was written to Jews to emphasize 00:33:19.420 --> 00:33:21.900 that Jesus was the promised Messiah that they 00:33:21.900 --> 00:33:26.740 had been looking for. But at the writing of this 00:33:26.740 --> 00:33:29.779 book, nearly all of the people he's writing about 00:33:29.779 --> 00:33:32.539 here in this passage would have likely have been 00:33:32.539 --> 00:33:37.200 killed by this time. Peter died a martyr in Rome 00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:41.559 during Nero's reign in the late 60s, notoriously, 00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:46.779 notoriously violent. His brother Andrew also 00:33:46.779 --> 00:33:50.220 martyred on the known date of November 30th AD. 00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:53.640 That is an historic record. Also during Nero's 00:33:53.640 --> 00:33:58.279 reign. James was beheaded by Herod Agrippa in 00:33:58.279 --> 00:34:03.220 44 AD. John would have been the one to have still 00:34:03.220 --> 00:34:05.599 been alive at this time, believed to have died 00:34:05.599 --> 00:34:11.059 in Ephesus where he took Mary after a lot of 00:34:11.059 --> 00:34:15.579 the Christians left Jerusalem. He moved there 00:34:15.579 --> 00:34:20.059 with Mary and it is believed That's where they 00:34:20.059 --> 00:34:22.820 both that's where their lives finished if you 00:34:22.820 --> 00:34:28.400 go to Ephesus there is a Alleged location of 00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:32.500 Mary's house and the the first church that was 00:34:32.500 --> 00:34:36.760 established there was the church of in Mary's 00:34:36.760 --> 00:34:41.019 name So these stories as Matthew wrote them would 00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:43.940 have been stories for encouragement but also 00:34:43.940 --> 00:34:48.239 stories of remembrance. Do not give up the cause. 00:34:48.579 --> 00:34:52.940 Do not fade. And though it may take you to the 00:34:52.940 --> 00:34:55.260 fullest extent where your life may even be taken, 00:34:55.880 --> 00:34:59.820 those who already have been gave up their lives 00:34:59.820 --> 00:35:05.869 because of Jesus. Don't lose heart. And so reading 00:35:05.869 --> 00:35:07.909 through these narratives, I'm reminded myself 00:35:07.909 --> 00:35:10.650 of when I first chose to follow, when I knew 00:35:10.650 --> 00:35:13.590 the invitation was directed at me to participate 00:35:13.590 --> 00:35:16.949 in God's love and goodness, and that not only 00:35:16.949 --> 00:35:19.789 was I invited, but I was also meant to generously 00:35:19.789 --> 00:35:23.469 extend the invitation to others, extending it 00:35:23.469 --> 00:35:26.269 so that they would know that God's love, joy, 00:35:26.670 --> 00:35:29.630 freedom, forgiveness, fullness of life were also 00:35:29.630 --> 00:35:34.800 extended to them. Jesus said to the group on 00:35:34.800 --> 00:35:36.840 the water that day, I will make you fishers of 00:35:36.840 --> 00:35:39.480 men, because he was clever and they were fishing 00:35:39.480 --> 00:35:43.079 and it made sense right then. But in looking 00:35:43.079 --> 00:35:45.619 at his ministry, Jesus continued to tell people 00:35:45.619 --> 00:35:48.380 about the kingdom of God and that it was made 00:35:48.380 --> 00:35:53.400 open and available for them too. The church is 00:35:53.400 --> 00:35:56.260 founded on Christ, but it is linked together 00:35:56.260 --> 00:36:00.219 in time through its followers, through Christ's 00:36:00.219 --> 00:36:04.289 followers. I became a follower when I was 14. 00:36:05.150 --> 00:36:07.690 It was preceded by faithful followers that I 00:36:07.690 --> 00:36:12.409 knew following Jesus. And I am overwhelmed quite 00:36:12.409 --> 00:36:15.190 often when I think of the history of the church 00:36:15.190 --> 00:36:19.869 and those who did follow in times of safety and 00:36:19.869 --> 00:36:24.670 in times of danger. I have been to ancient cities 00:36:24.670 --> 00:36:28.250 and landscapes where the early church lived and 00:36:28.250 --> 00:36:31.949 served each other. A few years ago, a friend 00:36:31.949 --> 00:36:36.050 of mine and I went to the site of Laodicea. It 00:36:36.050 --> 00:36:41.510 is an excavated, reconstructed site. There is 00:36:41.510 --> 00:36:46.710 a first century Byzantine church there that rose 00:36:46.710 --> 00:36:50.449 up in the city. And she and I both got quite 00:36:50.449 --> 00:36:52.670 emotional standing in front of the baptismal 00:36:52.670 --> 00:36:57.750 that's in the floor. Those who were baptized 00:36:57.750 --> 00:37:02.130 and understood. that the call of Jesus to follow 00:37:02.130 --> 00:37:05.409 him was of no small consequence. And they took 00:37:05.409 --> 00:37:09.550 steps to declare openly that they were followers 00:37:09.550 --> 00:37:12.590 of Christ. And they are undoubtedly the reason 00:37:12.590 --> 00:37:18.269 I am a believer today. The reason I have the 00:37:18.269 --> 00:37:21.170 life I have, the reason I have the local and 00:37:21.170 --> 00:37:24.690 global community I have, the reason I get to 00:37:24.690 --> 00:37:31.679 know Jesus is such a gift I'm so grateful. And 00:37:31.679 --> 00:37:33.320 because of their faithful following of Jesus, 00:37:33.340 --> 00:37:38.420 I get to be here today as a follower. I have 00:37:38.420 --> 00:37:44.699 now followed Jesus for 36 years as my full human 00:37:44.699 --> 00:37:49.800 flawed trying my best most days self. I hope, 00:37:49.940 --> 00:37:52.900 I believe others have found their way to Jesus 00:37:52.900 --> 00:37:56.920 because I have followed Jesus. I also know I 00:37:56.920 --> 00:37:59.539 have been a deterrent and that others have not 00:37:59.539 --> 00:38:02.260 experienced invitation. from me, and that is 00:38:02.260 --> 00:38:05.639 also sobering, that I have been a wall more than 00:38:05.639 --> 00:38:09.079 a door to the goodness of God a fair number of 00:38:09.079 --> 00:38:13.360 times in my life too. But taking the veneer off 00:38:13.360 --> 00:38:15.380 the people in the Bible, seeing them as people 00:38:15.380 --> 00:38:18.559 I think is an encouragement to me, because they 00:38:18.559 --> 00:38:22.820 were also flawed, and they were also complicated 00:38:22.820 --> 00:38:29.179 and messy. They were not sanitized in any way. 00:38:29.710 --> 00:38:33.369 These accounts that we have are simple because 00:38:33.369 --> 00:38:39.130 of an economy of materials and, you know, in 00:38:39.130 --> 00:38:41.429 a time where papyrus was a little hard to come 00:38:41.429 --> 00:38:44.389 by and writing materials and those sorts of things. 00:38:44.429 --> 00:38:47.309 So we have a bit of an economy of words. But 00:38:47.309 --> 00:38:49.670 we have to recognize that the story is there. 00:38:49.889 --> 00:38:53.429 The story of the humans are there when we synthesize 00:38:53.429 --> 00:38:58.789 it all together. So taking that veneer off is 00:38:58.789 --> 00:39:01.130 incredibly helpful, but it also helps me understand 00:39:01.130 --> 00:39:06.190 Jesus more. He was not this stiff figure walking 00:39:06.190 --> 00:39:10.550 around. Come, follow me. Come, follow me. Get 00:39:10.550 --> 00:39:16.590 in my van. It also helps me understand seeing 00:39:16.590 --> 00:39:19.869 Jesus through these people. Some of them friends, 00:39:19.929 --> 00:39:23.409 some of them family. It helps me see him as they 00:39:23.409 --> 00:39:26.070 did, and it also helps me understand, like, Who 00:39:26.070 --> 00:39:29.949 were you with this group of people around you 00:39:29.949 --> 00:39:33.210 when you invited Andrew to come hang out with 00:39:33.210 --> 00:39:36.090 you for the day, just off the cuff? Well, come 00:39:36.090 --> 00:39:39.949 see where I'm staying. Come hang out. It's not 00:39:39.949 --> 00:39:41.590 time yet. Don't tell anybody, but I'm letting 00:39:41.590 --> 00:39:46.469 you guys know I am Jesus. I am the Messiah. What? 00:39:47.110 --> 00:39:51.300 But keep it under wraps. It helps me see him 00:39:51.300 --> 00:39:53.380 as they did and helps me understand more why 00:39:53.380 --> 00:39:55.820 when faced with the physical person not just 00:39:55.820 --> 00:39:59.900 the spiritual idea They followed him This helps 00:39:59.900 --> 00:40:07.699 me in my walk as well So today with this in mind 00:40:07.699 --> 00:40:11.219 We're given an opportunity to you know, we say 00:40:11.219 --> 00:40:13.940 when we do baptisms here if you've already been 00:40:13.940 --> 00:40:16.980 baptized remember your baptism If you've been 00:40:16.980 --> 00:40:18.699 baptized before, you don't need to be re -baptized. 00:40:18.719 --> 00:40:22.159 Just remember your baptism. And today is a great 00:40:22.159 --> 00:40:26.199 opportunity to remember your calling to follow 00:40:26.199 --> 00:40:29.679 wherever you are in that journey, whatever that 00:40:29.679 --> 00:40:33.199 looks like. You may have been a follower your 00:40:33.199 --> 00:40:36.139 whole life, and that has looked a lot of different 00:40:36.139 --> 00:40:38.880 ways throughout your lifetime. You may just be 00:40:38.880 --> 00:40:41.119 new at this and figuring out a lot of things. 00:40:41.900 --> 00:40:44.659 You may not be there at all yet, but intrigued 00:40:44.659 --> 00:40:48.590 by this story. All of that though, we're all 00:40:48.590 --> 00:40:51.710 facing the same direction in here. We're all 00:40:51.710 --> 00:40:55.369 looking to Jesus, trying to know more. And I'm 00:40:55.369 --> 00:40:57.929 encouraged by that. And so let our following 00:40:57.929 --> 00:41:02.230 also encourage others along. Let our following 00:41:02.230 --> 00:41:06.389 be alongside of others. And let us remember our 00:41:06.389 --> 00:41:09.349 following. Let us remember our call to follow 00:41:09.349 --> 00:41:13.690 Christ as he's given us the invitation. And also 00:41:13.690 --> 00:41:16.389 help us remember that we are called to extend 00:41:16.389 --> 00:41:18.710 that generously wherever we are in our journey 00:41:18.710 --> 00:41:20.110 too to others as well.