日期满了， 福音到了 Time for Good News

Title: Time for Good News
Date: 21st Jan 2024
Preacher: Rev. Wong Siow Hwee

Today I hope to answer the question: How did the disciples know that it was the right decision to give up everything to follow Jesus? [1] Here is something you might not know about 2 of the 4 fishermen who followed Jesus: Andrew and John. They were originally the disciples of John the Baptist (John 1:35-37). These two disciples, Andrew and John, were then introduced by John the Baptist to Jesus (John 1: 36 “Look, the Lamb of God!”). John the Baptist had earlier testified 34 that this is God’s Chosen One. And then Andrew and John introduced Jesus to their brothers Peter and James respectively. After their private encounter with Jesus, one of them then privately acknowledged to the others: “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41).

Then the ministry of John the Baptist was terminated abruptly when he was imprisoned for criticizing Herod (Luke 3:19). But Jesus was there to continue the ministry. These disciples of John the Baptist, Andrew and Peter, James and John, then naturally followed him around Galilee, to listen to his preaching about the kingdom of God, and to witness the miracles of healing and exorcisms (Luke 4:38-44).

In short, we shouldn’t be that surprised by the disciples’ response to immediately sacrifice everything to follow Jesus. They probably already had a strong inkling that Jesus might be the Messiah. The truth is: some of the Jews in the first century had been waiting precisely for such a moment: the coming of the Messiah was about the restoration of their kingdom, promised by the ancient prophets like Isaiah.

Still, it could not have been easy. Put yourselves in the shoes of Peter and Andrew, James and John. Just to be clear, the four of them were not good-for-nothing with nothing better to do. They had responsibilities and they were not chasing after Jesus just to follow the crowd like sasaeng fans of pop-idols .[2] They earned an honest living as fishermen with their own family fishing boats. Out of the 4, we know for certain that Simon was a married man because he lived with his mother-in-law. Yet they seemed to know their true priorities in life. When the choice was between God and worldly concerns, they knew the right sacrifice to make.

Back to the original question: How did the disciples know that it was the right decision to give up everything to follow Jesus? My answer is: Because they truly believed in the good news.

Using the readings from the lectionary today, I hope to share two insights about the good news that we can apply in our lives. I hope that we can also be like Andrew and Peter, James and John, to have the right values and priorities to come to the right decision. And when the Messiah calls you to action, you know the right choice is to drop everything and go.

The first insight comes from the passage from Psalms.
Psalm 62: 5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”

The passage in Psalm can be summed up in this one line: Trust God to be fair in his reward. The psalmist put his whole-hearted faith in God and so he was able to find comfort and rest. Specifically, he trusted that God had the ultimate power in this world, and eventually God would ensure that everybody would be rewarded according to their deeds. And since this was his conviction, he continued to do what was right in God’s eyes, and he also urged his listeners to do likewise. He was well aware that the world he lived in put their trust in other things like wealth and glory. Therefore, there were many who had even resorted to evil in accumulating wealth or in elevating their social status. Sadly, God is often sacrificed in humanity’s insatiable pursuit of money and power. But the psalmist was not tempted, because he knew that all these temporal gains meant nothing, because God will bring ultimate reward.

Using this insight from Psalm 62, we now look at the Gospel story. This is what Peter said to Jesus. In Mark 10:28 “We have left everything to follow you!” Jesus’ reply to him concurred with the conclusion of Psalm 62.
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

The insight from the lectionary passage in Psalms is: Trust God to be fair in his reward. The lectionary passage in New Testament goes one step further: This reward will be lasting. In 1 Corinthians 7: 29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

This might appear to be a very strange text unless you understand the context. Paul was speaking to the Corinthian church who were troubled by issues of marriage and singlehood. Even though one’s marital status is undoubtedly a major element of a person’s life, and I certainly don’t mean to downplay the sacred vows of marriage, Paul’s theological insight about time and permanence was nonetheless an important reminder to the Corinthian church members. Paul was saying that your marital status, whether single or married, should not be such an all-consuming concern that it distracts you from your devotion to God. Because compared to your relationship status with God (which is about eternity), your marital status will eventually fade away with time.

Allow me to use a less controversial example just in case anybody accuses me of destroying marriages or belittling the anxieties of those who are single. We recently had the results of the O-levels, and two months ago, the PSLE. How important are exam results? Answer: very important but (honestly) only for a short time, they are no big deal compared to the other major events of a lifetime. I have not been to any wakes where the PSLE or O-level score was mentioned in the eulogy. So ask yourself: what reward is truly lasting? This mindset is critical when accessing God’s priorities for you. The objective of Paul is stated in his next verse in 1 Corinthians 7: 32 I would like you to be free from concern. By looking at our concerns based on their lasting value, whether it is marriage, or work achievements, or material things, we can then know the right things to do at the right time. In conclusion, many things in life rightly raise our concern, whether it is exams, or choosing the right life partner. But it is equally important to note their importance based on how lasting they truly are. That will free us from over-concern when important sacrifices must be made.

Allow me to end today’s message with a personal anecdote. A funny thought came to me when I was attending an ordination ceremony a year ago. An ordination ceremony is when the Presbytery ordains a preacher to become a reverend of a church. As a representative of the Synod, I was there to give words of congratulations and encouragement to the pastor to be ordained. Before my turn to speak, many pastors spoke one after another, each one with their own encouragements to the pastor. “Rely on the strength of God.” “Make sure you take care of yourself.” Some spoke to the church: “Support and love your pastor.” The pastor himself also spoke about his personal struggles in his journey to becoming a pastor, and how God was his divine guidance, providing everything he needed. All the messages were well-intentioned, and some were truly inspirational. But at a certain point, I started to worry if the younger generation in the congregation might have an impression that pastoral ministry was a horrible job, and only God’s strength and personal endless sacrifices can sustain a pastor till the end. So, I suddenly had a funny thought that I wanted to share with the young people to correct their misconceptions. But that day, I chickened out because my sudden inspiration was a little unconventional, and so I stuck to my prepared script.

But allow me to share those thoughts with you today, especially to the younger ones among us. The truth is: pastoral ministry is like an endless seafood buffet, assuming you like seafood. Becoming a pastor is like joining an all-you-can-eat feast of lobsters, crabs, oysters, clams, scallops, etc. But none of it is served deshelled, so admittedly there will be hard work involved. I don’t want to sugar-coat this part. Those of us who learned to shuck an oyster or hammer a crab, know the challenges involved in getting to the delicious meat. But when you do, you know the rewards are divine. Why did I suddenly think of this metaphor at the ordination ceremony? Pastoral ministry is essentially the work of transforming people spiritually. So, I cannot deny that it is hard work. Many people have tough shells to crack. But whenever shells are broken, and the spiritual transformations happen, I guarantee you, that is the heavenly bliss of experiencing something truly miraculous. When a proud person breaks down in repentance, when a broken family is restored in forgiveness, when a prodigal son returns to God, the joy surpasses the best seafood you can imagine in this world. [3]

How did the disciples know that it was the right decision to give up everything to follow Jesus? It is because it is the Good News. Psalm 62 reminds us to serve God and trust that he will be fair in his reward. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians that this reward is the one that is truly lasting. My metaphor of an endless seafood buffet is also true for all other forms of ministry, be it teaching at the children ministry, or worship leading on a Sunday service. Joining some of these ministries will require sacrifices in time and effort. You will shed blood, sweat, and tears in the grinding task of deshelling human stubbornness. But every once in a while, you will experience a miracle, when people respond to the word of God, and lives are saved. So, I’ll end with a call to all of you, come in and enjoy this all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. Serving God is the best thing in the world. Let’s pray.

[1] One crucial word appeared twice in our passage in Mark today: immediately. Once in verse 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. The other in verse 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. This word “immediately” must be one of Mark’s favourite words, using it 42 times in his gospel. Later Matthew slashed by half to 18 times and Luke kept only 7 times. When Matthew wrote his gospel, he made clear what was immediate were the responses of the 4 fishermen who were called. Matthew 4: 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Luke didn’t use any “immediately” in his version of this story. He is more like: Mark, chill. Can we don’t be so drama all the time.
[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasaeng_fan
[3]In our lectionary reading of the Old Testament, we are reminded of the story of Jonah’s ministry in the Assyrians in Nineveh. Jonah 3: 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh... 4 , proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. The purpose is of the Old Testament reading to illustrate the parallel between the ministries of Jonah and Jesus, both describing the dramatic responses of the people upon hearing God’s word. Isn’t that the vision of every church? That people will respond to God’s proclamations with personal transformations.

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