Men of Salt

To bring us up to speed after the tremendous blessing given to us last week with our Guest Preacher; we are in Matthew 4, and this morning we are going to look at Verses 18-22. In these Verses we have the first effectual call of Peter and his brother Andrew, as well as the sons of Zebedee, James and John. 

However, we need to remember what we talked about two Sundays ago, in that, if we want a full chronology of what Jesus did and said, everything happening in order, we need to look at all four of the Gospel accounts. When God works in His world, He does so in such a way that He makes use of not only the personalities and intellects of the people He created, but they steadily and consistently employ the use of their own volition. God did not create robots with no free will, but instead He makes use of our free will choices for His purposes. This is made clear to us throughout all of Scripture, especially throughout the inscripturation of all four Gospel accounts. We’ll talk a little bit more about this in Point #1.

Moving forward however, the last time we were together we saw that when Christ entered the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali; when He entered into “Galilee of the Gentiles”, He was not only fulfilling the words first given thousands of years before His prophesied birth, He was setting the precedent of dark places being the only places that can experience and see His light. 

And in our Verses today, we will see that after His “Year of Obscurity” documented in the Gospel according to John, our Savior calls His inner-circle to Himself. With that, let us stand together and read the Word of the Lord.

Opening:

• Read → Matthew 4:15-22

  • This morning = v.18-22

• Opening Prayer

Point #1  --- Synopsis of the Synoptics

As I stated earlier, the full chronology of what Christ said and did is seen when we take all of the Gospels as one. The “pericope” (a self contained section) we see in our verses in Matthew this morning, are also seen in Mark and Luke. Mark writes it this way in Mark 1:16-20 → “And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. [17] Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” [18] They immediately left their nets and followed Him. [19] When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. [20] And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.” We will look at Luke’s account at the end of Point #1.

Now…stay with me for a brief School Lesson, I promise it will be brief.

One of the things we need to constantly remember is that the Bible wasn’t first written in English. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew & the New Testament was written in Koine Greek, with Aramaic sprinkled throughout it all. And unlike English, where we need specific verbatim word order and punctuation to preserve the meaning of a sentence (think about this sentence: “The dog bit the man”...but if we rearrange the nouns it means something opposite!). Koine Greek, on the other hand, alters the words themselves by changing the suffix of a word to change its meaning…which means…that verbatim word order in Koine Greek isn't as pivotal as it is in English. This is why, when one person reads from the KJV and another reads from the ESV, both of them are reading the inspired word of God. When Matthew writes the words in a different order than Mark or Luke, while it may seem odd to our English ears, it fits perfectly in Koine Greek.

Because of this, it would be foolish of us to ignore the other sections of Scripture where the same story appears. God knew that English would be a cobbled together frankenstein language, so He gave us several different authors communicating the same story, to ensure that we would have in front of us His perfectly preserved voice. 

Still with me?

(The first three Gospels are referred to as “The Synoptics” because when we place them “side by side” they are all similar. For an easier to understand explanation of all of this, see the last page of this Manuscript)

Going backwards in time (not in the text) we see that this isn't the first time that these two sets of brothers met Christ. We can read about the first time they met Him in John 1:35-51, where he records other Disciples there as well (Phillip & Nathaneal). Then jumping over to Luke’s Gospel, starting in 4:16, we read that His disciples were with Him in the temple when He read Isaiah 61:1&2 → “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; [2] To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,” and then announced for all of reality to hear that those long written down words applied to Him Himself.

Luke also tells us that the Disciples were with Him when the people of Nazareth, after hearing Christ make such an audacious claim, tried to kill Him by throwing Him off of a cliff (Lk. 4:28-30); when He casts out an unclean spirit (Lk. 4:31-37); and when He heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law (Lk. 4:38-39). Moving forward, the last place Luke records the Disciples being with Him until the story catches up with Matthew’s is when He cast out some demons (Lk. 4:40 & 41). After this we don't see the Disciples until Christ calls them, which is our Verses this morning. Hopefully you don't feel like a pinball after all that…but God saw fit to record it for us, so it would be foolish to gloss over it.

It is wise to look at different accounts of the same story and wrestle with these long written down Words, because when we do, when we exert intentional effort to better understand what God is communicating to us through different authors…things begin to “pop out”.

And what “pops out” to us today, is that all three synoptic Gospels record both sets of brothers going about their daily life. These two sets of brothers continued to be active in what providence had given them, refusing to simply coast through life. They were exerting intentional effort in their day to day life. Simply speaking…they were working. Spurgeon once said: “The lazy man tempts the devil to tempt him.” 2nd Thess. 3:10 says → “Anyone who refuses to work, shouldn't eat.” (ESV) What bold words these are! How contrary to our modern thinking is the Word of God! In a culture that feeds off of consumerism and consumption, the words of Scripture shine like a light in the darkness, scattering away the idle and lazy man like so many cockroaches. 

There is no idling in the Kingdom of Heaven,

there is only doing. 

The Disciples that we read about in our Verses this morning, after having heard the words of the Word made flesh, and being eye witnesses to miracles that He performed, continued forward with their daily life. And when we read about this same event in Luke’s Gospel, it will bring the Gospel into even sharper focus for us. Luke 5:1-11 → “So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, [2] and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. [3] Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. [4] When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” [5] But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” [6] And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. [7] So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. [8] When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” [9] For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; [10] and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” [11] So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.”

Point #2: Fit for the Kingdom

Moving forward this morning, I want to repeat two of the verses we just read: [8] When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”. And: [11] So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.”

In this moment of decision, which every single child of God will experience, Jesus Christ was living out the divine providence that He Himself foreordained to come to pass, and the responses that we see from these men are the only appropriate response for those who are fit for the Kingdom of God. Before we get to that, however, we need to understand something about those who are called to be fit for the Kingdom of Heaven. 

There is a common mentality in our modern and “feelings based” culture, that wrongfully attributes a higher level of spirituality to the so-called “bottom-rung” of society…and though there is an element of truth in this (which we will talk about when we move into The Beatitudes), we have blown it far out of proportion to what Scripture actually teaches:

• Were Peter and John untrained and uneducated men? Yes (Acts 4:13).

• Was Zebedee (James’ & John’s father) wealthy enough to pay hired servants? Also yes (Mk. 1:20).

• Did Moses freeze up and stutter whenever he had to speak? Yes (Ex. 4:10).

• Was Paul trained up by the highest minds of his culture? Also yes (Acts 22:3).

• Did God call prostitutes to Himself? Yes (Lk. 7:39). Shepherds? Yes (1 Sam. 37:34-36). Adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, & drunkards? Yes (1 Cor. 6:11). Murderers? Yes (Acts 22:20). Did God dredge up from the silt & mire of this world the wretched refuse from teeming shores? Yes.

• Did God call kings and nobility to Himself? Yes (Dan. 4). Doctors? Yes (Col. 4:14) Members of the “supreme court”? Yes (Jn. 19:39). The highly educated? Yes (Acts 22:3). Did God pluck up those who humanly flourished under the providence He unfolded in their life? Also yes.

Children of Clyde-Savannah, hear me clearly, if that which separates us from one another was drawn by God with His divine providence, or drawn by us with laws, blood, or customs…it doesn't matter. From every caste or community, from every level of intellect or education, God calls those whom He will, for His reasons and for His purposes. There is no sinner too far gone, and there is no saint who could do it without Him. Our God plunges His hands into the depths of humanity, sifting His children through the nail-born holes within His holy palms and into eternal safety…while at the same time locking His fist upon the seething souls of the lost, to cast them into eternal damnation. 

From whom does God call out His children?

From everyone.

And when He does call out His children from where and when they are, the only appropriate response, is that which we read in Luke 5:8 & 11 →  [8] When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”....[11] So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.”

When we are faced with the truth of who God is, who we are, and the differences between us…the only appropriate response is immediate obedience wrought from the furnace of abject humility. 

We must meet Him as the broken, unworthy, wretched sinners that we are, never hiding our faults, failures, and sins behind a veneer of good words or works. Never think: “I’ll get my life together, and then live for God.” because you can't get your life together without God. You, brothers and sisters, are totally unable to live a righteous and moral life free from the sanctifying influence of God, and any attempt to do so will not only finish in failure, but is an overwhelming offense to Him. 

Yes, God does meet us where we are,

but where we are is dead.

Those whom Christ called to Himself in our Verses, Luke says, not only responded in humility, they forsook everything to follow Him. Their career, their family, the work of their hands that God ordained for them to undertake, was not exempt from being sacrificed to Him, and this is something that we need to come to terms with. No matter the reasons why we feel we should stay where we are, thinking the things we have always thought, or how deeply seated they are within the beating center of our soul…if there is anything or anyone that we outright refuse to turn our backs on, then we are unfit for the Kingdom of Heaven. These two sets of brothers turned their backs on their careers. That which fed themselves and their families, that which they spent years learning how to perfect and master, was willingly set upon the Altar and set to flame as a sweet smelling aroma to their God. And refusing to accept anything from us apart from everything of us, the call of Christ goes further than a simple career. You see, just like everything in Creation belongs to God, everything in our heart belongs to Him as well. Every thought, every emotion. Every belief. Every feeling and sense of duty that motivates you throughout your entire life…does not belong to you, it belongs to God.

Luke 14:25-27→ “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus (meaning He had a following & influence), and turning to them he said: [26] “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. [27] And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

If we place our very own family as a higher priority in our life than God…then we can't be a Disciple of Jesus Christ. Yes we are to respect and honor them (Ex. 20:12), but if that comes at the price of ignoring what God has long said; if that means we are replacing the words of our Heavenly Father with the words of our Earthly father; if we are more concerned with our family than we are with God…then we can't be a Disciple of Jesus Christ.

When we read this morning of Christ calling His Disciples, it is the same call that He extends to all of His children, and it demands a fundamental, radical, all-encompassing reorientation of priorities. There is no aspect of your life, no aspect of your heart, that can be held back from being in service to Him. No sectioned off corner of your mind or hobbies. No budget item in how you spend your money. No child, no parent, no spouse, no free time, and no future plans can run rampant in our hearts and thoughts free from Him. Point everything in your life upward you children of God. Like Abraham before you, offer up the most precious part of you to God, resting care-free in the reality that He loves you and is constantly working everything in your life for your good and His glory. 

We must do this, we must radically reorient everything in our life to Him, because of the gravitational weight of who He is. Meaning, if He is not the absolute center of your entire Universe, then everything else will be thrown out of orbit and crash into everything else. Your thoughts about your family obligations will crash into and corrupt your thoughts about God. Your thoughts about your career will collide into your thoughts about Him, conflating the two. Your feelings and emotions and beliefs about your money, free time, and family, will fall from the pre-planned paths that he carved into reality, and spin so far out of control that you will never be able to live a life worth living. You will be constantly juggling priorities. Constantly diverting your attention in a million directions, running yourself ragged until you yourself crash and burn. 

And if the smoke of your failures in this life does not cause a radical reorientation of your life…it will result in unending ink blotting out the light of Christ for all eternity. Like Peter before you, cry out “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man O Lord!” and then forsake everything to follow Him.

At this point, you may be thinking: “This is a big ask Pastor! How can I do such a thing?” There is an answer, but before we get there, as I said earlier, God goes further still.

Did you see what else Christ said in Luke 14:25-27? → “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus and turning to them he said: [26] “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. [27] And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

If we are not willing to die for Jesus Christ,

we cannot be a Disciple of Jesus Christ.

Cowards kill for their beliefs. Weak men exert their own beliefs against others. Wicked, limp wristed, effeminate, mentally deranged and demonically influenced cowards kill for their beliefs…but Christians die for theirs. 

And the death that we die, we die day by day. Day by day we surrender our lives to the long written down words of Christ, dying at every step. How much of you died last week, children of God? How much of your old man was cut down by your exposure to the Word yesterday? How much did your false beliefs weaken last week when you opened your Bible? How deeply did those words cut you, and how eager were you to watch yourself bleed? Furthermore…do you actually go to the Word to weaken your old self? Have you been coasting through life in the modern world, letting all the luxuries it offers you gently rock you to sleep? Arise oh sleep! Awaken to the glories of Jesus Christ! Wet the shining sliver blade of Scripture with the blood of your forgiven sins, and never let it dry.

Not only must everything aspect of our inner-self be given to Christ (our thoughts, emotions and beliefs) , every aspect of our physical-self must be given to Him as well, even to the point of death. Deitrich Bonhoeffer once said: “When God calls a man, He bids him to come and die.” Lay your entire life on the line for Jesus Christ, and see what glories unfold for you in the land of endless sun, where neither rust nor moth destroy, or thieves break in and steal (Mt. 6:19). 

“But,” you may still be thinking, “how can I do such a thing? How can I radically reorient my entire life, to such a degree, that every decision I make would be one fueled by a love for God and His glory, even to the point of death?” The answer is…you can’t. I have given you a task impossible this morning. No amount of effort you can ever exert, even if you believe the truth that the amount of effort you are able to exert was given to you by God. You aren’t fit for the kingdom of God, and nothing you can do will ever make you that way. You have nothing within you capable of making God smile.

You aren't good enough for God,

but Jesus Christ is.

It is only through Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death, bodily resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of His Father, that we can ever cry out: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man O Lord!” It is only through the roman wounds upon His holy body, that we can have the strength to daily die. And it is only through His broken body and shed blood that we can be declared innocent in the eyes of an all powerful and all knowing Father. Turn to Jesus Christ you sinner. And if you already have, if your heart of stone has already been thrust through by His glorious sword, continue to turn to Him every day until the day when your faith gives way to sight and your weary eyes fall upon His beautiful face.

Point #3 Salt

In our final point this morning, I'd like to briefly explore what these two sets of brothers were actually doing, when Christ called. We read that they were fishermen, and then Christ tells them that He is going to make them “fishers of men.” 

In English, we would make a compound word to describe them. They were “men” who “fished”, they were “Fishermen”. However, as I explained earlier this morning, that's not the way Koine Greek works. And the Greek word that Matthew writes here for fishermen, is “Haliues”. Matthew took a word, and changed the suffix (the letters at the end) to change its meaning. And the word he did this was “Hals”...which means “Salt.” Through the course of time, “Hals” came to mean “Sea”, and was used to describe any body of water… but the origin of the word is still there. These men, spending their days, day after day upon the water of the sea of Galilee, though it is a body of freshwater, were “men of salt”. Keep that idea tightly in your hand as we look at just a few different passages to bring our Sermon to a close.

Matthew 5:13 →

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

When Christ chose to use this illustration, He knew what He was talking about. It preserves and enhances food, and it helps the very cells of our body make use of the water we drink. 

Because Jesus Christ gave us a new heart, we are now that which preserves this World. With our daily words and actions, we preserve the good, true, and beautiful. We enhance the wonderful delicacies of Christ in our homes, careers, and culture. By our daily dying to self and forsaking everything in our life to follow Him, we are showing a lost and hurting World the bottomless well of living water which flows from Calvary’s side. Let everyone in your life know what you believe, yes with your words, but with your actions as well. Let your parents, children, siblings and spouses see you valuing others above yourself (Phil. 2:3). Let your coworkers see you working in such a way that it glorifies the God who gave you the job to begin with (Col. 3:23). Let your friends see you enjoy your hobbies and possessions in gratitude to the God who gave them to you (Deut. 28:47). Let the offer of repentance of sins and the availability of innocence in the eyes of God flow forth from behind your lips to land on the ears of everyone in your life (2 Tim. 4:2).

But, as I warned earlier, if our lives do not match Scripture, it is evidence that our hearts remain unbeating within our chests. (John 14:15, 21, 23, 24; 15:10, 14; 1 John 2:3-5, 19; 5:2-3).

Luke 9:59 - 62 →

“Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” [60] Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” [61] And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” [62] But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

And lastly, Genesis 19:24 - 26 → “Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. [25] So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. [26] But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Are you a pillar of salt? Or are you a man of salt?