March 1, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.^‘  So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him.“

(Luke 5.10b-11)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

I have already mentioned the value of preparation in these recent reflections on God’s word. The prophets of old prepared the people to receive the Man of God who would deliver them from evil. They presented the prophecies of He who was to come to a people who were not actually ready. By that I mean that the people feigned obedience to God and casually repented of their sins. They were faithful to the letter of the Law, but it was not a faithfulness of the heart, mind and soul. Ezekiel cried out “Create in me a clean heart, o Lord, and renew with me a right spirit.” Isaiah declared, “I am a man of unclean lips who dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” These are just two examples given which served as the reasons why the people of Israel who were intended to be the people of God suffered at the hands of the foreign invaders. They did not put their trust in God alone. They dabbled in a weak religious lifestyle of half-heartedness at best. They cast their lot with politics and business deals. They even allowed themselves to not only live in the world of the foreigner but became a one of them. They compromised themselves in order to get along. How strange that they would later condemn those who were only “partial Jews,” such as the Samaritans, when their own legacy had become tainted with the ways of the world around them. Even when the Second Temple was built replacing the one Solomon had completed, their pledge of allegiance and promise of walking in faith was far from the total truth. They may have dotted their “i”s but not crossed their “t”s or vice versa. Half-hearted faithfulness is on par with no faithfulness at all. Shall we all raise our hands at this point?

We know that seven hundred years later, one who was as a prophet of old came upon the scene of first century Israel. His name was John bar Zechariah. His father was a priest in the temple and descended from Abijah. His mother was of the line of Aaron and thus of the priestly family of old. The world would know him as John the Baptizer. He was the one called “to prepare the way of the Lord and to make paths straight that would lead to Him.” He preached true repentance for all people from the throne of the king to the outcast in the wilderness. His strongest words, of course, were against the Temple leadership. He was a harsh critic with insider knowledge of how things were intended to work as well as how they were working. His ministry pointed to the course of life which every person should adopt. True repentance and confession of sin and the pursuit of living differently as unto God. He did so in a world that was toxic. Living such a changed life would not be so simple. It would be easier in the wilderness away from the city; especially away from Jerusalem. His voice was heard and many responded to it. As a cousin of Jesus, there is little doubt of the conversations they would have had about the days of old, the present day and the day yet to come. Knowing Jesus was at hand may have emboldened John in his fulfillment of his duties to preach “confession and profession.” He would announce to those who were present when Jesus came to be baptized by him, “Behold, the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world.” Even then, he was preparing the people for a spiritual revival and not a political revolution. Jesus as the Messiah, King of kings and Lord of lords, came to engage in the spiritual warfare akin to what the Apostle Paul would later describe in his writing to the church in Ephesus. The images used were of a military nature but the elements of a religious life they represented were of a spiritual nature. Every revolutionist knows that the greatest chance of success is to effect change internally. The temple leadership did not see a need for such a change. They had adopted their way of survival in this world, the world yet to come mattered little if at all. Still, John “prepared the way of the Lord.“

Then comes Jesus into that very world. He came to prepare the people of God to fulfill their mission, purpose and destiny. Even today, so much energy is focused on reaching Heaven that many become “no earthly good.” The contrast is obvious, too, that so much is focused on being “earthly good” that Heaven is lessened or worse cast to the side. Jesus did not ignore the future consequence which awaits every person. The day will come when each one will face their final determination. It will not be their determination, however, as if at that point they are able to decide the fated “next step.” That decision had been determined already by the life focus they had chosen while living out their lives before the grave (or for some to come, the Day of the Lord.) That mission, purpose and destiny would be fulfilled by living righteously before God and the world. They were shown that they could live in such a way as to invite others to join in a community of righteousness as a glory to God. It was living out the authentic meaning of faith, hope and love with all people for the purpose of bringing them closer to God and the blessing of life with Him forever. That community of faith did not see God on the other side of “the wall.” That community of faith saw Immanuel, God with us. There was no “Ark of the Covenant” apart from the body of believers in whom the word of God had been invested in their heart and mind. Jesus was that embodiment of righteousness. He was a Son of God and a friend of humanity.

Luke’s description of Simon’s call to follow Him was predicated upon that reality. Jesus befriended the fishermen before He called them. They had decided to follow Him when He called. That decision was not because they believed He was the Messiah already. They had decided to follow Jesus because the words He spoke were true. His words had become actions that brought life. They would have been certainly leaning in the “Messiah” direction when they thought of Jesus. They would have accepted Him as one of the prophets (a profession some shared in the mountains above Caesarea Philippi according to Matthew’s gospel). What Jesus did best of all was to make righteousness real to them. It was not something bought. It was something given. It was not something earned. It was something bestowed. I find it interesting that He first called fishermen because water was such a critical element in making one’s determination on earth to follow Him. Jesus literally and figuratively called them out of the water.

Mighty ones, the world is drowning now in the ocean of sin. Jesus has shown us “the way, the truth and the life” which leads directly to the Father. He is not asking us to walk on water so as to prove our faith and spiritual prowess. He is asking us to step into the water by faith and see the waters part as when the people of God crossed over into the Promised Land; first at the Red Sea and then at the Jordan River. Do we believe it can happen still? Are we confident enough in our faith in God and God’s faith in us to be those “fishers of men“? The flood waters are rising, mighty ones of God! Shall we just believe we have done enough to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and let the tsunami rise over us? Or shall we stand up in the face of the tempest and declare “Peace, be still” believing nothing is impossible with God?

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.