Earlier this week Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States of America. In his inaugural address president Biden told us that his soul’s desire is to bring America together and unite our people. I honestly and sincerely pray that President Biden succeeds in this effort but, considering the current state of affairs, it is an ambitious goal and a monumental task. Thankfully the task is not left for President Biden alone. Our new president will be bringing a new cabinet with him into the White House. 15 executive departments[1] such as Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, and Treasury will all need department heads appointed to run them. These men and women will be tasked with the responsibility of advising the President as he goes about his executive duties. The likelihood of President Biden succeeding is largely going to depend on how carefully he chose his cabinet.
If you were put in a position like the president of the United States and you had to pick cabinet members to help you run the country, who would you pick? I think there would be a temptation to pick people you are comfortable and familiar with like your friends and family. But I’m not sure your old college drinking buddy is who we want running the Department of Defense and your Cousin Eddy might be a snappy dresser but I’m not sure he is the best choice to run the Treasury. I am fairly certain the good Lord is not going to put me in this situation, but I would hope I would have the wisdom to pick the best person for the job.
I think that is what we all hope and pray our presidents do. We hope and pray they don’t give in to nepotism or cronyism but rather pick the very best; the most qualified, most talented, most competent, most gifted person for the position. Because, as anyone who has ever picked up a leadership book knows, the success of an individual often depends on the people that they surround themselves with. There is however, one very notable exception to that rule.
In our gospel lesson for today we see that Jesus has a rather ambitious goal of His own. In verses 14-15 we read, “14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark tells us Jesus started His administration off during a rather turbulent time. His predecessor has been put in prison. (King Herod had not taken kindly to John’s call to repentance for the king’s adulterous wedding to his sister-n-law Herodias.) Despite the understood threat to His liberty and life, Jesus sets out to proclaim the same message of repentance not just to a king but to the entire kingdom. Jesus wanted every man, woman, and child to repent of their sin, believe in their savior, and receive salvation. As I said, it is a rather ambitious goal and considering the hardness of the hearts inside the people He sought to save, it is a monumental task.
Interestingly, Jesus chooses not to tackle this task on His own. I say interesting because, unlike President Biden, Jesus doesn’t need any help. Jesus doesn’t need a cabinet of advisors to guide Him, He has the Holy Spirit at His disposal. The only thing that Jesus needs for Jesus to be successful is Jesus. So, it is, as I keep saying, interesting that we read in Mark 16-17, “16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” “Come, follow me”. Three verses later Jesus says basically the same thing to two other fisherman; James and John. Indeed, it appears that 7 out of 12 of Jesus’ cabinet members, if you will, are fishermen. Now, I have nothing against fishermen. I admire the skill that it takes to be a fisherman. I respect the hard work of the fisherman. I appreciate the patience a fisherman possesses. From time to time I pretend to be a fisherman. I like fisherman, but I’m not sure I would choose a bunch of fishermen to help me make disciples of all nations. I might rather appoint a politician to the post, maybe a philosopher or two, a couple of poets, and most definitely I would seek out the most eloquent and persuasive orators to fill my cabinet. Jesus’ choice to fill His cabinet with a bunch of fishermen is interesting.
Jesus’ choice of cabinet members continues to be interesting. Through the gospel Jesus says to you and to me, “Come”. I am not saying that we do not have some very talented people in our congregation. On the contrary, many of you are rather accomplished in your respective fields. But being rather accomplished and being the best are two different things. I mean, we have some great singers, but we don’t have any Beyoncés, we have some successful businessmen, but we don’t have any Warren Buffetts, we have some influential people, but we don’t have any Mr. Beasts (if you don’t know who that is, ask any child between the ages of 10-15 and they will tell you who he is). In 1 Corinthians 1:26 Saint Paul wrote, “26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.” Saint Paul may have originally written these words to Christians in Corinth, but they are equally descriptive of us. What I am saying is, we are a group of relatively talented people but if you were going to assemble a group of people to make disciples of the 21st century, would any of us be your first choice?
We are an interesting choice not only because there are others who are more talented and gifted than we are, but we are an interesting choice because we all share the most common and fatal of flaws; we are sinners. We think sinful thoughts we say sinful things, we do sinful deeds. We are in as much need of forgiveness as the people we are trying to save. If you were going to assemble a team to save sinners, would you pick sinners who were in need of saving to do it? Like Simon, Andrew, James, and John we are an interesting choice but as He said to Simon, Andrew, James, and John Jesus says to you and to me, “Come”.
My friends, this call to follow Jesus is but another example of God’s grace. Jesus chose fishermen and He chooses us, He chooses sinners who themselves are in need of saving to be a part of His cabinet. But before you accept this appointment you should know there is a cost.
There was a cost for Simon, Andrew, James, and John. In verse 18 we read, “At once they left their nets and followed him.” In verse 20 we read, “they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.” These fishermen were gainfully employed. They lived safe, secure, and stable lives. James and John seemed to have it especially good, the family business was doing well enough that it could afford “hired men”. By following Jesus, they were leaving all that behind. More than that, by following Jesus, not only were they walking away from a life of pleasure they were walking into a life of pain. They had heard John the Baptist describe Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”[2]. Surely, they had seen what happened to the lambs in the temple, surely they had seen them slaughtered as the sinners’ symbolic sacrifice. It seems plausible to assume they had at least heard the Prophet Isaiah’s description of the oppressed and afflicted Messiah being “led like a lamb to the slaughter”[3]. If these fishermen did not appreciate the cost of following Jesus when they were called, they would appreciate it three years later when they saw Jesus hanging on a cross and His words “anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple[4]” echoed in their minds.
There is a cost to following Jesus. You should be aware of that. There may come a time when Jesus will call upon you to leave the pleasures of this world behind but until that time comes you are asked to keep your priorities straight. Enjoy the wealth you have been given, but don’t assign it more value than your virtue. Cherish the friends that you have been blessed with, but don’t allow those relationships to interfere with repentance. Love your family but do not love them more than you love your Lord. Following Jesus means you must be ready to walk away from the pleasures of this life. More than that, following Jesus means you must also be prepared for the possibility of pain. The devil will heap hardships upon you in the hopes that you grow weary of the weight of your cross. The world will mock and ridicule your faith in the hopes that you question the worth of your cross. The sinner inside you will promise you pleasure if you just put down your cross. Following Jesus means carrying a cross. You should be aware of the cost.
Considering the cost, it is again interesting that anyone would accept an appointment to Jesus’ cabinet. Why would anyone follow Jesus? Well, why did the disciples follow Jesus? I think Simon Peter gives us the best answer to that question when he confessed that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God”[5]. The disciples followed Jesus because with eyes of faith they could see beyond the cross. You see, when Jesus invites us to follow Him, He is not just inviting us to serve in His cabinet, He is not just inviting us to carry a cross; when Jesus invites us to follow Him, He gives us the ability to see beyond the cross; He gives us the ability to see the crown. A crown that was won not by our service in His cabinet or the weight of the crosses we carry, rather a crown that has been won by the cross Jesus carried. A cross that bore the weight of all sin, a cross that endured the mocking of men, and a cross that suffered the punishment of hell. Jesus carried this cross for us and as a result, He was given a crown; a crown that interestingly enough He places on our heads.
I hope President Biden has surrounded himself with the very best people to help him bring America together and unite our people. He is going to need all the help he can get. I pray and I invite you to pray with me that the people in his cabinet will help our president to fulfill this goal and accomplish this task. But as I pray for President Biden to fulfill his goal and accomplish his task I also praise Jesus that His goal is even more ambitious and His task is even more monumental; I praise Jesus and invite you to join me in praising Jesus that as He said to Simon, Andrew, James, and John so also through the gospel He says to you and to me, “Come, follow me.” Amen
[1] Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs,
[2] John 1:29
[3] Isaiah 53:7
[4] Luke 14:27
[5] Matthew 16:16