Are you really the best person for the job?

February 7, 2010
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
Year C
Are you really the best person for the job?

MEMO TO: Jesus of Nazareth
FROM: The Jerusalem Management Consulting Firm
Dear Sir:
Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for
management positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken a
series of tests, and we have not only run the results through our computer,
but we have also conducted an in-depth interview with each of them by our
staff psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.
The profiles of all tests are included, and you will want to study each of
them carefully. It is the staff's opinion that most of your nominees are
lacking in background, education, and vocational aptitude for the type of
enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept and we
would highly recommend that you continue your search for persons with more
experience, higher qualifications, and greater managerial abilities.
Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and is given to fits of temper.
Andrew simply has no qualities of leadership.
The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal
interests above company loyalty and are quite boisterous.
Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine
morale among the ranks.
It is also our duty to inform you that the Better Business Bureau of Greater
Jerusalem has received reports on Matthew regarding questionable business
practices.
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus definitely have radical leanings
and both demonstrate attitude problems which would present difficulty in
their dealings with the public.
However, one of your candidates shows great potential. He is a man of
ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind,
and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious,
responsible, and is not afraid to take the initiative. We recommend Judas
Iscariot as the most qualified of all of your prospective candidates.
Sincerely,
The Jerusalem Management Consulting Firm

OF course, this is just a ficticous account of what Jesus was looking for in his disciples. He didn’t need to consult a management firm – he knew in his heart what he was looking for, and what they were capable of doing. Who is to say that he did not even know that Judas was the one to betray him. And yet the world had a need to be saved, and with every need that is a solution – if you are just willing to be open to the possibilities. If you look more at what can be, and not what is. If you realize that life and relationships are what we make of them, not what we see of them.
In many ways – Jesus is still walking the earth looking for disciples and calling us to a deeper journey – a deeper walk. He challenges us all to follow him, to trust him, to live for him, to become his disciples. Ones who honor his teachings, and his apostles – those who are able to tell the whole world that they have seen the messiah for themselves.
And how many of us – if we had to be reviewed by the Jerusalem Management Company – would be found lacking to do the Job. We would be found unworthy, and not really qualified. And yet for some reason, Jesus still calls, Jesus still challenges, Jesus still trust that we will listen, and follow – and we do.
Luke 5 is the real account of how Jesus went about picking his disciples. By getting involved with their lives, their concerns, meeting their needs, and challenging them to think a little farther then what they are used to thinking.
Simon Peter, and Andrew, and James and John are all fishermen. Very successful fishermen. Who are very proud to support their families in this trade that has been in their family for generations.
I don’t know much about fishing, but I am told that the best place to fish is in shallow water. And it is better to fish at night, not in the bright sunlight. And Jesus asks them to do the exact opposite of what they are used to doing. And it works, they are rewarded with lots of fish.
Lucky for me, this is not a story about fish, but about people. Jesus is calling these fishermen to become disciples and to fish for people.
I haven’t always been impressed with Peter. I guess I think of St. Peter, the guy who founded the catholic church – whose bones are buried beneath the Vatican. The guy who rejected Paul – because he had not seen Jesus in person. The person who had the power to determine who was and who was not a part of the church. This isn’t a story about Peter the saint
But about Peter the ordinary guy – who had a life, a commitment, an understanding of life. The guy who gave all of that up – to follow jesus. To give up all that he was familiar with to go to places unknown. Who gave up control and success – for constant questions. All for the sake of being called.
We were talking in our lectionary study group about the meaning of call. Being called by God. Usually when we think of a call from God – it is a challenge, something we have second thoughts about doing, something that will indeed take us away from our familiarity.
A call is something that we are afraid of. That we put off, that we reject and resist. We feel that we will lose something if we really listen to god.
I remember once in college, I was talking to a lady about considering becoming a pastor. But I am not quite sure if I was ready yet. She said that being a pastor is what you do when you have done everything else in life. And even though I knew then what she meant and I still know now – I thought – how do you know when you have done everything in life? At what point in your life do you know it is time to stop living, stop learning and finally become a disciple?
I actually made the decision to go to seminary and become a pastor – what else was I waiting for?



John Sculley was the head of Pepsi. Under his leadership, it had grown into a multi-national, incredibly diversified company, and his reputation meant that many other corporations tried to get him to join them. Among them was Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple Computer. Several times Scully turned Jobs down. But Jobs believed in what he was doing, and believed Scully was the man. After getting rejection after rejection, Jobs finally hit Scully with a challenge, a call, if you like, which the executive couldn't ignore. Jobs confronted him with this: "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?"

The chance to change the world – that was the reason Peter was willing to go into the deep waters – even though he knew the fish were in the shallow waters. A chance to change the world – is what everyone in the fish boat was after. They all left their lives and followed Jesus. A chance to change the world – that might have been what I was after in becoming a pastor.

And John Scully – certainly got his chance to change the world in joining the Apple team. Pepsi is still going strong, but Apple is much stronger. Pepsi is still sugar water – or actually corn syrup water – but Apple has indeed changed the world. They bought us computers, then the IPod, the Iphone. Steve Job is a household name all around the world. Apple just announced a new product – the IPad. When was the last time we have had a new kind of Pepsi?
And yet with all of the success that Apple has had as a company – the church is bigger, much more successful, and most importantly has changed the world in many more ways – all one person at a time. Every time someone realizes the power of Jesus promises – the world is changed. And Jesus doesn’t always use business geniuses to become successful – but unqualified, scared, untrained people like you and me. People who are willing to listen to a call, respond, and go out into the deep water – against our better judgement.
A call is not an obligation, or a drudgery. We don’t have to sacrifice ourselves A call is an invitation. An invitation to put aside our fears, our obligations, our preconceived notions, our understandings of how life is, of what wont work, of what we don’t have time for, what we cant do, what we don’t know, what we are not qualified for, what we don’t trust – and listen, follow, fish, and never have another reason to look behind at what was.
Let us pray….

We ask ourselves what is behind it all
and meet the unanswerable a thousand times
and yet continue to be drawn
to the many doors of life.
We hesitate, but want to go on.
We are fearful, but want to learn
We are timid, but want to be courageous
We shrink back, and yet want to grow. We have to take courage and jump
We have to cut the ropes and set ourselves adrift.
We have to leave the solid ground to learn to swim.
We have to sacrifice our security and take risks.
Then we will experience God.

That prayer was written by by Ulrich Schaeffer** Amen.