I have a confession: I've never particularly cared for this verse: "Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men." What hooks me – if you'll pardon the pun – is the idea that making disciples is, somehow, like fishing.
Ten years ago, Quentin Tarantino followed up his box office smash hit, Pulp Fiction with a movie that I think is eminently better. In my opinion, his story telling in Jackie Brown puts his work in Pulp Fiction to shame. One of the things I love about Jackie Brown is the device Tarantino uses to tell us how the story unfolds from the viewpoint of various characters.
Oswald Chambers said, "Someone who is constantly criticized becomes good for nothing; the effect of criticism knocks all the gumption and power out of the person. Criticism is deadly in its effect. That is never the work of the Holy Spirit."
(This sermon was delivered to a group recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.) Someone sent me a little brochure a few years back – and it lists the twelve differences between a sponsor and a therapist. I’ll pass it on to you tonight with the hope that it might be helpful to anyone here who might be making that very difficult and god-awfully painful transition.
The problem is wasted potential: For the once-and-only time in his life, the one-talent man had the opportunity to do something to make a difference, and he blew it. Instead of taking a chance, he played it safe.
Jesus manages to get himself killed for what he says and does. He offends powerful factions among his people. Roman authorities treat him as a threat to public order. Nobody gets crucified for gentleness. Something else is going on with Jesus. He ends up on a cross, and what he offers us is a cross like his own.
The comedian, Steven Wright once said, “I started off with nothing. I’ve still got most of it.” The same could be said of the servant with one talent this morning.
“As he walked along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two fishermen, Simon and Andrew, and he said to them, ‘Follow me.’ And they followed him....” And so began the public ministry of Jesus. The 30 years leading up to this day was merely practice.
E. Stanley Jones asked Ghandi: "Though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?" Ghandi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."
The servant with the lowest level of responsibility failed for lack of trying. The master's response was not an assurance that the slave could do better next time. He says, "Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."