Sons of Zebedee
Today is Father's Day! Pastor Dallas gave me
the honor of preaching this morning at
The Storehouse.
I ministered on "The Incredible Power of Fathering". It was such a
blessing to be able to encourage our fathers, both young and old, then
pray for those that sought healing from the hurts and disappointments of
the past. After church, my beautiful family showered me with loads of
love and made sure I was spoiled for the rest of the day! Now it's
Sunday night and I am thinking about my family in Spokane and all the
folks that we love who are thousands of miles away. Please allow me to
share a few thoughts with you on this important day.
I have been thinking about a scripture in the Gospel of Mark 1: 16-20.
" As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, for
they were fisherman. And Jesus said to them, 'follow me, and I will
make you fish for people.' And immediately they left their nets and
followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James, the son of
Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the
nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee
in the boat with the hired men, and followed him."
James and John were called by Jesus to become
fishers of men. They also became part of the inner circle of disciples.
They were close to Jesus. Tradition says that they were tempestuous,
like when they tried to summon fire from heaven as punishment for a
village that rejected Jesus. They sometimes seemed selfish, like when
their mother sought a special position for them in Jesus' kingdom. But,
they were faithful disciples, present along with Peter at the
transfiguration and the crucifixion. John was the beloved disciple, the
writer of the fourth gospel, and James was the first of the twelve
martyred for the faith. There is a lot more that could be said about
James and John, but let me just focus in on the fact that they were the
sons of Zebedee.
James and John we know, but who was this Zebedee, and why does Mark
bother to say anything at all about him? Is he really important? Is he
significant in any way? Was he famous? Maybe those who heard the gospel
story told by Mark might have known him. Maybe they bought their fish
from him. Maybe he was a member of their synagogue. All we know is that
he was their father.
Two days ago, June 17, 2005 was my dads birthday. I thought about him
most of the day, wishing I could have a few minutes with him again. Just
some time to sit with him and talk and laugh and tell him about the
kids. Some of you may remember George Allen. He wasn't famous, though he
had many friends. He worked hard all his life, and in his special way he
made the world a better place. And I am proud to be his son....the son
of George Allen.
Zebedee. In Hebrew tradition, one was known as the son of one's father.
James and John were the sons of Zebedee. John bar Zebedee. James bar
Zebedee. One's last name was the name of one's father. I would be
Stephen bar George. Centuries later, in European tradition, I would
still bear my father's name and I would be Stephen Georgeson. Today, I
almost wish we still followed those naming customs, for it was a way of
reminding people from where they came.
I wonder if James and John looked like Zebedee. I wonder if they sounded
like him, walked like him, shook hands like him, laughed like him? While
Zebedee was teaching his sons how to mend the fishing nets, what else
was he teaching them? Did he tell them about how a man should love and
honor a woman? Did he instruct them in the wise use of money? Did he
encourage them to believe in themselves and live for a high purpose? Did
he ever talk to them about God? Did Zebedee have any daughters? What
lessons did he teach them?
It makes you think. What does a father give to his children? What
lessons do we learn from our father? In the Proverbs of Solomon, it is
written...
"Listen, children, to a father's
instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight; for I give
you good precepts: do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with
my father....he taught me and said to me, 'let your heart hold fast
my words; keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom; get insight:
do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth." Prov. 4
James and John, the sons or Zebedee, grew up, and
God in Christ called them away from their father and his life's work.
When Jesus called, Mark says they immediately dropped their nets and
followed him. But I guarantee you that the lives of James and John were
forever shaped by the life of Zebedee, just as my life has been shaped
by my father, and your life has been shaped by your father. No father is
perfect. The same is true of our spiritual fathers! Zebedee was just a
man, with all the limitations that go along with being human. So to with
my father.
As you read this today, I hope you will think of your own father. I hope
you knew him. I hope you loved him. I hope he was a good father, as mine
was. but even if you didn't know your father, even if you didn't love
him, your father has still helped make you, positively or negatively,
who you are today. Some people spend years in therapy trying to figure
out if that's a good thing or a bad thing!! But good or bad, it is true.
James and John and Zebedee. Steve and George. You and your father. There
is a bond between father and child that nothing can break, not even
death.
To become a father is to understand the power. You realize that the
touches you make upon your sons and daughters will shape them, for
better or worse, for their entire life. And who can say which touches
have meaning? A word here, a glance there, time together, time apart -
which will be the moment that will rise up in that child's memory and
shape their life?
Friends, I wonder if we realize the strength of the bond that exists
between fathers and their sons and daughters? Do we understand that the
things that are happening in our families indelibly imprint the next
generation with a story, with an understanding of life, and shapes the
future for better or for worse?
Thinking about my own father has helped me understand the power. I
rejoice that I was able to see my father as a man who loved and needed
love. I am thankful that I had many opportunities to speak words of love
to him and him to me. I am blessed. The words that needed to be said
were said. I said them again the day before he died when I stood at his
hospital bed and said "I love you, dad," and then heard him say for the
last time, "I love you, son."
Brothers and sisters, it's never too late. It's never too late to offer
forgiveness to those who have wronged us. It is never too late to say "I
love you" to another, or to hear another say "I love you" to us. Whether
you are a father, or a son, a mother or a daughter, it is never too late
to touch and be touched by those with whom our lives are forever
inextricably bound.
James and John were disciples of our Christ, but they were forever the
sons of their father! The lives they chose when they dropped the nets
and followed the Christ took them far from their places and people of
origin. But deep down inside, they were still the sons of Zebedee.
That's the way God made us, and God would have us nourish the
relationships that bind us one to another. In the days ahead, why don't
you find ways to speak words of love to the people that matter the most?
May God bless you all on this beautiful father's day!
Apostle Steve
