Letting Go of Our Nets (Matthew 4:18-25)

Rev. Austin Pfeiffer highlights how the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry confronts our deep instinct toward self-reliance. In calling fishermen to leave their nets, teaching in synagogues, and healing the afflicted, Jesus exposes the ways we cling to work, religion, control, or productivity to sustain ourselves. Each of these three scenes asks whether we will admit our hunger, weakness, and need, or continue trusting what is familiar and manageable.