Making Christ Known is today’s podcast title, and it is part of this congregation’s mission statement. Faith exists to reveal Jesus to the world. To make him known. What we say about Jesus, and how we live as a result of Jesus. Our talk AND our walk. One of my favorite verses talks about this: Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works, and glorify the Father in heaven. 

Today we are looking at two passages from the Bible. The first one gives us some intel about who Jesus is and what he does—a teacher, preacher, and healer. He also has this line about fishers of people, and I’m reading that in a new way this week. The other reading today looks at the problem of factions among the followers of Jesus, how lesser loyalties hinder our ability to what we are here to do: which is making Christ known.

Big stuff, and we’re going to try to get through it in about twenty minutes. Grab your Bible and open to the gospel of Matthew chapter 4. Matthew is the first book in the New Testament. We will start reading at verse 17. 

Matthew 4:17-25 (NRSV)

17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

23 Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, people possessed by demons or having epilepsy or afflicted with paralysis, and he cured them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

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