A Job You Enjoy

Matthew 4:19-20

Watch on YouTube

Our passage for today is found in Matthew chapter four, verses 19 through 20.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:19-20)

What is it that you spend most of your time doing? You spend most of your days golfing, reading a good book by the fireplace, maybe watching a movie? No, I think if you’re like most people, the vast majority of your time is spent at your job, so it’s important to find a job that you enjoy. Now, enjoy can mean a few different things. Maybe you enjoy it because of what it does, because of the community you have at the office. Maybe you enjoy it because it gives you financial security and that’s something important to you, but it’s important that it meets some criteria of enjoyment and providing what you need.

Imagine that you were working your job and you got a phone call at your desk. You answered it, and it was somebody who wanted to interview you for a job at their company. So you go and sit down for the interview and you ask the person interviewing you, what are the benefits? What is the pay? What does this job really entail? And the person interviewing you says, well, you can expect not to be paid. You can rely maybe on your coworkers or the community. Maybe they’ll take care of you. You’re going to work all hours of the night. There’ll be no time off. There’ll be no holidays. And you’re going to be risking your life. It’s going to be a very dangerous job. It might cost you your life. What are the odds that you would say I accept that job? Probably pretty low.

But we see that’s what Jesus is asking the disciples to do. In our lesson today, he is saying, stop what you’re doing and follow me. I will make you fishers of people. Just before our lesson for today, we see the miracle of the miraculous catch. We see thousands and thousands of fish pulled into the boat. And Peter, seeing what Jesus did and knowing who Jesus was, he fell at his knees before Jesus and said, he’s not worthy to be in Jesus presence, but Jesus doesn’t cast him away. He offers him this job. He offers them this position to be his witnesses.

God offers us that same job, that same purpose, that same important, meaningful work, but often were quick to make excuses. Maybe we say, well, I’m not really good at speaking or I don’t have the time to do that. I don’t have the money to do that. Somebody else can do that. But God leaves us without excuse because doing his work, sharing His Word, the weight of it is not on our shoulders. He called Peter to be a disciple, called him to be a witness. But Jesus was with him. Jesus gave him the words to speak when he was with him in person. And then when he was in heaven, Jesus was still giving them the words to speak, just like he gives us the words to speak in the scriptures.

I was a little bit tough on the job description before the idea that serving God means that we’re going to have no money and we’re going to be in danger, and it’s going to be a terrible 24/7 job, but that’s not the full picture. This job does have benefits, not a 401K. It’s probably not going to make you rich, but it’s an investment that lasts an eternity.

God gives us that beautiful picture of that gospel, the gospel that we share with others, but the gospel that we share with ourselves on a day to day basis. Jesus laid down his life for all of our sins. They’re all taken away. So through Christ, through that sacrifice, salvation is ours. What a beautiful thing it is to be a disciple. And again, it may not give us early retirement, but it will give us an eternal retirement, an eternal retirement with Jesus and all of those we have the privilege to share God’s Word with. So God is offering us a job. And how blessed are we to be able to accept it? Amen.