3rd Sunday after
the Epiphany, Yr. B; January 22, 2012
Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm
62:6-14; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20
I’ve
been watching with interest the Republican primaries going on these last few weeks. As I was listening to NPR on Thursday,
they were talking about the call for various candidates to reveal their income
tax returns. Gingrich had already
released his, and they were all talking about the $3 million dollars he and his
wife made in 2011. Mitt Romney
wasn’t going to release his until after the South Carolina primary. He didn’t want people to judge him
harshly because of his success.
Clearly both candidates had made a lot of money, more than many
Americans could expect to make in their lifetime. At my current salary, it would take me more than 60 years to
make as much as Mr. Gingrich did in just one year. That’s a little overwhelming.
In today’s gospel, we hear Mark’s version of the calling of those first few disciples. They’re all fishermen. Fishing’s big business in the first century, as big as any business Gingrich or Romney are into today. Fish were a good source of food and oil. Fish could be cooked and eaten fresh, or dried and salted for storage.
A fisherman made his living
in one of two ways. In the first
instance, the fisherman was contracted to deliver a certain amount of fish at a
certain time to a large landholder, or a royal house. Fishermen were paid either in cash or in kind, being allowed
to keep a part of the catch.
Records from the time show that royal coffers and large estates
benefited very well from these arrangements, but the local fishermen were often
paid inadequately and intermittently.
In the second system, the
fishermen were part of the tax system.
They rented their fishing rights from toll collectors. The fisherman was obligated to pay the
toll collector a certain percentage of his catch, sometimes as high as
40%. The rest he could sell,
usually to a middle man who took even more of the fisherman’s potential
profit. The middle man increased
the price of fish and fish products in elite markets to reap even higher
profits.
The royal coffers, large
landholders, toll collectors and middle men made out like bandits in this
lucrative business, while those who labored … the fishermen … were left with
little to show for their hours on the water and mending nets.[1] Clearly the disparity in income was a
point of contention for the majority of those involved in the fishing
industry. Those who did most of
the actual “work”, that is, those who caught the fish, weren’t the ones making
the money from it. The fisherman
barely made enough to survive.
So why would four
fisherman who were barely making it, run off so quickly to follow Jesus? Biblical Scholar, John Pilch, says
this. It is very likely that James
and John, and Peter and Andrew would have heard of Jesus … the traveling
artisan … through the very effective gossip network of the first century. Pilch suggests that they saw Jesus (an
artisan suffering the same economic injustices as they were experiencing)
traveling the countryside to collect followers to form a faction, a group that
shared a common grievance. Pilch
suggests that these four fishermen left their nets to make an investment in
Jesus, perhaps hoping that in joining with Jesus, they would eventually
benefit.[2]
Jesus offered them a new
way of thinking about God. In the
first century culture those with means were obligated to act as patrons to
those with less, but many were refusing to accept that responsibility. Jesus co-opted the language of
patronage, and he identified God as the only truly reliable patron. Only God was a patron who would
consistently act to assist those with little or no means. The only patron that we can depend on. If that was true … then these fishermen
stood to benefit from their loyalty to God. This was a just God.
This God would change the way of the world.
As I was reading this
week, I thought about the primary races going on, and the role that religion
has played in it, about the many claims of “Christian”. What should we expect from a Christian
candidate? I’ve been thinking
about Jesus’ offer to Andrew, James, John and Peter. Follow me and I will make you fish for people. What
does it mean to “fish for people”?
Whether these four fishermen knew it or not, I think it had something to
do with leaving the fish behind and setting your eye on people. No one was really standing with the
poor majority back then. They were
paying attention to the fish, to
status and honor and profit. Have
I caught enough? Will I make it to
market on time? Will I get the
highest price? Never considering
that the majority of people in the business were barely able to survive.
I will make you fish
for people, Jesus said. What
a novel idea! Our business is the
people business, not the fish business. As Christians we are
meant to build supportive relationships that encourage mutual care. I don’t think I’d care too much about
those tax returns, because they don’t tell me enough. They don’t tell me what I want to
know. Sure I’d see how much money
someone is making, and how much tax they pay, but there’s nothing wrong with
success. And if I get a good look,
I might see how much money someone’s giving away. That might tell me a little more. But all that just scratches the surface.
What we won’t see is the
stuff I think Jesus was most concerned about … the people stuff.
Like, has a person made their money supporting businesses that operate
like the first century fish industry.
A few at the top make all the money, while the average worker’s salary
is only a fraction of the salary a top executive earns. What kind of benefits does the average
guy at the bottom get? Do they
have paid sick leave … affordable health care … a paid vacation … a pension
plan … a reasonable work week … a living wage? How are employees expected to treat one another, and how are
conflicts resolved? What should we
expect from a Christian running a business? Justice, or at least … working toward it. Are we really living our Christian
values if we knowingly make money on the backs of the workers at the
bottom? It’s easy to do if we’re
not careful. Where your treasure
is … there your heart is also.
These are people issues that trump fish every time … issues that may mean less profit, lower
dividends for investors or lower salaries for those at the top … but they’re
also the kinds of things that can lead to a situation where everyone wins, a
situation that encourages mutual care, that builds people up, that strengthens
community. If we ignore them, we
may end up being swallowed by the fish, instead of out catching them.
Success benefits everyone
when we put people first. As Elizabeth Warren said … no one is
successful on his own. Anyone who
has been successful in business has had to rely on public resources on the road
to making their fortunes. Jesus
proclaimed something radically new 2000 years ago. He saw a world being reoriented by God, and he saw an
opportunity to spread the word. He
took on the work John the Baptist began, and collected followers to help him
get it done. It’s still going on,
and by our baptism we are a part of it.
As we look toward this
election year. I hope that we take
the time to look at ourselves first and model the life we look for in our
leaders. Perhaps then, we can join
Jesus in the call. The Kingdom is
at hand! Proclaim the good
news! Leave your nets, and come
fish for people!” If we make
people our priority, our nets will be full.
Amen.
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