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The Verse
Mark 1:20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
My Paraphrase
Right away He called them, and they left everything--their nets, their father, and the hired men--and followed Him.
My Thoughts
This is a strange verse because it mentions Zebedee, their father. A fast reading would cause you to gloss over this fact. But when you slow down an think about it, a very significant question arises: Is this disobedience? The fact that they left their father--in a seeming time of need--seems to be disobedience of the commandment, "Honor your father and mother," doesn't it? Wouldn't it have been more in accordance with the law to finish the day's work and then follow Jesus? Apparently not, though, as Jesus would not have called them to sin. Apparently, either Zebedee was cool with it (he had other hired men with him after all), or Jesus--knowing hearts--knew that Zebedee was fine with it. We can probably assume that this moment was not a big deal because the verse doesn't record any anger on Zebedee's part. I wonder if it was another situation where James and John were perhaps discussing Jesus earlier--maybe even in front of their father--so when Jesus shows up, they drop everything and follow, and Zebedee is no worse for the wear.
Still, it's a point I hadn't thought of before, so I felt like sharing it.
My last thought on this verse is that, in this situation, James and John had more at stake seemingly, than Peter and Andrew had. First of all, they had familial attachment that they had to choose to leave. Peter and Andrew were brothers, but neither of them had to leave family in order to follow Jesus in this particular case--as far as we know, anyway. This temporary spurning of family perfectly illustrates Jesus' command in Matthew 19:29 "Everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or farms to follow me will get much more than they left. And they will have eternal life." Secondly, unlike Andrew and Peter whose nets were working at the time of their call (verse 16), James and John were here having to fix theirs (verse 19). This denotes an extra struggle. Not only did they have the regular stress of fixing torn fishing nets, but also the fact that any repair time is actual fishing time lost. They were set back twice before Jesus ever came a'calling. This could mean that they hadn't even been able to catch any fish that day, and after following Jesus, they definitely wouldn't have. That's a big deal for a fisherman not to have caught any fish for an entire day, you know? These probable setbacks show James and John giving perhaps even greater personal sacrifice than the original two. . .but again, they saw following Jesus as worth it.
And apparently, Zebedee had enough men to cover it. So. . .the lesson here is. . .don't drop the ball in Jesus' name, unless there are enough people to cover you! But on the other hand, you can't be like the man in Luke 9:59-60 who uses burying his father as an excuse not to follow Jesus. You need to love and honor your family, and leaving them in the lurch is not responsible, but transversely you can't make them an idol to hold you back from doing what God wants you to do. Apparently in this verse, James and John were being completely obedient both to their earthly and Heavenly fathers, or their action would not have Jesus' endorsement!
The Verse
Mark 1:18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
My Paraphrase
Immediately, they dropped their nets to the ground and followed Him.
My Thoughts
They don't even hesitate. They drop their nets right where they are and they go with Christ. According to a parallel passage, in John 1:40-42 Andrew had actually brought Simon to Jesus prior to this event, so they both already knew who He was and that He was endorsed by John the Baptist. Jesus had even changed Simon's name to "Peter" during that prior meeting. (Side note: I wonder what Peter thought about this Man and His constant, holy wordplay: "Peter/petros" and "fishers of men"! Did he find it as weird as I think he did?)
However, at this particular moment, I am personally struck by their immediate reaction to drop the nets. What fueled that instantaneous obedience? I think it's easy for us to get all "Holy Renaissance Painting" about it and imagine that these men were just really righteous and informed and that they knew exactly what Jesus was wanting and what kind of lives they would live as a result. But I honestly don't think that was the case. They were just men like you and me. True, they'd been followers of John the Baptist (or at least Andrew had been for sure) and his teachings on the Messiah to come, but did they really know what "Messiah" meant? No. They didn't. Not in the sense that He was God incarnate and that He would die to save souls. No one really understood that until after the Resurrection. All these men had to go on was John's endorsement and Jesus' winning personality!
Listen, I know plenty of charismatic people, and I'm not dropping everything I have for them. So why did Jesus' command compel them to drop everything?
Did they leave their nets out of coincidence because they'd just been talking about this Jesus a second before He showed up? Did they truly follow out of this blind obedience that we've come to imagine? Did they follow out of hopeful zealotry--did they think Jesus would over-throw the Romans? Why were they so immediate with their obedience? Did they even know it was obedience? It almost seems like a supernatural magnetism, rather than a conscious choice, that compels them to follow this Vagabond. Were they simply drawn by curiosity? It would seem so from the text at face value--a guy tells them he will make them fish for people.
"What in Galilee does that mean?"
"I have no idea. Let's find out!"
Whatever their personal reasons for following, to drop everything put them at risk of losing their jobs--or at least losing the day's catch. Apparently, they thought following Him was worth that risk. One day, on the other side of heaven, I intend to have a little chat with Peter.
However, in the here and now, here's what I find really interesting and the point I was setting up in my last post about verse 17. Being a fisherman isn't intrinsically wrong or sinful. Your actions and career and hobbies are not intrinsically wrong or sinful either. But look at this beautiful metaphor that we have been given in this verse: The nets. Can you get a more perfect illustration for life's entangling pursuits than fishermen's nets?
While fishing isn't sinful, here is the problem with the lives they were leading prior to Jesus' calling: They were letting the nets define "fishing" instead of letting God define it. Prior to verse 18, their identity had been bound up in the nets. In verse 18 and after, their identity was now found in Christ. When they gave the nets power over their lives, they remained fishermen. However, this wasn't God's plan for them. When they gave Jesus power over their lives, they were fishers of men who became something far greater than themselves. That was God's plan for their lives!
This paradigm shift was spiritually illustrated by their physical spurning of the nets.
So what nets do you need to drop--spiritual and physical? Listen, these men remained fishermen until their dying days. The subject of the fishing changed, but the ability didn't. So, tying in Jesus' command over their abilities from the last verse and Simon and Andrew's literal dropping of the nets in this verse, my question is this: What are your abilities and what are your nets? What entanglements of the world are you letting determine your skills and identity? There is a big difference between nets and skills, so think about the difference in your own life. When you figure this out with God's guidance, simply leave the nets behind and allow God to define your identity. Instead of trying to effort your Christianity, just become willing to think differently about who you are, and let God redeem what He's already put within you!
If a handful of redeemed fishermen could change the world, imagine what God can do with you!
The Verse
Mark 1:17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people."
My Paraphrase
"Come as you are and follow me. I will send you to fish for people," Jesus said.
My Thoughts
Notice here that Jesus doesn't beat around the bush. He doesn't ask or suggest. He commands. He doesn't even word it like, "If you follow Me, then you will receive such and such. . ." No. Instead He gives nothing but a totally authoritative command. As a result, Simon and Andrew have only one of two choices to make: To follow or not to follow. He knows His audience--that they are men of action--and He commands them accordingly.
However, at the same time, he makes a joke. I wonder what Simon and Andrew thought about the joke. "Fish for people?" Think about how weird that statement would be if you'd never heard it before. What is this Man even talking about?
I wonder how good and stable a job fishing was back then. It was probably pretty steady and probably competitive as we learn that so many of Jesus' followers had this job as well. We even see in the next verses that it was a time-honored job passed down through generations. It was probably a completely normal and expected working-class job of the area and time--much like industrial work today. It wasn't a high-end job, but it was a respectable and secure job. People always need to eat, so fishermen would always be necessary.
Yet, here comes a Guy--who we've already established cares very little for luxury or job security--yelling for people to repent, telling everyone that He is the fulfillment of prophecy, healing, and doing all kinds of crazy things. Yet we see Him here stopping for a moment to watch these humble , run-of-the-mill fishermen. Men just going about their daily work routine. Nothing very special. Minding their own business. Just working. Then He bends down and says, "Come follow Me. . .Take on the life of the unknown. Leave your comfort and job stability behind."
Yet, He doesn't leave it there. Besides commanding them to follow, He also makes the connection between their skill sets and His requirements. He doesn't come to them and say, "You are humble fishermen. Leave it all and become wise, bookish theologians." No. Instead He says, "Okay, so you can catch fish. Let's use those same skills, but let's use them for a higher purpose." I think sometimes, we as Christians, think we have to change who we are when we get saved. It's true that repentance has to do with change. But the word "repentance" only has to do with the mind. "Think differently" is the literal translation. The disciples didn't have to stop being fishermen, but they did have to think differently about what fishing meant. Just because you had certain skills pre-salvation, doesn't mean that all those skills are bad. It's not necessary to quit being who you are just because you are now in Christ. God made you who you are. You simply need to think differently about who you are. When you do this, you continue being yourself, while God redeems the parts of you that are self-destructive. This means that if you were a psychedelic drug-addicted rocker, leave the drugs behind and rock out to God's glory like Brian Welch! If you were an atheist scholar, accept the God who is right in front of you, and become a Christian academic like C.S. Lewis! If you were a high-class prostitute, stop selling your body and become a "Hooker for Jesus" like Annie Lobert!
Perhaps you, pre-salvation, weren't as "dirty" as these examples I've just mentioned. After all, these fishermen weren't horrible, rotten sinners just because they were fishermen. There is nothing morally wrong with fishing. . .or plumbing or being a lawyer or an office worker. But even the best fisherman, who fishes unredeemed, is headed for the same end as the "worst of sinners," you know?
So if they weren't dirty, rotten sinners, what was the real problem? Where was the need to change? The answer is in the next verse. . .(Hint: It has to do with nets.)
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