The Book of Mark
Chapter 1 (NIV)
19When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
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4 comments:
I think it's interesting that his 4 first disciples are fishermen and brothers. Did he know these men before? They are all from Galilee, but Nazareth wasn't on the Sea of Galilee (which is where these men were fishing).
I wonder if they knew Jesus before, because when he first called these 2 pairs of brothers - he had not yet begun his ministry. He had not performed miracles or made public speeches. Had he grown up with these men, and they, like John, were just waiting for the time when Jesus would begin what they had discussed before? So when Jesus called them, they were like "Yes! It's time!"
Or did they not know Jesus? And they first time they heard his voice, there was just something so compelling about the man that they dropped their nets and followed him. Or did they just tired of their jobs and their predictable, mundane lives? And when they met someone who said, "follow me and we will do great things", they were like "Yes! Finally, a chance to be a part of something great." After all, this was a time of great religious turmoil, where there were many prophets, and people were actively awaiting the messiah.
I too wonder what was it that captivated these men to just drop everything and follow Jesus. I wish there was some more description that happened. How did they see Jesus as? These verses are so short and simple it seems as if these men were making a small decision equivalent as to "lets eat some pizza for lunch."
Dropping everything they had including their family, friends, and job to follow Jesus was definitely not a simple choice one can make in a short time.
I agree with yesterday's post made by Suejin on what would've I done if I were at that very place. Would I've dropped everything and followed Christ?
I would also like to add that this very question Jesus asked those fisherman applies to us and everyone even our present times. He always asks for us to come and follow him. Often I'm ashamed to say that I choose the world over him. I too pray that Holy Spirit will continue to shape me so that I can be a better ambassador of Christ.
Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him. (NASB)
By reading these verses,one should think about the meaning of "to drop everything and follow Jesus." I don't necessarily think it means that we have to leave everything in order to follow Him. It's certainly true that we need a new mindset and a new direction life as we disciples of Christ. Further, there will be some opportunity costs as we seek to know God more and follow Christ's footsteps. However, I think the more important factor is the center of our heart. We should keep asking ourselves each day: "God, help me to acknowledge you as king of my life, as I live my life today." Once we have this mindset of wanting to glorify God through our lives, I am confident that God will work within us and show us new guidance and directions in our Christian lives.
As with verses 16-18, I wonder how full-of-ourselves we must be to think and act so differently from James and John (and Simon and Andrew) when it comes to following Jesus? We always think, "I'll get to that stuff I promised to God as soon as I can." It's embarrassing to think about how many times we convince ourselves in any 24-hour period that it's okay to put down "Show God that He is my #1 priority" at the bottom of our to-do list. We're obsessed with public honor in front of our fellow man but we're completely superficial when it comes to our spiritual honor before God.
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