Mark 1:14-20Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea-- for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him
There must have been something really compelling about Jesus for two pair of grown men to drop what they were doing immediately after Jesus called them. Jesus did not introduce himself and he didn’t tell Simon and Andrew, James and John where he was going or what he was planning to do. Jesus just said, “Follow me.” And immediately the four men followed. When they put down their nets they essentially let go of their independent means of support, not to mention the support of their families and social network. In this actin of radical faith Simon and Andrew, James and John made themselves dependent on Jesus. In theological language, they chose poverty in order to receive the greatest gift – intimacy with God in Jesus.
ReplyDeleteThis is real faith, radical faith, faith that puts all its chips on one number. This is beyond courageous, it is audacious. And this is exactly what the writer of Mark’s gospel is inviting us to do. Listen for the call from God. Be moved to turn away from your old way of life. Find your will in the will of God. And do it now.
In the absence of an itinerary, a game plan, a reasonable strategy or any explanation at all, our faithful response to God’s call is, drop whatever you are doing and follow. No wonder so many of us quake in our sandels as we begin to approach the Divine. In our heart of hearts we know that the cost of intimacy with God is – well – everything. And then we remember what the angels always say as God draws near, “Fear not… I bring you good news.” The good news is our lives will be transformed in ways we cannot imagine, and “It is good.”
Debra, the closest thing on Earth that I can think of that compares with the above is going into a possibly life changing surgery, as I did 3 months ago. Whatever happened during the hours I would be on the operating table would be irrevocable. I would wake up changed. You know I was afraid. I am still waiting for a full recovery because the assault on my body was huge. Perhaps that is why Jesus needed 40 (the mystical number for "a lot") days in the desert. There is much to sort out, and it is an "alone" thing one has to do. There is no other choice if one desires life.
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