Mark 1:16-20 16And when he was passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you to be fishers of people.” 18And immediately after leaving their nets they followed him. 19And after going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were also in their boat mending the nets. 20And immediately he called them, and after leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers, they followed him.
The first thing Jesus does after his victory in the desert is to call disciples to follow him. Jesus made his disciples a significant part of his mission of proclaiming the kingdom. He would train them so that they could continue this mission when he was gone. Discipleship was a major theme in Jesus’ teaching and ministry. He spent a significant part of his three years of ministry in the area around the Sea of Galilee. The large lake has been known over the centuries for its fishing industry. In the first century, fishing was usually done early in the morning or late at night. Fishing was not profitable because of taxation and fees paid to middle men. Some fishermen were under contract to owners or partners. Fishing was often a family trade, as seen in this passage.
The imagination of the reader is drawn to the beautiful shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is the only speaker in this story; the disciples simply respond. The red letters in some Bible versions draws our attention to the essential call of discipleship, the authority of Jesus, and the response of the disciples. John’s Gospel gives more details about how Simon and Andrew met Jesus, but Mark is quick and focused. The sequence is simple: Jesus calls, they follow. This is the type of response disciples should have to the King of the kingdom. The key invitation is follow (deute) can also be translated as “come.” The word is primarily used in the New Testament for following Jesus (see 8:33). The way to make more disciples for Jesus begins with coming to him. He is the one who makes us fishermen. He is the source of strength and direction. The command is followed by a promise: “I will make you fishers of people.” Jesus gave a new definition to their life.
Simon and Andrew’s response in verse 18 was simple faith and obedience: they left everything and followed Jesus. This simple statement sets the paradigm for all disciples. It is illustrated further by Jesus calling James and John. It took great courage for these two brothers to leave their father Zebedee in the boat. Zebedee is only named in the New Testament for his relationship to Jame and John as their father. There is no clue of what ever happened to him or if he came to believe. Their mother became a believer in Jesus and was present at the empty tomb on Easter morning (Matthew 27:56).
What did these men see in Jesus that they would leave their livelyhoods and even families to follow Jesus? They obviously saw something in him that met a deep need of their lives. Jesus’ invitation comes to each of us: “Come, follow me.” His promised response will be unique to each of us. Not everyone is called to leave family and careers, but we are always confronted with the need to give all of who we are. The life of disciples is both radical and fulfilling of our deepest, often unspoken, needs. We were created to be followers of Jesus.
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