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Mark 1:14-20

Fishers of Men

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Mark 1:14-20

Fishers of Men

By Dr. Philip W. McLarty

If you’re following the liturgical cycle with us from Sunday to Sunday, you know that we celebrated the baptism of Jesus last week. This week we hear how he called his first disciples. My hope is before you leave today you’ll think about how God is at work in your life calling you to follow Jesus and be a part of his kingdom on earth. The text begins, “Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.'” (1:14-15)

The first key to understanding this text is to take seriously the arrest of John the Baptist. We know that John and Jesus were related, probably cousins. What we suspect is that John’s arrest may have been the catalyst that propelled Jesus to start his ministry. Only, while John preached a message of doom and gloom, Jesus proclaimed the Good News of God’s kingdom on earth, a kingdom of love and grace and forgiveness and hope. In Luke’s gospel, he says,

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives,
recovering of sight to the blind,
to deliver those who are crushed,
and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
(Luke 4:18- 19)

So, when John was arrested Jesus laid the tools of his trade and went to Capernaum, where he called his disciples and started his ministry. Mark says,

“Passing along by the sea of Galilee,

he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simoncasting a net into the sea,for they were fishermen.Jesus said to them,

‘Come after me,

and I will make you into fishers for men.'” (1:16-17)

Now, on the surface, it sounds so simple: Jesus walked up to two total strangers, called to them, and they walked away from it all – their old way of life, their livelihood, their friends and family.

Charles Page, a minister and archeologist in Israel for offers a different perspective. The way he sees it, Jesus grew up in Nazareth and, when he was old enough, he apprenticed with his father as a builder in the nearby Roman capital of Sepphoris. When he wasn’t working, he ventured out on his own to explore his surroundings and make friends his own age.

And what better place to meet people than Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee? It’s only about fifteen miles from Nazareth; plus, it was on the main crossroad connecting two major north-south trade routes – the King’s Highway to the east with the Via Maris to the west.

It was like living near an Interstate highway as compared to living in the boondocks.

So, it’s altogether possible that Jesus went over to the Sea of Galilee periodically and met other young men who, like himself, had ideas and aspirations for their lives. Perhaps they camped out together, or maybe they went fishing. And, while they were together, they talked and shared their hopes and dreams for the future, as well as their faith and understanding of life.

It wouldn’t be hard to imagine that, as Jesus talked about his relationship to God and his vision of God’s kingdom on earth, these other young men realized that Jesus was more than a stone mason; that there was something special about him, something that demanded their allegiance.

So that when Jesus got word that Herod had arrested John the Baptist, he took it as a sign that it was now up to him to pick up the mantle and proclaim God’s Word. So, he went to Capernaum to the cove where Simon and Andrew and James and John kept their boats, and he said, “It’s time. The kingdom is at hand. Let’s go. Follow me.”

In this sense, Simon, Andrew, James and John were not strangers, but friends, and Jesus’ call was something they’d known was coming for a long time.

Well, it’s only a theory. You can take it for what it’s worth. But thinking of how Jesus may have called his disciples in this way opens the door for us to consider how God is calling to us today.

For example, God’s call usually comes about gradually over a long period of time. Most often, it’s something you’ve thought about and talked about with others. You may have even given it a trial run like going on a mission trip or doing a summer internship or serving as a volunteer.

Every once in a while you hear of people like the Apostle Paul, who had a blinding light experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), but, for the most part, God’s call comes more quietly, more gradually, more subtle than that. If that’s the case, could it be that God is at work in your life today tugging at your heart, pricking your conscience, nagging you to do something special, to be the person God is calling you to be?

God’s call often comes slowly, over time. It also comes to common ordinary people – people like these young Galilean fishermen – people like you and me.

You’d think that if Jesus intended to usher in the kingdom of God on earth, he would’ve gone straight to the Temple and asked the chief priests and scribes to help him; that he would have gotten the blessings of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council.

But no, he went first to Galilean fishermen, who had no formal religious training or social standing. Why John was probably no more than a teenager at the time! And, if go on to study the lives of all twelve disciples, you’ll find that none of them – not one – had what we would call the “right stuff” to lead a movement that would eventually turn the world upside down.

Then and now, the truth is God calls the most unlikely folks to be the church, the body of Christ in the world today, not those who are particularly gifted. Remember what Paul wrote to the Corinthians? He said,

“For you see your calling, brothers,

that not many are wise according to the flesh,

not many mighty, and not many noble;

but God chose the foolish things of the world

that he might put to shame those who are wise.

 God chose the weak things of the world…

and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised…

that no flesh should boast before God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

God calls common, ordinary people to do his bidding, but in order to answer God’s call, you have to be willing to put him first.

What do you think was the first thing that went through Peter’s mind when Jesus said, “Come, follow me”? I can imagine him thinking to himself, “Who’s going to take care of my boat?” Or, “How am I going to make a living?” Or, “What in the world am I going to tell my wife?”

These are practical questions, and everyone who’s ever answered God’s call in a particular way has asked them. You wouldn’t honest if you didn’t.

But if Peter was worried about his boat, just think of James and John. In order to follow Jesus, they had to leave their father, Zebedee, behind. They worked together with him every since they were kids. What do you think was painted on the transom of the boat but, “Zebedee and Sons”?

Seriously, hanging out with Jesus was one thing, but leaving your father and going off to preach the gospel? This is heady stuff. Yet, that’s what Christ demands if we’re to follow him. He said,

“He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me;
and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37)

And,

“No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back,
is fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

In order to answer God’s call, you have to be willing to put him first, and that usually involves making some tough decisions. The promise is when we say yes to God’s call, the most amazing things happen.

The story is told of a woman named Sarah who’d just graduated from seminary. She was seeking her first call, hoping for a young and growing suburban church. Instead, she accepted a call from an old, declining church in the inner city.

Right off, she began to wonder if this was God’s will. Her congregation was made up of mostly older women. At her first session meeting she told the elders, “I have a gift for working with children.” One of them replied, “Well, you won’t find many children around here.”

Weeks and months went by as Sarah agonized and prayed and cried, “What am I doing here? God, why did you call me to this place?”

One day she noticed a string of children walking by the church on their way home from school. “God, show me the way to reach these children,” she prayed. Later in the week, she was visiting one of her members, a woman named Mable, who had been inactive for a long time. At they talked she found out that, in her younger years, Mable had been a vaudeville pianist. “Josen, Durante … you name ’em, I’ve played right with the best of them,” she said

“Do you still play?” Sarah asked.

“No, but that doesn’t mean I can’t!” she said, as she flexed her old, arthritic fingers.

“Would you be willing to play the piano in the Fellowship Hall next Wednesday afternoon?” Sarah asked.

“Wednesday? Sure,” she said, “If you don’t think those old biddies up there will run us off!”

“Oh, I think they’ll enjoy it,” Sarah said. “Let’s make it about 2:30, three o’clock.”

The following Wednesday afternoon, Sarah had a couple of men open the double doors to the front of the Fellowship Hall. It was an entrance facing the street with a large covered porch which hadn’t been used in years. They rolled the old piano out on the porch and Mable began to play. The children were just getting out of school, and, as they passed by on the sidewalk, they were struck by the sight of this old woman playing boogie-woogie and ragtime piano. They gathered around. Some of the other women had prepared cookies and lemonade which the children eagerly accepted.

During a break in the music, Sarah introduced Mable and the other women to the children. Then she told them a story about Jesus and his disciples and wondered what kind of music they enjoyed? The children munched on their cookies and drank their lemonade and listened politely. Mable played a few more tunes, including a jazzed-up version of “Jesus Loves Me,” and the children went on their way. Sarah invited them back next Wednesday. “Same time, same place,” she said. The children waved as they disappeared around the corner.

The next Wednesday, Mable, Sarah, the other women and the children gathered on the porch of Fellowship Hall for cookies, lemonade and ragtime music. In time, they moved indoors. Before long, some of the children showed up on Sunday morning. They brought their parents. Mable did a soulful version of “Precious Lord” for an offertory. Slowly, the old church breathed new life. There was music and laughter and warmth and love they hadn’t experienced in years. And every Sunday, as Sarah stepped to the pulpit to begin her sermon, she’d survey the faces of the older people and all the young children, and she’d pray silently, “Thank you, Lord.”

God calls ordinary folks – folks like you and me – to be the church, the body of Christ in the world today. God doesn’t necessarily choose those who are particularly gifted, capable are made of the “right stuff.” God calls the unlikely – fisherman like Simon and Andrew, James and John, a minister named Sarah, a man named Steve, a woman named Rosalie, and he says, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”

So, what do you say? I pray that you’ll have the courage to answer, with Isaiah, “Here I am. Send me!”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Copyright 2006, Philip W. McLarty.  Used by permission.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible.