“THE SWORD OF GOD’S CALL"

Text: Mark 1: 16-20 ESV

16 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. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.†

THE STORY OF CALLING

Our last text ended with verse 15:

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

Jesus is simply making a pronouncement: no more waiting, now is the moment of decision. The calling of the first four disciples makes sense only in the light of this proclamation. Two sets of brothers, all fishermen, leave their nets to follow Jesus. Mark’s account of this is only four verses long, and very short on what we might consider significant detail, although he does supply details. We’re going to walk through the text and raise some questions. We’re going to hear what Mark wants us to hear, and see Jesus as Mark wants us to see him.

WALK-THROUGH THE TEXT

16 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. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

The first words matter. Passing alongside means that Jesus wasn’t preaching or teaching; he was just walking along where the fishermen were.It might help us to get a picture of what that world looked like. Here’s a photo of Capernaum today—a city in Galilee on the north shore of the lake: 

And here is an illustration from Biblical Archaeological Review of Capernaum at the time of Jesus:

It’s not a large town—never was—just a few docks and some fishing boats. It’s likely that the men fishing were sons of fishermen who were sons of fisherman. This was a society with little-to-no upward mobility. After your bar mitzvah, unless you were an extraordinary student who could go on to rabbinical training, you went to work for your father’s business.

Simon and Andrew are casting a net into the sea. They are either near to the shore in their boat or they are on dry land casting for the fish in the shallow water.

Jesus says, “Follow.” There is no preparation, no small talk, no sales pitch. They are not invited to follow, they are. . .well, told to follow. His call does not allow for questions or considerations; it is simply there to be obeyed or rejected. His call does not allow for gradualization. Jesus presents a call. It seems we are free to stick with our own world or leave all and join his.

The promise is that Jesus will grow the brothers into fishers of human beings. This does not make sense as an attractive offer, for what does it mean to catch people and why would that be better than catching fish, which can be eaten or sold for cash? This is not a pitch; perhaps Jesus is describing their destiny—one Jesus knows but of which they have no clue.

18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Here is a detail Mark wants to be sure we do not miss. They “left their nets,” which means they left their jobs, career, livelihoods, etc., and went with Jesus. Before we consider why, let’s look at the rest of the text:

19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

“A little farther” means just down the docks a bit. Here we have another set of brothers, James and John, whose father is mentioned twice, which is significant. Zebedee had several boats and hired hands—perhaps his company was a prominent fishing company and a name people all over Galilee would have known. Zebedee & Sons Fish, Inc., serving the greater Galilee metroplex since 120 BC.

Again, there are no conversations or negotiations. The text says that as the boys were mending their nets, Jesus immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired hands and followed Jesus. Again, there is no discussion, no time for consideration, no going home to say goodbye to Mom, no 24-hour-clock. They were called and had to act there and then.

And “had to act” may be accurate. There is a quality to the account that is utterly compulsive—Jesus calls, they immediately follow—what is going on here?

WHY DID THEY FOLLOW?

They follow Jesus, but why? Could it be that they knew him to be the Messiah and Son of God upon first sight? Not really, because the gospels are all unanimous on the score that the Disciples were fairly clueless as to who Jesus was  even until Pentecost. So it’s not likely that they saw him for who he was.

Some have tried to argue that to follow a rabbi like Jesus was the ancient equivalent of being offered a graduate degree at Harvard. The Disciples would have willingly left their nets because the invitation to follow would have meant an automatic raise in status and a guarantee of social mobility. This too is unlikely, because to our best knowledge, such advancement wasn’t possible. Had you been born a Levite, raised in a priestly family in Jerusalem, maybe, but for Galileans—let alone fisherman—your fate was pretty well sealed. so the social advancement theory falls flat.

Others have speculated that the fervor against Rome was so strong that something like a political, revolutionary spirit was afoot. The invitation to be “fishers of men” was a call to arms and an invitation to raise an army—one that could take back Israel from the Romans. The problem with this is that Jesus did not present himself as a general, but as a rabbi—a teacher—which doesn’t lend itself to militancy.

More significant is the chief irony in the middle of this entire passage: that Jesus is choosing his own disciples. This simply was not done. Rabbis waited for followers to do the choosing, afterwards and out of which they would select their elite disciples.

Jesus chose his own disciples, turning the entire accepted rabbinical practice upside-down. Other rabbis surely would have disapproved and even looked down upon his choice of common fishermen to be his  followers.

To the civilized world of scribes and Pharisees in Jerusalem, this looks  like the Bad News Bears or Revenge of the Nerds. Jesus isn’t picking the best of the best. These are not the A-Team candidates. Jesus’ choice required no examinations or personal inquiries. He just picks them. He knows, though no one else does.

And they simply follow. Like being drafted. It isn’t even far off the Marcan portrait to see this call as a Jedi mind trick—Jesus calls, they follow, no questions asked. This is the picture as Mark paints it.

Why do they follow? Because the Holy Spirit is now at work in the world through Jesus. Jesus calls them and the Holy Spirit works as only the Spirit can to move those men forward. I expect they all experienced it as a choice, though it seems the Holy Spirit is much more in control of the situation than they are.

THE SWORD OF GOD’S CALL

Zebedee could not have been very happy about losing his two sons to a passing rabbi, leaving him with just hired hands to run his fishing business.

We remember the text from Matthew 10:

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

For James and John, following Jesus meant sacrificing the family business. There can be no loyalty that gets in the way of our loyalty to Christ. Family comes second, not first. Only God can claim first loyalties, and nothing can be allowed in that space between us and him.

The calling comes to us as a choice, as a word that demands a verdict here and now. Elsewhere in scripture, others are called but do not follow. Hearing from Luke 9: 59-62:

To another Jesus said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 60 And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

It seems the calling is not irresistible for everyone, but it certain was for Simon, Andrew, James and John. When they were called they left everything—their entire lives—to follow Jesus, just like that.

HOW DIFFICULT IS THE CALL?

Jesus tells us the time is fulfilled and the kingdom is at hand—the good news goes forth and is immediately accompanied by the call to follow. Let’s talk about our responses.

Once we’re believers, the calling is easier to follow. We know the Lord’s voice and are eager to please him so we jump right in, but before we were believers, we probably wrestled with God quite a bit. Faith is only easy for the gifted.

The calling Jesus puts forth begins with “Repent, and believe in the good news of God.” Which is more than an invitation to change our way of thinking, for it calls us to jump in with both feet—to totally commit. That’s the hard part.

When I was a seminary student, at the end of our middler year—finals week—all of us were frazzled with stress. Papers were due, frightening final exams were lined up on our calendars, and we lived hour to hour preparing for tests and writing papers. One of my dear friends had been separated from his wife for the year, and here on the threshold of finals week, he says he has to leave and go back to Minneapolis to work things out.

“Are you crazy?” I asked, “It’s finals! You wanna have to take the whole semester over again? Why can’t you finish your finals and go home next weekend?”

He took a long, patient drag on his cigarette, blew out a blue cloud of smoke and calmly (and wisely) said to me, “Noel, this is just school. My wife is life.” And he left. [The marriage was saved, and still going strong after 34 years].

I think we all like the idea of following Jesus and being his followers, but what we aren’t so fond of is leaving our nets behind. The calling to follow Jesus is that sword that can divide us from mother or father, brother or sister. That sword cuts the umbilical cord attached to this world and its kingdoms in order that we can be freed to serve and love God first and foremost.

NO COMPROMISES ALLOWED

How different would the story be if Simon and Andrew had said, “Yes Lord, but can we please bring our nets with us?” Or what if Zebedee had said, “Please Lord, leave me my sons—I’ll give you twelve of my hired hands instead!” It just doesn’t work that way.

The sword of God’s call is a sharp blade that means to separate our hearts from worldly affections in order that we be fully devoted to Christ. I don’t think we like that.

•I’ll follow Jesus, but only if I can bring all my stuff with me.

•I’ll follow you Lord, but only if You can guarantee that I’ll be blessed back tenfold for my investment.

•I’ll follow you Lord, as long as I don’t have to make too many changes to myself, because I really love myself and have very healthy self-esteem.

•I’ll follow you Lord, but just a little bit at a time, please—I’m sure I’ll make my way over in time.

These are voices are out of my own head, but perhaps you feel them a bit as well.

The calling does not leave room for compromises, bargains, or special exceptions. The cost of discipleship is everything, nothing excluded. The invitation is not to a compromised or partial faith. We are expected to jump in with both feet and completely trust in God through Christ. Immediately.

The calling comes to us now. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been following for 40 years or more; there is only the constant now for us to act in. Jesus says “Follow” to you and me. You either feel the Holy Spirit drawing you, pulling you, compelling you, or you don’t.

Some of you are thinking, “Yes, Lord! Yes! I want you and I’ll do anything to follow!” Others may be thinking things like, “I’d like to follow, but I’ve got obligations and business to attend to—and don’t feel like I can leave my own life for God’s”

Jesus calls. As he named the destiny of Peter and Andrew—for they did become fishers of men—he names your destiny as well. He wants us to follow and become the one we cannot become by ourselves but only by his work within us. He wants to complete us. Today, this hour, this moment, is all that matters. There is no later, no maybe, no compromise. God is calling: what are you hearing in your heart? †