The Baptist had prepared men and women for the Christ. Now, Jesus was preaching to the world to believe in the Gospel. In the following verses we see how this began to affect those around Him. He would now begin to call a select few to follow Him. These would be the inner core; these would be the Fishers of men.
Mark 1:16 ( 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.
Jesus would not look for those who wore fancy robes to begin this movement. He would look towards just some common fishermen. He would find many of them along the Sea of Galilee. When compared to the rest of the world it would seem such a small place to start his ministry. The Sea of Galilee is only about 7 miles wide at some parts and only 13 miles long. It was known for its good fishing. It would also act like a central location for His ministry.
The first two men that He would call alongside of Him would be that of Simon (Peter), and Andrew his brother. This was not the first time they had met each other. In John 2:35-42 we know that Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist. John would point him to Jesus by calling Him, “The Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.” This caught Andrew’s attention and he would walk with Jesus for some time. In the midst of his excitement he had to tell someone about Jesus. Andrew would first of all introduce Jesus to his brother Simon.
For many of us the story has not changed. Quite often after we have been introduced to Jesus we cannot wait to tell our family about Him. We want those who are closest to us to get to know Him as well. Often we are discouraged by our family when they tell us they do not care or do not want to believe. Yet, what joy floods our soul when they follow Him.
Life had gone on since that meeting. They were already back to doing what they had done for a living, which was fishing the Sea of Galilee. They were fishing with their net probably close to shore. The fish may have been schooling and had come more to the shore line. I love to fish, but for these men, this was their life.
I have often thought Lord, why fishermen? I don’t know if I still have the answer or not. I know this to be true, like Warren Weirsbe stated, “Fishermen worked together and were known for their patience, energy, and stamina.” They also with this trade understood the ups and downs of life better than most of us do. These men would have lives that would be marked by these things. Jesus would now call them to work alongside of Him.
Mark 1:17 ( ESV )
The words that Jesus now shared with these men were just a simple command. Yet, these few words would forever change these men and their lives. He did not beg them. He just simply said, “Follow me.” Literally, He was saying, “Get behind me and act as a disciple of mine.’ This would take an act of humility on their part. What is even wilder is when we realize that prophets called people to follow God, not them. Jesus though looks at these men and says, “Follow me.”
He was going to make them into fishers of men, but first of all, before He says this, He tells them, “and I will make you become..” This was not something that they would immediately overnight possess. There is a process in us becoming followers. We do not become fishers of men by just snapping our fingers. He must do a work within us. This is a work that would take our Lord and Master over 3 and a half years while He was here on earth. When we disciple someone we must realize that it is a never ending work and maturity comes through the Holy Spirit alone. This I do know, He has promised to continue to do His good work within us. He will equip us for the ministry that He has for us.
In the O.T. so often we would read symbolically about fishermen in a negative sense of the word as it dealt with the judgment of God. Here in this passage being fishers of men is an encouraging statement. We are called to reach out to the lost and dying of this world. There is no greater joy then to see souls that come to Jesus. What is even more awesome is realizing that our God wants us to be a part of that good work.
Mark 1:18 ( ESV )
No questions asked. Jesus had called them to follow and they immediately did as they were told. They did not wait, debate or event think about it they were called and they would GO. One of my favorite songs of all time was written by Steven Curtis Chapman when he said these words, “We will abandon it all for the sake of the call, No other reason at all but for the sake of the call. Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call.”
Why would they leave their jobs? Why would they leave it all on the shores of Galilee? It was not because of some religion instead they would follow the God man. Not religion but a person who would become their whole focus in life. O, that we would allow our God to touch our hearts in this way. We will follow. We will obey no matter what. We follow the God who created the stars in the sky and everything around us.
Mark 1:19 ( ESV )
19And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.
The next two people Jesus would call to follow him would be just a little further away from Andrew and Peter. Jesus would now see another set of brothers by the name of James and John. These two were according to Luke 5:7-10 partners with Peter and Andrew. Later on because of their zeal they would be called, “The sons of thunder.” Yet, Jesus would change them as well to where later on John would be known as the beloved apostle. He would also be known as the apostle who spoke of the love of God.
Please don’t miss the last part of this verse as to what these men were doing. They were mending their nets. This was a very tedious work that had to be done on a daily basis after they had fished. They would mend their nets so that they could be used for a future date. The picture here is of two men who are just going on with their normal life when Jesus would call them into a life of sacrifice and service.
Mark 1:20 ( ESV )
20And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
When Jesus saw them He immediately called them to follow Him as well. They would follow Him without delay. The pleasure of reading about these men is that their walks with Him, were above all the first and most important thing in their lives.
They left their father Zebedee to follow after Jesus. I believe that they loved their Father. I also believe that they loved their Lord even more. Remember what Jesus would later on say, “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.” They did not leave him totally alone as they left him in the boat with the hired servants. The main issue here is that we are to love our Lord even more than we do our own family and loved ones.
These men are marked as those who would follow. They are marked as men who would leave all they had in this world to follow after Him. He was their life. He was their number one priority. He was their God. They would be His fishermen.
 |
| Oh Yes, I have more pictures. |
 |
| Well maybe, I don't have more pictures. |
No comments:
Post a Comment