Mark 1:14-20
Amazingly, the great herald of the King is captured (Mark 1:14).
Jesus was able to prevent John’s imprisonment, but He did not.
Like Master, like servant. John’s suffering is significant for the way that Jesus Himself wants and must go.
Now that the herald has stepped down, the Announced Himself takes over the preaching work.
“The Kingdom of God has become accessible in Me. My actions and my words call for an answer: Repent and have faith in the Good News!”
Simon and Andrew are very radical in their response to Jesus’ preaching: they leave their work, family and homes behind and follow Him (Compare Luke 14:25-27). Jesus’ authority and radiance will have played a part in their radical choice. But it is also true that Jesus was no stranger to them.
They had both been disciples of John the Baptist (John 1:35-43). So they had heard about Jesus’s preaching and experienced, among other things, his baptism in the Jordan. The new meeting with Jesus will have made them very happy. They trust Him and follow Him in faith.
Jesus has a clear purpose in mind with their calling.
He wants to turn these fishermen into fishermen of people.
But catching people is very different from catching fish. You fish in the water to get better yourself. When fishing for people, however, it is not about improving the fisherman, but about the fish. Whoever comes to know Jesus as his or her personal Savior comes to life, comes to his destination as a person, starts to feel like a fish in water (Romans 5:18-21, Galatians 2:19,20).
God’s Son sees in Simon and Andrew and also in James and John what they are not yet: fishermen of men. But they will become. Jesus led his disciples in word and deed.
In God’s Kingdom, fish become fishermen. We are saved to save (Matthew 28:19). You are God’s tool. You may cast the net, God provides the catch (1 Corinthians 3:7).
Are you fishing?
Prayer suggestion:
▪︎ Ask God to help you touch the hearts of all those people you love and who do not follow Him (anymore).
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