Mark 1:16-20

Introduction

I remember going to water slide parks with friends during my middle school years. There was a lot I loved about those trips. I loved the speed and the drops and the thrills.

But I also remember the line. As we climbed the stairs, waiting our turn, we observed the slide we were about to go down. We'd watch other kids catch air. We'd laugh when someone lost control and began flailing around on the slide.

But, mostly, we'd take note of the adventure we were about to go on. We'd talk about the drops and turns and tunnels we were most looking forward to. There it was, right there in front of us. There was the slide. We could see it. We were about to head on down.

Imagine though, being magically placed at the slide's entrance without any chance ahead of time to observe where the it would take you, how long the journey would be, or what kinds of twists, turns, and bumps would come along the way.

This is more akin to the calling of Jesus upon our lives. We will see this in our passage today.

Jesus' Invitation

As a reminder, Jesus had come along and declared:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

This was a major statement in that day, partly because John the Baptist had first burst onto the scene declaring the kingdom was at hand (Matthew 3:2), but also because Jesus grabbed the word gospel for himself and his purposes. In those days, Rome went around preaching a gospel or good news of the empire, and the Caesar said he was the son of God who brought this kingdom. Pax Romana, the peace Rome espoused to bring, was heralded as the good news humanity needed.

Now Jesus comes along and declares he has the real good news, the real gospel. And it is the good news that God's kingdom, not Caesar's, is at hand. Jesus, the true Son of God, has brought this gospel. People can repent and believe in this good news. They can turn from their previously determined course and follow his.

Mark's Explanation

But after making such a statement, after giving such an invitation, the reader of Mark's gospel is left to wonder: how does one repent and believe in this gospel, this good news? What does this journey in the kingdom of God look like? How do I turn around and head in his direction?

For such questions, Mark inserts Jesus' calling of four of his disciples. Without much detail, without great explanation, without showing them every twist and turn of the water slide, Jesus will say, Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.

In other words, the details came later. The first step, and it is continually the primary step, is to follow Jesus. He, then, will take his disciples, and you, wherever he pleases as he turns us into kingdom builders who fish for people, or bring others into the kingdom.

Today's Plan

You see, Mark isn't interested in giving us a few insights into how these four disciples were called. He doesn't want us walking away saying, "How great for Simon, Andrew, James, and John."

No! He wants us to see these four men as a template for every one of us who would like to join Jesus and his kingdom. This is why he placed their story right here. Their call is our call. They turned from the direction they were heading in and followed him. We are expected to do the same. If we want the kingdom, we will pivot and follow Christ. We will hear his call. We will become his apprentices.

So our plan for today is to first uncover the scene. Who were these men? What were they leaving? Was this their first encounter with Jesus?

Then we will consider Jesus' invitation. Why was it unique? What was his aim? How would they have understood his call?

After that we will think about the benefits of following Jesus.

Let's read:

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 Scene

Galilee

Now we come to the location which the first half of Mark's book centers around, the Sea of Galilee (16). In those days, and sometimes in the Bible, it was also referred to as the Sea of Tiberias, the Lake or Sea of Gennesaret, or the Sea of Chinnereth. It is a warm water lake about 7 miles wide and 13 miles long. It is not a higher elevation lake, but is actually about 700 feet below sea level, and about 20 miles inland from the Mediterranean in northern Israel. Fed from the waters of the Jordan and run off from nearby Mount Hermon, the lake had a thriving fishing industry.

If you look it up on Google Maps, you'll discover it has a 4.5 star rating. Lots of people still like it today. Last week, a reviewer named Doug gave it 5 stars and said, "Went out on a boat, had a nice spiritual moment; boat owner is a famous rap artist."

So it is a very real place. Remember it, because it will serve as the geographical center of Jesus' ministry in the book of Mark.

Four Fishermen

One day, as he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw brothers, Simon and Andrew (16). They were fishermen in the midst of their work day, casting a net into the sea (16). This particular net would have been circular, with small weights attached to the rim. Thrown like a disk into the water, as it descended it would trap all the fish beneath it. With a pull string, the fisherman could bring it to shore or into the boat, and, along with it, all the fish. So Jesus first called this set of brothers.

Then Jesus went along further and called another set of brothers, sons of a man named Zebedee; they were called James and John (19). They were also fishermen in the midst of their workday. Luke tells us they were partners with Simon and Andrew (Luke 5:10). As they mended their nets, perhaps preparing them for casting, Jesus called them (19). Immediately, both sets of brothers left their work and followed Jesus (18, 20).

We'll consider this in future studies, but these four would become an inner circle to Jesus. Every time all 12 disciples are listed, these four are mentioned first.

And the first among them is Simon. He is widely regarded as the one who fed this information to Mark in the first place. We know him as Peter, which means Rock. It's a nickname Jesus gave to him (John 1:42). In Mark's gospel, Peter is called Simon until chapter 3, and then only one more time for the rest of the book. Mostly, he will be called Peter.

But notice how Jesus calls these four men while they worked. They were not trying to figure out their future. They likely weren't even disgruntled with their prospects in life. As business owners engaged in the fishing industry of Galilee, they were firmly fixed in the middle class of that time. They hadn't decided, I think I'll pursue life as a disciple.

But, right there in the midst of their grown-man careers, Jesus called them. He snatched them from what they were doing so they could follow him. He still does the same today.

Previous encounters

Now, as readers we might think this a shocking event. There Jesus is, walking by the sea, and he selects four men and calls them to drop everything and follow him. And they do! How powerful!

And, yes, there is force to it, but John's gospel tells us these men had listened to, considered, and spoken with Jesus already at this point (see John 1:35-42). They'd had time getting to know Jesus a bit. He had ministered in other areas and they'd even interviewed him prior to this meeting.

I mention this because it fits our situation and reality more closely. We know Jesus. We know about Jesus. But he then walks upon the shores of our lives and invites us to follow him. It isn't some jarring invitation without any pretext. We know who he is. Will we follow him?

The Invitation

Jesus Pursues

With all that said, let's consider Jesus' invitation. It is very straightforward and simple: Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men (17). You could also condense the invitation further. The second part is his promise, but their part is to simply follow him.

Now, in those days there were teachers throughout Israel called rabbis. Some were more popular than others. And when a pupil found themselves drawn to a particular rabbi and his line of teaching, they would devote themselves to him. Disciples in those days chose their rabbi.

So when Jesus comes along, the greatest rabbi of all time, and begins choosing his disciples, it stood out as an interesting development. And he would continue on with this method. Later, though the masses were drawn to him and many followed his teachings, Jesus would choose only 12 to be his disciples. For various reasons, he limited the number he would personally develop and pour into.

Torah vs. A Person

But the other interesting development is what Jesus called them to do. He wanted them to follow him. In those days, a disciple would follow the rabbi's teaching, which meant they were to follow the rabbi's teaching of the Torah, the Law of Moses. In other words, the goal of the rabbi was to connect each disciple to the Torah. But when Jesus came along, he uttered something new. He wanted his disciples to connect to himself.

This is actually a major Christological claim. If anyone else were to ask for such allegiance, we would be appalled. It would be outrageous for anyone to stand up and say, in effect, Everyone else, all the other rabbis, want you to follow the Torah. But I want you to instead follow me. Leave everything. Abandon all. And come after me. It's an insane ask -- unless the asker is the Son of God. And, remember, this is how the book of Mark began:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1)

Their Understanding

But how would these men have understood Jesus' request to follow him? I mean, if a teacher or leader said this to us today, we would hardly leave our careers to spend night and day with them. No coach or CEO or spiritual leader, after inviting someone to follow them, expects that person to pack a sleeping bag. Clearly, though, this is exactly how the disciples took Jesus' call. Why?

Well, in those days, to be a disciple of a rabbi meant you would:

  • be with the rabbi,
  • imitate the rabbi,
  • and do what the rabbi did.

It was training. It was discipleship. It was like an apprenticeship, where the methodologies, skills, and thoughts of the master became the student's. They became like their rabbi. This is the invitation gave them. Let's consider it...

1. Be With Jesus

First, we are called to be with Jesus. This is exactly what the first disciples did. They followed Jesus everywhere. They travelled with him, listened to his teachings, and watched his miracles. They talked with him, dined with him, and prayed with him.

There is something about this that's so appealing to me. I mean, we live in a frenetic world. Time is our precious commodity, and it feels like we barely have any of it. I know it's not uncommon for me to go weeks or months without real contact with my closest friends. Life is like an all-consuming ball of fire, and what it consumes is our time.

But what we see in the disciples are men who broke away and gave their time to Jesus. Tons of it. It just sounds amazing to me. The things which competed for their time and energy were neglected in place of following Jesus.

And, today, we also are called to be with Jesus. This will require an understanding of the spiritual dimension, because you must walk by faith and not sight if you want to spend time with Jesus today (1 Corinthians 5:7). He is no longer here in the flesh. We can't touch him. Unlike the original disciples, we can't sit by the campfire listening to Jesus.

Instead, through silence and solitude, prayer and fasting, sabbath and study, we must spend time with Jesus. We must, in a very real way, sense his closeness when we open our Bibles or our mouths in prayer. We must set aside time in our days and weeks to simply be with Jesus.

Sometimes Christians call time alone with Jesus devotions. But, if you think about it, everyone has devotions. We are all devoted to someone or something. The question isn't whether or not your having devotions, but if your devotion is pointed to Jesus.

2. Imitate Jesus

Second, we are called to imitate Jesus. As apprentices of Jesus, the first disciples watched his life with the goal of imitation. They imitated the life of their rabbi. His attitudes towards money or the Bible or the sick became their attitudes. They watched the way he forgave. They watched his meekness and humility. They watched how he interacted with women. They watched him stand up to religiosity and oppressive worldviews. They saw him pray and fast and extend mercy. And they sought to imitate his way of life.

When he taught about the good Samaritan, they would have immediately thought Jesus was the one most like that man. They knew he was the bullseye for which they now needed to aim.

We too are called to imitate Jesus. When we see Jesus walking in step with his Father, it means we are meant to be a people in constant relationship with our Father. When we witness his compassion and mercy, it means our inner attitudes are to give way to his. We are to weep for the world as he wept. And when we see his hunger and thirst for holiness combined with his utter disgust for hypocrisy, we too should pursue a consistency between our beliefs and our lifestyle.

3. Do What Jesus Did

Third, and finally, we are called to do what Jesus did. This was the process ancient disciples went through. They would be with their rabbi. Imitate their rabbi. And then they would go out and replicate their rabbi's life and work.

And isn't that exactly what the disciples of Christ did? After his departure, they joined him on his mission and let their lives become little replicas of his. They went out preaching the kingdom. They made it their aim to reach the lost. They helped the sick and hurting. We will even discover them going out and exhibiting power over the demonic realm, acting like Jesus. And everywhere disenfranchised, hurting people existed, the church went. Like water finds the lowest point, so these original disciples found the places and people thirsty for the message of Jesus.

We are called to this life. We are called to launch out into ministry with Jesus. For a rare few, their full-time work will be gospel work. But for the vast majority of us, we are to live the disciple life in our careers and families and friendships and communities. We are meant to go out and help hurting children, serve the sick, minister to the forgotten, and proclaim the good news of Jesus to all. We are meant to fish for people, to expand the kingdom.

Disciple vs. Christian

We have somehow allowed ourselves to divorce the word disciple from the word Christian. We often identify as Christians. This is fine. Permissible. But in Scripture, the church is rarely referred to as Christian. Instead, the Bible often refers to Jesus' followers as disciples.

We are to be Jesus' apprentices! We are meant to sit at Jesus' feet and learn his ways, going out into our world by the power of Christ imitating Christ. With this perspective it is easy to conclude: what the world needs is not more Christians, but more disciples, more apprentices of Jesus. More followers of Christ who have been with him, imitated him, and do what he did.

The Benefits

Alright, let's conclude by thinking about the benefits of saying yes to Jesus' call into apprenticeship. It can, after all, feel like a hard road and ominous journey to follow Jesus.

And Jesus adds to this feeling with his various invitations throughout Mark and the other gospels. We will see some of these invitations as we pass through this book (Mark 8:34-35, 10:29-30).

And some of his invitations can be kind of intimidating. But is this how we're meant to feel? Well, Jesus will also indicate that when we lose our lives for him, we end up finding our lives. Jesus will indicate that great blessing comes from following him.

We will study those invitations and their corresponding blessings when we get to them, but right here, in the original call of these four fishermen, we have three great benefits of the disciple life.

1. Significance

The first benefit is that of significance. Our world, especially the part of it living under the gloom of the theory of naturalistic evolution, struggles to find meaning in life. If we are merely the most random and impossible of accidents, then what is the point to life? Many theories abound. Some of which have enabled people to live fairly happy lives.

But Jesus came along and asked these fishermen to leave their business and follow him so they could become fishers of men. He gave their lives meaning and significance by giving them a chance to make to bring people into his everlasting kingdom. And, of course, the time came when these men who had cast their nets into the Sea of Galilee would cast evangelistic nets into the sea of humanity. Peter, notably, did this ten days after Jesus went back to heaven, and thousands of people believed!

He gave them, and us, significance. As the church, our lives are to be aimed at kingdom expansion. We are to long for, pray for, and work towards the evangelization of the nations. Like fishermen want fish in the boat, we want people in the kingdom!

2. Direction

The second benefit is that of direction. Open Twitter or Instagram or Facebook for a few minutes and you'll be bombarded with countless opinions on how to live your life. Parents and professors, friends and colleagues all seem to have a take on what life should look like.

And the options seems endless. To me, this is stressful.

But Jesus comes along and breaks through all the confusion and voices and simply says, Follow me. Not yourself. Not others. Not society. Just follow me. To me, the weight just rolls off my back. What does Jesus say? What does Jesus think? How does Jesus want me to build my life? I feel like I've just waited my whole life for someone to come along and say, this is how you do life. Now, here's Jesus. He gives us direction.

3. Transformation

The third benefit is that of personal transformation. Notice how Jesus said to these men, I will make you become fishers of men. I will make you become. He would do the work. He would turn them into disciples who made disciples. He would make them into kingdom expanding people. Slowly, over time, and through a process, Jesus made these rough-edged fishermen into world changing apostles.

And this is a massive difference between Jesus and the rabbis of his day. They could not bring true, inner transformation to their followers. But Jesus came along and paved the way for God's transformative power to be unleashed in our lives. His Spirit comes to live inside all who believe in him, and he seeks to transform us from the inside out.

“The Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

When you embark on this journey with Jesus, when you truly follow him, he remakes you into his image. You become like him. He transforms you.

The Decision

Both sets of brothers immediately left their businesses and follow Jesus (18, 20).

At this point, I could highlight many things. I could highlight how they left their careers. I could focus on the fact James and John (and likely Peter and Andrew) left family. I could try to demonstrate this is a decision we must make once for all, but also every day of our lives.

Instead, though, I want to close by pointing out one simple thing: This was the best decision of their entire lives. Yes, it changed everything. I'm sure there were moments they doubted they'd made the right call. But decades later, with massive fruit and changed lives in their wake, they would've confessed they made the best decision. They would've pointed to this moment as the turning point towards all that was good in their existence. They would have remembered that day as the one they departed Caesar's kingdom and came into God's.

They became true partners with each other and apprentices of Jesus that day! Nothing would ever be the same.

I pray that we also would decide to follow him.

Applications

1. See him as your Savior, but also your example.

2. Give him every day by giving him a portion of each day.

3. See prayer, fasting, solitude, and study as ways to be with Jesus.

4. Ask, "How would Jesus think?"

5. Be open to him rearranging your life.

6. Tell him you'll follow him.