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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
The Book of Acts Bible Studies
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
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Third Sunday After Epiphany (B) Text: Mark 1:14-20 January 25, 2009 Today we look at the story of Jesus’ “calling” of his first disciples: Simon (who would be called Peter), Andrew, James and John. There they were, these four fishermen, when Jesus “Passed by” the Sea of Galilee. And as he passed by, he called to them, “Come on! Follow me (or get in step behind me).” The telling of the story makes clear the fluid nature of the event. That is to say, Jesus was on the move and therefore these four young men had a decision to make… on the spot. “Do we stay where we are? Or do we follow Jesus?” The door of opportunity was open, but like so many opportunities in life—this door was (as the text says) “passing by.” Now, there is a lot of information or details of this story that we can only wish Mark had written down for us. For me, I always wonder what their relationship had been like… before this happened? How familiar had Jesus been to Simon, Andrew, James and John before they decided to follow him? The Bible doesn’t say. So, I guess we’ll just have to be content with what we do have. There are three things in the text that I would like to reflect on today: First, Jesus first chose his disciples. He says as much in the Gospel of John 15, “Remember, I chose you, you didn’t choose me.” This is an important truth for all of us to come to terms with—we don’t get to choose our own callings. That’s why they are called “callings.” They call to us. We only get to decide weather or not to follow where they lead—weather to walk through the doors that open up for us. This, again, was the position of the earliest disciples… Jesus called them… now, were they going to follow or not? That was the rub. The second thing I notice from this story is that with the call, Jesus also issued his disciples a promise—that he would make them become “fishers, not of fish, but of people.” This is also an important point for us to remember. When we choose to follow someone or something—we give that someone the power to change us. In the case of Jesus, following him, he promises, will change his disciples. For us, this is true also. The act of following Jesus will change who we are, what we do, what’s significant or important to us. And finally, the third thing that we learn from this Gospel story is this: These first four disciples gave up what they were doing in order to follow Jesus. This is what we call repentance—a change of direction. The apparent image of the story, signified by them getting out of their boats and dropping their nets, is that they couldn’t keep one foot in both doors as people often try to do. No, they left their boats and became disciples. This, is the important lesson for us—and no, I don’t take it to mean that we should all run out and quit our jobs Monday morning—but what it does mean, is that we should be ready to follow, which could mean making drastic changes in our lives—if or when the Lord calls us; that we should be ready, and paying attention to the doors that open for us! That we should be expecting the Lord’s call. That we should think of our selves as disciples! Ready to be led. Brothers and sisters, we profess to believe in a living God. I believe in a living God. I believe that the Holy Spirit still opens doors, beckons us to enter; that God still shows us pathways of righteousness, calls us, and wants us to follow. I think a problem that we face, to an extent, is that we’ve stopped thinking of ourselves as disciples… as followers. In fact, we live in an age of independence. So much so that the idea, the concept of being a “follower” has become a derogatory statement. What I see in this story is that Peter, Andrew, James and John wanted to become disciples/ followers. Not just for the sake of being followers, but for the sake of following Jesus. They believed in him. They believed that following him, would change them for the better. In fact, if you think about it, we belong to a religion of followers. Christianity, from the very beginning, is based on following. Even in the early church, after the crucifixion, the disciples were listening for a call and trying to follow it. Now, you very well may be a leader in you vocation, in fact I hope you are—out in the workforce, even in the Church we need good leadership—someone to make decisions and motivate others. But spiritually, when it comes to the deeper issues of identity and character and finding meaning in life; when it comes to issues of the soul…asking questions like, “Who am I and what’s truly important? How do I get my priorities straight? In this spiritual sense, without someone to follow, we are all adrift at sea —and this is why God has sent Jesus into the world and into our lives. We need to repent – to change directions—but which direction should we turn? That why we need someone to follow. We need an ambassador from God who will call us; show us what (or who) we are missing! Yet, as we look at our lives and how we could do better, “trying harder” is usually not the answer. No, the answer is always in returning to the Lord. For as Jesus said upon entering Galilee, “The kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe the good news… For like his initial disciples, you have been called. And like his initial disciples, Jesus promises to make something of you too! But again and again and again we need to be reminded of his gracious invitation. Come! Follow me. -------------------- Pastor Joshua W. Magyar 418 W. Main St. Sidney, MT 59270
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