Mark 1:14-20

Gospel according to Mark 1:14-20

“After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” As Jesus passed along the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for the were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As Jesus went a little further, he saw James, son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boats mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Reflections

As soon as John was arrested, Jesus’ public ministry began. For, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:3) –said John the Baptist from the beginning, predicting that as the purpose of his mission was near its end and Jesus’ mission was just beginning. John was to herald in something radically new, something even greater and more significant than what John alone could accomplish—God walking side by side his people on the road to salvation. “Repent and believe in the good news”—Jesus echoed the words of John the Baptist and launched his mission in Galilee.

According to the map, Jesus was about 10-12 hours walk away from his home toward the south and southeast from Nazareth when he was baptized by John in the River Jordan. Following the flow of the river, he went north, reaching the sea of Galilee, where he encountered fishermen in their boats. According to last week’s Gospel, the fishermen were Andrew, and his brother, Simon Peter. Andrew was a former disciple of John the Baptist. After following Jesus at John’s advice, Andrew spent an afternoon and evening with Jesus, listening to his words, and the following day he introduced his brother, Peter, to Jesus, saying “we found the Messiah!”

We know that Peter lived in Capernaum, at the northwest end of the Sea of Galilee, where he had a family and a mother-in-law. Capernaum was also about 10-12 hours walking distance north from where the river Jordan meets the Sea of Galilee. Thus, the first disciples were peaceful fishermen, far from home, working and listening to the words of the Prophet, John the Baptist, who told them to wait for an even greater messenger to appear. As they cast their nets in the sea of Galilee, hoping for a catch of fish, they probably were waiting and wondering when Jesus met them again the following day. At this precise moment, the two disciples were still doing what they did for a living; they were fishing. Jesus addressed them directly and called them to follow him. Since they already met Jesus earlier, listened to him, and believed that he was the one who John the Baptist identified as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” they immediately dropped what they were doing, and became his followers. “I will make you fishers of people,” Jesus said to them. His words were full of a miraculous promise and the hope of a mission. “Fishers” entirely suited to what they were doing already. However, “fishers of men” offered a ministry that would open a much higher and different dimension than they ever dreamed of. --They would be looking for people and working with people, instead of fish.

Going a little further, Jesus, Andrew, and Peter, saw another crew of fishermen. They were led by a senior member, Zebedee, who was in charge with his two sons, John, and James. They were mending the nets and getting them ready for the following day’s work with the help of hired men. In today’s eyes, the fact that James and John had their father with them, and that they had hired men working for them would indicate that they were commanding a substantially large boat or even a fleet of boats. Seeing the other two fishermen, Peter, and Andrew at the side of Jesus, and being in his presence, filled these two with a sense of wonder and awe. When Jesus called them directly, they immediately left their nets, and their father, who agreed to continue what needed to be done, and released his two sons to be free of the duties of fishermen, to become disciples. --“The sons of thunder” as Jesus affectionately referred to James and John. Their father, Zebedee, was generous and kind to immediately let them go.

The significance of the mission, the greatness of the task, and the immediacy of the call made the first disciples zealous to embark on a journey with Jesus that would take them far away from the shores of Galilee, far away from their parents, their families, and their homes. They went throughout Judea, parts of Perea and Samaria, eventually arrived at the center of the Roman Empire, Rome, and from there, their message reached the “ends of the world.”

From humble fishermen who were willing to listen and ready to follow, Jesus formed his disciples to be examples of people of good will and His representatives. The first and most important requirement for this position was to be willing to listen to His word. After that, the disciples observed Jesus’ actions. They learned from him and pondered everything that they came to see and to hear, until they could understand it not only rationally, but more importantly, until the message that was beyond their comprehension, became firmly rooted in their hearts and minds, and they could proclaim it with confidence in faith.

The nature of God’s mission was to use what was already available, and to shape it, train it, develop it, and refine it, until it can be put it to use in ways that were of a different quality and dimension. --Jesus formed his apostles. He ate with them, talked with them, walked with them, discussed with them, and explained to them everything that they had a hard time understanding. Jesus showed them how to be his followers by example.

The reading of today makes us reflect on the mission that is imparted to all people of goodwill today. By being willing to listen and look, being ready to be molded, refined, and transformed, we are promised to be able to follow the path that is based on what abilities we already possess, transformed to a new dimension.

When we are ready to become followers of Jesus--when we become entirely obedient to what we intuit through the voice of conscience—and we are in the position to ready ourselves for the mission, the task is presented, and the call is be clear: “Follow me!” –And, true to His promise, Jesus walks with us to the ends of the world.