B23-devotions

Read on / GOING DEEPER / APPLICATION / DISCIPLESHIP

Mark 1:16-20

Devotions for Monday 22nd February

When life is quiet, Lord, fill my mind with what is good;

And keep the enemy away from my thoughts and feelings.

When life is routine, Lord, give me the concentration I need

To pay attention to the detail of what I do, and honour You with my work.

When life becomes difficult, Lord, save me from panicking;

Help me to focus on You, and trust in Your spiritual guidance.

When life is horrendous, Lord, give me the courage to hold firmly to You;

Drawing from Your Spirit the energy I need to get through every trouble.

When life becomes easier, Lord, may I not forget You or Your love;

But remember Your faithfulness through good times and bad.

When life is quiet, Lord, fill my mind with what is good;

Keep me alert, and prepare me, in faith, for all that’s to come.

Prayer ideas

Pray for the body God has given you; praise Him for His gift, and ask for healing as necessary

On-going prayers

Pray for those who are growing old Pray about the problems faced by the elderly in your country, especially those who have no relatives
Give thanks for the gift of water and pray for those who supply it
Pray about the injustices you can see within your own country

This is a brief and powerful story about the calling of the first disciples. In the previous verses (1:9-14) we read a compelling summary of Jesus’ mission to announce the Kingdom and call people to repent. Jesus now had to chose people to accompany Him in His work. The story of Jesus’ calling of the first disciples is well known, but it demonstrates a significant point about how God works within His world. He wants to work with people, and he does this irrespective of human attitudes towards personality, general suitability and background. The people Jesus chose would not have figured strongly on most people’s list of candidates to begin a spiritual revolution.

Many sermons have been preached on this passage. However, we cannot read these words without recalling that the man who was called first, being Simon (later Peter), was the man who spoke out bravely and boldly only a few years later on the great day of Pentecost. He delivered a stunning sermon (Acts 2) that kick-started the church, and he guided these Christians through their earliest and most formative years. In addition, Simon Peter’s brother Andrew became the man who did more than most to introduce people to Jesus (see John 1:40, 6:8, 12:22), James became a prominent leader of the church, and John became the disciple who was possibly closest to Jesus during His life (John 21:7,20). This story reminds us that all four of them started out as country fishermen. Their lives may have been satisfying and interesting before they met Jesus, but without His call, all of them would have spent the rest of their lives doing the same work and being tied to the same family and social groups from which they came in Galilee. Yet because of Jesus’ call, they were used by God to change the world forever after Jesus died and was raised again. What happened to these four men has fascinated people ever since, and the story of their call to follow Jesus remains one of the most popular stories of the New Testament.

We only have the bare bones of this wonderful story; Mark has cut it right back to the minimum of information, just like the baptism of Jesus (as we find it in 1:9-11). Because of this, there is little we can say with any certainty about these four men, and we know nothing of their past except that they were fishermen. God’s choice can never subject to human scrutiny, especially where a special and unique work of God is at stake. Jesus’ choice of Peter, Andrew, James and John is the New Testament equivalent of God’s choice of Abraham in the Old. Abraham was chosen by God to be the forefather of Israel, though we know nothing about him to distinguish him from anyone else of his day (Genesis 11:31-12:3). It is nevertheless clear that God is precise and specific in His work and His call. We will never know if Jesus ever called others and they said ‘No’, because true history is always the record of what happened, not what might have been.

Note that the story of the calling of the first disciples is swift. Mark tells us that Simon and Andrew ‘left their nets immediately’ (1:18), and that James and John were called ‘straight away’ (1:20). Yesterday, we noticed the speed with which everything happened once Jesus was baptised, and there is no let up in the pace here! The task of saving the world was immediate and urgent. Jesus was not being cruel by asking these men to leave everything immediately; what Jesus wanted of them could not wait. God’s plan of salvation was His urgent response to sin and evil in the world.

Lastly, we should not think that Simon, Andrew, James and John, were simple people, merely driven by God’s Spirit to do what Jesus wanted. Each had individuality and character, and responded because they felt drawn by Jesus’ spiritual power and authority. The whole incident tells us that when God’s authority is met by positive human response, then God can work in power to bring salvation to our world.

Going Deeper

The Bible study goes deeper to look at these issues:

The meaning of, ‘Come, follow me ...’
Discipleship and doing work!
The response of the disciples

Almighty God, may we always be ready for the releasing of Your power through the Gospel. Give us a longing to see You work in our midst, and an expectation that great things will be achieved. Give us a heart to join with You in the Gospel work of salvation and deliverance, and the joy of Your presence as we work together in this great and Godly task. Thank You, Almighty God; AMEN

16 As Jesus passed by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 Jesus said to them, ‘Come and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ 18 They left their nets immediately, and followed Him. 19 When He had gone a little farther, He saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; they were in a boat mending the nets. 20 Jesus called them straight away, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired labourers and followed Him.

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