And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. -- Mark 1:17-18

This text is a statement about a radical discipleship. It needs to be pointed out at the beginning that this reading is the most compact and compressed statement of the gospel expressed anywhere in the New Testament. Leonard Sweet points out, "In these few verses, Jesus' role as an authoritative, compelling, charismatic preacher is defined; the kernel of the gospel message is expressed; and drop-everything-discipleship -- the result of seeing Jesus and hearing his message -- is described." The word "immediately" captures our attention. Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James, and John, and immediately they left their nets and followed him. They abandoned their nets, their boats, and their livelihood. They walked away from their old life, their old ways of doing things, their kindred and family.

Taking A Risk

This is a radical and bold move on their part. Why? Why did they do it? It appears that their response is simply and exclusively based on the power of Jesus' personality and message. The call of Jesus is so strong in their lives that all of the encumbrances of their old lives are jettisoned -- their boats and nets, their families, their old life and old ways of doing things are abandoned. Immediately, they make this radical move in order to become disciples of this charismatic artisan-preacher. One must keep in mind that one of the purposes of Mark's gospel is to help us understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. This story by the Sea of Galilee is part of that story.

But, are they not taking a risk by following someone whose career appears rather shaky? This Jesus of Nazareth is radical, new, and different. He is preaching to the poor and the dispossessed in Galilee who cannot afford the price-of-living in Jerusalem. What are his career prospects? The chances appear rather clear that he will end up like his friend John the Baptist -- facing both prison and death.

These four fisherman seem to be taking a calculated risk by following a leader whose future is uncharted, uncertain, and unpredictable. They are forsaking a familiar past for a problematic and uncertain future. That's always a risky business, especially since they are abandoning such a secure career as Galilean fishermen. It was their father's business before them. It would be their children's after them. The Sea of Galilee had abundant fish. It was hard work. But it was good work. It could maintain for them a good, decent living as it had for their fathers and grandfathers and their families. Why would a person turn his back on something so secure? There appears to be only one answer: they believed Jesus' word to be true. They literally took him at his word when he declared, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15). They did so believe.

Belief Involves Action

The call of God in your life may not be as radical, but it can be just as meaningful, nevertheless. For you it may mean forsaking a familiar past for a problematic future -- like taking a new job, accepting a new position, moving to a new community, making a career change in mid-life. Life is always presenting us with moments and times of crisis and opportunity. Why did the disciples make such a bold move? They believed Jesus' word. They felt that what he said was true and trustworthy. Belief always involves action on our part. The disciples left their nets, boats, hired servants, and family to follow Jesus. The same is true for us. Our belief involves action on our part also. We can leave the old behind and begin again as new "creatures in Jesus Christ" because we too can take Jesus at his word. His word is trustworthy.

Now Jesus begins his public ministry. He comes preaching the gospel in Galilee, "Repent and believe in the good news." The time has now come for him to build his staff. Who are these men that he has chosen? They are simple folks, not from the schools and colleges, ecclesiastical centers or aristoc_esermonsracy, neither learned nor wealthy. They are fisherman who are used to hard work. They have strong backs, calloused hands, wind-burned cheeks, and sun-bleached hair. When God calls, people should not think so much about who they are, but about what Jesus can make of them. Not what is, but what can be. The Call To Discipleship

Notice how Jesus called them. He simply said, "Follow me!" It was a personal invitation of himself. They did not follow Jesus because of what he said, but because of who he was. The disciples perceived Jesus' invitation as one full of power and promise. The kingdom of God which Jesus has proclaimed as "at hand" is so vividly alive in him that his words bring that kingdom to life. The simple fishermen respond to Jesus' call to "follow me" as though they already felt the presence and pull of the kingdom. Leonard Sweet points out that Jesus' call is so strong, his invitation to new life as fishers of human hearts and souls so pressing and poignant, that they do not resist at all. The call is so forceful that the results are immediate and complete.

Notice where he called them. It was during a day's work while they were catching fish, hoisting sails, mending nets, and manning oars. The call came not in God's house, not in a secret place, not in a holy place. It came in a secular and public place. In the middle of a day's work "as Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee." Where do our deepest religious experiences take place? Not in the church but out-of-doors. In T.S. Eliot's "Murder in the Cathedral" the priest bars the doors of the great Church of Canterbury against would-be assailants. Thomas Ö Becket would not permit it. He shouted, "Unbar the doors. I will not have the house of prayer, the Church of Christ, the sanctuary turned into a fortress. The church shall be open, even to our enemies. Open the doors!" Another story goes that a church member, branded as a sinner, was forbidden to enter the church. He took his problem to the Lord in prayer. "Lord, they won't let me in because I am a sinner." The Lord answered, "I know how you feel. They won't let me in either." It seems that the church of Jesus Christ has become another secret-society organization.

Unlimited Possibilities

When Jesus called Simon and Andrew to "follow me" it was an invitation that called them out from their familiar paths, out from their fishing boats, into a world of unlimited possibilities. Recently, Percy Sutton, a distinguished lawyer from Harlem, spoke to our congregation. He called us out of our comfortable world of acquaintances and relationships. He told us that this should not be something we do just once a year on Human Relations Sunday. We need to broaden our world and get to know someone different than ourselves and share life together throughout the year.

Tom Seaver, the legendary baseball pitcher, once asked Yogi Berra, "What time is it?" Yogi replied, "Do you mean now?" There is an urgency about the gospel. Now is the time to serve the Lord. It is no longer business as usual or politics as usual or economics as usual because it is no longer life as usual. As one commentator of our time has observed, "In fact, life as usual is a big part of our problem. So why is it still religion as usual?" Look around. The whole world is changing. The Spirit is breaking out all over the place. New light is breaking forth in areas that never before gave even the slimmest signs of hope. Jesus, who said, "I am the light of the world," and is the source of both light and hope, says to us, "Follow me."

The Challenge To Follow Jesus

Are you willing to follow Jesus as he calls you into the community-at-large? What would that mean? It would mean as Jesus carried out his ministry in the world, so are we called into the world. He washed dusty and dirty feet. He fed the hungry and healed broken limbs. He opened sightless eyes, cleansed leprous skin, and cared for the homeless and forsaken.

Are we willing to follow Jesus into the work place? What would that mean? No more oppressive relations between employers and employees. No unjust labor practices. No sexual harassment. No gender discrimination. Are you willing to follow Jesus into the midst of your home? What would that mean? It would mean significant changes. More equality between husbands and wives. More shared responsibilities. Openness and honesty. It would be risky because it would bring an end to "life as usual." It would bring new direction, a new sense of purpose, along with understanding and hope.