Gospel
Mark 1:14-20
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
Reflection
This line stood out to me, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men”. It made me wonder, what are fishers of men, and what does this entail? When I reflected on this, I could see how being fishers of men is similar to becoming shepherds, just as Jesus leads and protects His sheep and the people of the Church the disciples followed Him to do the same. However, what stood out to me even more was that everyone stopped what they were doing, left, and indeed followed Him.
We don’t know each disciple’s individual reason why they dropped everything and followed Him. I am unsure if they had already heard Jesus preach and knew who He was, or if this was the first time seeing or hearing Him. Maybe they felt drawn by His presence and moved by the Holy Spirit, or perhaps they recognized His authenticity, something different from others who had come before Him. Regardless of their “why,” they all left and followed Him. That leads me to believe they saw something in Jesus and believed in His message and that there was something more, something greater. Certainly, it was due to grace that they all left to follow Him that day. It will never cease to amaze me, the faith they already seemed to possess before even really knowing Jesus.
I think this passage challenges us to consider our own response to Jesus’ call. Would we have the faith and trust to drop everything, leave behind our own "nets", our routines, securities, and attachments...and follow Him? Or would we hesitate, weighed down by doubt or fear of the unknown? The disciples’ immediate response is inspiring and shows the trust required to follow Jesus fully, even when the future is unclear.
Salve Alaina Lanik:
God bless you for writing. Thank you.
Three comments:
[1] You write that Simon and Andrew, James and John, once heard the call, they respond "immediately!"
Not so immediate!
There must be an incentive somewhere for them to follow the Lord.
[2] You compare "fishermen" and "shepherds." You said that they are similar. But how similiar?
It's better first to describe how they are different, then proceed to show how they are similar.
[3] "Fishers of men" sounds convoluted.
~ Simon, Andrew, James and John were fihsermen. Fishermen fish fish.
~ The Lord promised to make them "fishers of men" but His professional expertise is carpentry. He built chairs, tables, beds cabinets, barns and houses. Doesn't i…