What force could be so powerful and so compelling that would prompt us to drop everything and leave the comfort and security of our homes? Sure, many of us have ventured out to pursue our dream. Maybe we went away to college; moved to advance our careers and get a fresh start elsewhere, or maybe we were summoned or inspired to serve our country in the military. It's not uncommon in today’s world in which greater opportunity and career development seem to be linked to "moving away."
Life is all about making choices which for the most part are made by weighing options and best case outcomes. But the idea that an unknown itinerant preacher and former carpenter could ask us to drop everything and follow him is inconceivable. Yet, that's precisely the scene that Luke 5:1-11 describes in his Gospel. Unfortunately, some of the details in the reading are few and there’s obviously a lot more we don't know than we do. But what we do know is that there was something compelling enough about Jesus and his message that inspired Simon, Andrew, James and John, to drop their nets, leave their boats and follow him.
What was so powerful in what Jesus' message that would compel us to change our lives so drastically? Could this happen in our time? Luke writes “And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Luke’s purposeful use of the word immediately suggests that something decidedly profound happened to them. They experienced an epiphany that immediately prompted them to follow Jesus.
It makes me wonder if profound changes in our faith, like spontaneous combustion, only happen suddenly? It's almost as if we are automatic pilot and all we need to do is to let go of the controls and say yes.
Luke’s sense of urgency leaves no room for “give me a few minutes. Let me pack my bag and make a few arrangements.” No… epiphanies are spontaneous. There's no preparation, no packing list, no recommendations as to what to take, no chance to get a second and a third opinion, in the hope that the impulse might pass. Sound familiar?
Karoline Lewis writes, “Jesus just happens. We have no time to think. Epiphanies are untamable, unpredictable. There is nothing comfortable about epiphanies. They rock your world. “Epiphanies, especially of the divine nature, demand an immediate response. There’s no invitation for contemplation or reflection but instantaneous commitment and risk. Or, to put it another way, no real choice... If the heavens are ripped apart, well then, get ready for a wild ride. This can be simultaneously freeing and terrifying. Free to respond in the moment. Terrified of what beyond the moment will unfold." (Working Preacher, January 18, 2015).
So, back to the question, could this happen in our time? Can we remember times when our own behavior surprised us and made us ask, where did that come from? Maybe this is what Luke wants us to think about.
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