I will make you Fishers of Men

 

What force could be so strong  and so compelling that would make us drop everything and leave home? Sure, many of us have left our homes as part of a plan to pursue our dreams. Maybe we went away to college, leaving our family and  friends behind; maybe we moved to advance our careers or change our lives 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 are linked to mobility. It seems like only yesterday that this trend in upward mobility was introduced in the book, "The Greening of America."

We all make choices in our lives. But the idea that an unknown itinerant preacher and former carpenter, talking about the kingdom of God, could ask us to drop everything and follow him is inconceivable. That's essentially the scene that Mark1:14-20 describes. Unfortunately the details in Mark’s Gospel 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 prompted these four initially, Simon, Andrew, James and John, to follow him, to become his disciples, students of this teacher and servants of his mission.

What could be so powerful a message in what Jesus said that would compel us to change our lives so drastically? Could this happen in our time?  Mark writes “And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Mark's use of the word immediately suggests that something happened to them, in them. They experienced an epiphany that suddenly prompted them to follow Jesus. I wonder if profound changes in our faith can only happen suddenly? Are they planned or studied or God's working in us has nothing to do with our plans? It's almost as if we are on automatic pilot and all we have to do is to let go of the controls and say yes.

Mark’s sense of urgency, i.e., "immediately,"  leaves bo room for “wait a few minutes. Let me pack my bag and make a few arrangements.” No -- epiphanies just happen. No preparation. No packing list. No recommendations of what to take, what to do. 

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 those  times when our behavior surprised us and made us ask, where did that come from? Maybe this is what Mark wants us to think about.