Aug '22
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Scripture
Mark 1:16-20
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
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Mark 2:13-17
Jesus Calls Levi
He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
And when Jesus heard it, he said to them “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
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Mark 3:13-19
The Twelve Apostles
And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.
He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Devotional
I spent a lot of time fishing when I was little. My mom loved being outdoors and almost every weekend you would find us curving our way over mountain trails to fresh alpine lakes. I loved watching my mom fish and marveled at how seamlessly she would cast her line over the glassy water. Watching her reel in a fish was like watching a well-rehearsed dance. There was a mutual push-and-pull; a respect for life and death as some came to shore, and some slipped away.
When I tried to fish, it was always a tragedy. Almost without fail, I would cast my line, and it would immediately become entangled. Instead of learning to dance with fish, I spent hours trying to untangle knots. Out of grace, my mom would occasionally cast for me so I could avoid the knots and practice reeling in. In my impatient excitement, I would inevitably reel too fast and never caught a fish. For years, I fished without gain and eventually, worn out by the game, stopped altogether.
The first summer my husband and I were married, we decided to go fishing together. We had struggled to find activities we could do together
with the injuries my body had sustained, and fishing was the most accessible outdoor activity we could come up with. For a while, it was the same old story. I would cast poorly, my line would become knotted and I’d spend the entire trip fighting a knot. After weeks of replay, I became frustrated and designated myself the “netter”. Whenever my husband caught a fish, I would grab the net, walk out into the lake, and help him land the catch.
I don’t know what changed, but one week, I decided to pick up my pole again, and bravely, I cast. The line didn’t knot and just like that, I was fishing. For weeks I practiced casting, trying different techniques, fishing poles and reels until the line knotting became an occasional nuisance rather than a guarantee. Throughout this period, I began to enjoy the silent slow pace of fishing. Since my accident, my nervous system was always going 110mph, and taking the time to sit, breathe, and cherish stillness was a gift. After 15 some years of fishing I caught my first fish, and it was exhilarating.
In Mark 1 Jesus calls his first disciples by inviting them to be fishers of men. If you’ve never fished before, you can deduct from my story that fishing isn’t an easy skill to learn. But spoiler alert, once you’ve made that first catch, the thrill of the next will always keep you going. As we investigate Jesus calling his disciples throughout Mark, we will learn four key takeaways about what it means to become a fisher of men.
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Mark 1:16-20
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
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Think back to the last time someone asked you to hang out. Before you said yes, you likely considered a variety of factors: did you have the time, energy, finances, and desire? In our hectic lives, it’s easy for one, if not all of these questions to come back as a “no” resulting in us pushing off plans indefinitely. In Mark 1:16-20 Jesus calls his first disciples and without hesitation, they respond. For us to accept Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, and join God in the glory of heaven someday, we must first be called. No one comes to the cross without Jesus first calling them by name.
I listened to a sermon by my church while preparing for this devotion and heard a hiking metaphor that really put who Jesus is into perspective. The hiking metaphor refers to life as a climb or a journey that you go on. It's the idea that you're always fighting and trudging along the trail until you reach the summit. In the sermon, they changed this dialogue with six simple words: “you were dead at the trailhead." Unless Jesus calls us to himself and we accept with radical faith, we face eternal death. We are dead at the trailhead. Unable to move or help ourselves until the Savior of the world bows down, picks up our corpse, and carries us to the summit.
Jesus called his first disciples with great intention. He chose Simon, Andrew, James, and John. He called them by name and claimed them as his own. And when they heard his call they didn't hesitate to drop everything and respond. They left behind their work, livelihood, families to respond to the call of God.
Friend, I ask you, how is God calling you today? How can you practice radical faith? Look to the shoreline, see Jesus' outstretched hand beckoning you to himself, and without hesitation, respond.
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Mark 2:13-17
Jesus Calls Levi
He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
And when Jesus heard it, he said to them “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
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Mark 1 taught us that Jesus calls his people. Mark 2 teaches us that Jesus calls sinners. Just as when Jesus called the first four, he saw Levi for who he was and called him his own.
We need to understand the historical context in which Levi was called. The old testament is filled with endless instructions from God about how his people can obtain spiritual and physical cleanliness. By the time Jesus walked among his people, these laws had been taken so far that those deemed unclean were actively avoided. Knowing this, you can only imagine the shock they felt when the Son of God started to call those deemed helpless to himself. People saw outward sin and condemned. God saw outward sin and healed.
Jesus explained it best when he said: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).
Have you ever gone to the doctor when you feel healthy? You go to your appointment, the doctor starts asking questions, and you sit there awkwardly as you slowly realize you don’t need their expertise. Comparatively, when we are sick or broken and seek medical attention, we are filled with gratitude for those who have been blessed with healing hands.
Jesus came to be the great physician. He saw his people broken, sick, defeated, and hopeless and he stepped in with his marvelous healing hands to provide life. He didn’t come for those who thought they were in prime spiritual and physical health, he came for those who knew they were sinners and were desperate for healing and hope.
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Mark 3:13-19
The Twelve Apostles
And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.
He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
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Once again, we see Jesus calling his disciples to himself. He saw the unique characteristics of these individuals, and knew they were the right fit for the work he had laid out for them. Out of knowing His children so deeply he gave them a calling more glorious than they could have imagined.
Friend, Jesus sees you. He knows you. He understands you. He meets you where you are at and calls you to be his. He calls you everyday and actively beckons you to choose him so he can set you to work for the Kingdom of God. God chose you to advance his kingdom!
Jesus appointing the twelve disciples, gives us insight on the last two clues as to what it means to be a fisher of men. Look at what Jesus tells them.
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Mark 3:14
And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.
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Jesus calls his people as sinners and invites them to preach His word and gain the authority to cast away demons. How’s that for a profound and God-glorifying calling?
My entire life I have desired one thing: to love and serve well. This is what God is inviting you into today. He sees you sitting in your lifeboat among the swells of life. He sees the pressures of your work, friends, family, and personal sins. And despite all of that, despite the worst things you have done, and ever will do, He has cast out his net and called you to shore.
Friend, you belong to a God who doesn’t need you but desires you. He desires you so much that he sent his son to die so that we could freely choose him.
Through God’s written word, you have all the tools you need to become a fisher of men. He’s already told you how to cast out your reel, wait in patience, and find joy in the process. If your line gets tangled like mine so often did, you have a kind and patient Father waiting to untangle it for you.
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Mark 16:14-20
The Great Commission
Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
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Let’s pray.
Prayer
Father,
You call us to be fishers of men. Your son walked this earth, cast out his net, and called your people to himself so that we might know you. The call you give us is profound. Choosing you, and choosing to follow your call in advancing the Kingdom, is the most important thing you will ever choose to do. No one, no thing is greater than you God!
May the words I have shared this day overflow with your truth. Father, I love you, I praise you, and I desire to serve you all the days of my life. I pray, that out of this desire you will use me to bring your children home.
We are aware that you do not need us. You created this world, you filled it with inherent goodness and made us in your image. You are all powerful, all knowing, all capable. We are weak and broken sinners. And yet, you call us to yourself. You call us out of a desire to know us, use us, and someday bring us home.
May we know you more every day Lord. When we hear your call, I pray that we will drop everything and pursue you at all costs. We are great because of You and You alone.
Bring your children hope and the courage to leave the boat and follow you.
In your glorious name, we pray,
Amen.
Bible Study
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When was a time you noticed God was unmistakably calling you to himself?
What was your response?
Did you follow with radical faith, hesitate, or perhaps even walk away out of fear?
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What obstacles are standing in your way of practicing radical faith?
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Consider the following Bible Verse.
2 Timothy 1:8-9
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…
How does the reality that God calls you not because he needs you, but because he desires you, change how you respond to his call?
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Go back and reread Mark 2:13-17. When Jesus called Levi he saw every sin he had ever made and ever would make. Jesus knew the worst parts of Levi and he still chose him.
Put yourself in Levi’s shoes. You are the sinner, looked down on by society, but offered salvation by God.
What sins are holding you to the taxpayer's table instead of joining the table of communion?
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In the book of Matthew sits a verse that should be terrifying to every Christian.
Matthew 7:21-23
True and False Disciples
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!’
My friend, if you do nothing else today, take the time to sit with this scripture and take it seriously. Your eternal life depends on it. When it comes to being a Christian, part-time or seasonal just isn’t enough. God is calling you and he wants all of you!
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