Mark 1
Mark 1
The Calling of the First Disciples
14After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
16As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18At once they left their nets and followed him.
19When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
As we enter into Mark’s Gospel, which is earliest gospel written, probably sometime between 60-70 A.D. (just 35-40 years after Jesus rose from the dead!), we see right away that Mark doesn’t waste any time getting into the purpose of Jesus’ mission. There are no long genealogies like Matthew, explaining Jesus lineage, or Luke’s historical details. Mark is the by far the shortest gospel with 16 chapters. (Matthew 28, Luke 24, John 21)
As we see in Mark 1:14, Jesus’ principle purpose was to proclaim or make known the Good News of the Kingdom. His message was God’s Kingdom (God’s rule or reign) had come near. Although Jesus proclaimed the Good News, he also called for a response to this Good News. It was, “Repent and believe!”
“Repent” is a key word that is often misunderstood! But repentance is a non-negotiable part of the message of the Good News. The word comes from the Greek word, “metanoia”, and it means to have a “change of mind”. But the key thing is that this metanoia is not just an intellectual matter, but followed by action, “follow me”.
We see the response of the disciples as they, “left their nets and followed him”. This was no small response, as their “nets” represented their livelihood and provision for their families. It also meant for James and John leaving their father, Zededee. In a highly patriarchal culture this was no small deal. Their repentance involved completely putting their trust in Jesus, and leaving their livelihood and family to follow Him.
Have you left your nets to follow Jesus? Would be willing to follow Jesus if it meant dropping your net? I think their nets represented their security and trust in themselves for provision. God calls all of us to seek Him first and promises that as we trust Him with our whole lives that He will provide for us.
Prayer: God just like you called the first disciples, you call us to drop our nets and follow you. Help us to drop our reliance on self and turn to you to provide for our needs. As we trust in you we know you will provide the adventure of a lifetime! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Calling of the First Disciples
14After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
16As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18At once they left their nets and followed him.
19When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
As we enter into Mark’s Gospel, which is earliest gospel written, probably sometime between 60-70 A.D. (just 35-40 years after Jesus rose from the dead!), we see right away that Mark doesn’t waste any time getting into the purpose of Jesus’ mission. There are no long genealogies like Matthew, explaining Jesus lineage, or Luke’s historical details. Mark is the by far the shortest gospel with 16 chapters. (Matthew 28, Luke 24, John 21)
As we see in Mark 1:14, Jesus’ principle purpose was to proclaim or make known the Good News of the Kingdom. His message was God’s Kingdom (God’s rule or reign) had come near. Although Jesus proclaimed the Good News, he also called for a response to this Good News. It was, “Repent and believe!”
“Repent” is a key word that is often misunderstood! But repentance is a non-negotiable part of the message of the Good News. The word comes from the Greek word, “metanoia”, and it means to have a “change of mind”. But the key thing is that this metanoia is not just an intellectual matter, but followed by action, “follow me”.
We see the response of the disciples as they, “left their nets and followed him”. This was no small response, as their “nets” represented their livelihood and provision for their families. It also meant for James and John leaving their father, Zededee. In a highly patriarchal culture this was no small deal. Their repentance involved completely putting their trust in Jesus, and leaving their livelihood and family to follow Him.
Have you left your nets to follow Jesus? Would be willing to follow Jesus if it meant dropping your net? I think their nets represented their security and trust in themselves for provision. God calls all of us to seek Him first and promises that as we trust Him with our whole lives that He will provide for us.
Prayer: God just like you called the first disciples, you call us to drop our nets and follow you. Help us to drop our reliance on self and turn to you to provide for our needs. As we trust in you we know you will provide the adventure of a lifetime! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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