TO LIVE AS A DISCIPLES OF JESUS

Epiphany Third week
TO LIVE AS A DISCIPLES OF JESUS
Mark 1:14-20

The beginning of Jesus public life
The Four gospels in New Testament have its own character and one of them is the difference of the introduction. While Matthew and Luke gospels deal with Jesus’ birth story, John’s gospel the doctrine of Logos, Mark’s gospel the first written straightly begins with the sermon of John the Baptist. Mark’s gospel has rapid progressing. After dealing with John the Baptist, it directly delivers Jesus’ ministry.

Mark describes Jesus’ ministry as following. “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.”(14) Mark connected the beginning of Jesus’ ministry with the arrest of John the Baptist for John was the forerunner of Jesus. John the Baptist who was preaching in the desert expressed himself as following, “"After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” (7) The appearance of Jesus naturally brought John’s reflux.

Jesus’ work was to proclaim ‘the good news of God’. Why does Mark say ‘the good news of God’ instead of saying merely ‘good news’ or ‘the good news of Christ’? Mark thought Jesus’ message was not the thing came down from heaven transcendentally but established in the close connectivity between Israel’s histories. Saying a little detail, the good news of God that Jesus proclaimed has a same connection with the declaration of the second Isaiah. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’" (Isa. 52:7) Here good tidings signify rightly good news. Mark explains Jesus proclaims the good news that has handed over through Israel’s history from long ago.

If we say the good news Isaiah delivered and the good news of Jesus are same in the content then we may think Jesus also is nothing but a prophet like Isaiah. However it is not like that. As you experience in your daily life, the same word has differences according to who say that. The early Christianity community recognized Jesus as totally differently being after his resurrection. The acknowledged the event that happened to him was that of Messiah. By such conviction and faith all Jesus’ teaching and ministry in his public life, that was the good news, united with the good news of God. At that point Jesus’ proclaim to deliver the good news of God contains two meanings. The first is that his good news is rightly connected to Israel’s history. The second is that the good news of God and the good news of Christ are one.

To believe the good news of God, that is the good news of Christ is the reality of faith in which the early Christianity community are rooted. According to Mark’s gospel, Jesus proclaimed the good news of God with following content, "The time has come," he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’" (15) The good news of God that had proclaimed by Isaiah and other prophets now met the right time. ‘The time’ is rightly God’s hour. The time of salvation that had been prepared by God actualized in the earth through Jesus. Mark is writing his gospel in order to deliver the fact that all the people in the earth should believe Jesus.

Follow me
Then what does it practically signify to believe Jesus? This question is the same that of Jesus’ command “Repent and believe the good news!" practically pointing out. We can find out the answer from the scene that Jesus called his disciples. Mark explains it in verses 16-20 as follows.

Look at verses 16,17. “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’" Jesus’ public life began from the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee. Nobody knows why Jesus began his ministry from Galilee, the remote area instead of jumping into Jerusalem. Historically Galilean frequently took up arms against Rome. It meant Galilean the northern Israel had a strong nation consciousness and at the same time it might reveal their tough temperament. However, it would be better to make a base in Jerusalem if Jesus intended to establish the great thing of God. However, in my opinion Jesus didn’t have such intention from the beginning and so he began to teach the people in the Sea of Galilee, near to Nazareth his hometown.

As I explained earlier, Jesus told Simon and Andrew who was catching fish in the Sea of Galilee, “Follow me.” Just imagine the scene when he was calling them. When Jesus was walking through Galilee seashore, it might be a dawn. Mostly fishermen catch fish at night and return before dawning. In Luke 5:1-5, the parallel phrase of these verses, the scene is described more precisely. Jesus told Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Hearing his command Simon answered, “"Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." (Luke 5:1, 5). According to this conversation, it was dawn or early in the morning that Jesus visited the Sea of Galilee. At the very hour Simon’s brother returned to their home after finishing their fishing Jesus said to them, “Follow me.”

How can we understand such situation? The content gives us simple information and it is difficult to catch up the exact fact in what situation Jesus’ word came from. It is rightly deserved to hear, “You are mad” if you say to someone in first meeting, “Follow me.” Furthermore, if you consider Simon’s similar age to Jesus then we feel more difficult to understand situation. There is high possibility that Jesus already has known Simon. Jesus might consider Simon as his coworker. Jesus might often tell Simon to preach the good news together as the kingdom of God was near. Jesus’ request summarized in this sentence, “Follow me!”

Why did Jesus say to Simon’s brother, “Follow me”? The following sentence could be the answer, “I will make you fishers of men. “ (17b) During the last 2000 years, numerous people went out as missionaries based on this word. The expression, “I will make you fishers of men” is somewhat inflammatory expression. When we are passing by cloth shop there are calling people. They also are a sort of fishers of men. However, making others fishers of men doesn’t mean to pull others into own goal by force. Jesus’ word has a transcendent meaning beyond such level. This belongs to the movement of kingdom of God. It is to be collectively responsible to the movement of kingdom of God. It takes an initiative to serve the movement. If you understand Jesus word, to make you fishers of men, as a level merely to gathering people in church then it sounds awaked. Though such thing is also necessary but basically it is the movement of kingdom of God. Jesus requested it to Simon’s brother. “Let’s go together to serve the movement. Let’s get started the movement of preaching the good news that has found in Isaiah’s prophesy and has actualized in me.” Have you ever heard such calling? Have the entire your life ever faced such calling?

The disciples of Jesus
Simon’s brother was called by Jesus. As I pointed out before, they heard it not all of sudden in a certain early in the morning from a stranger. They might meet Jesus several times. Jesus became a great challenge to them. They thought again and again whether they would keep continue to do their fishing business or follow Jesus. Finally they got started to follow Jesus. Without giving any comment about their inner changes, Mark only described the result saying, “At once they left their nets and followed him.” (18) James son of Zebedee and his brother John also got started Jesus like them.

With what idea did the first four disciples of Jesus follow Jesus? They followed Jesus not because they willingly accepted Jesus’ word, “I will make you fishers of men” nor convinced Jesus as Messiah. They might have a spiritual thirstiness. There might be a spiritual spark ignited between Jesus and his disciples. The spark can be ignited even in young lovers. The author keeps silent about their spiritual experiences that made them to follow Jesus. So put aside this point and think of their action that limitedly revealed in the author’s report.

According to today’s content, two brothers followed Jesus by leaving their net. The scene of Disciples’ calling always overlaps with these two words, ‘follow’ and ‘leave’. They left their net and followed Jesus. Net was the instrument to maintain their life. Their daily life was composing of net, catching fish with it, arranging it and mending it. To be a Jesus’ disciple meant to begin with leaving what they thought important. They couldn’t follow Jesus by holding net in their hand.

At this point, I think, God is very fair. Man should choose either ‘hold’ net or ‘follow’ Jesus. Jesus’ epigram that man cannot serve money and God together also has the same meaning. Those who are deeply attached to self only are not able to experience real freedom. Those who are captured by self-righteousness cannot experience God’s favor. For us living as Jesus’ disciple means to leave a part of our life. I don’t know what you have to leave in your life. However, you surely may have something to leave. Especially those who made a decision to be Jesus’ disciple should deeply consider what you should leave. What is your net?

Then here is one thing to think carefully. When you leave something it doesn’t always mean to leave bad behavior and attitude. The more important point is that you sometimes should leave something good in your life. The thing in you that others recognize often becomes a critical hindrance to the movement of the kingdom of God and life movement. It can be my family or my carrier or my hobby and it varies according to person. You should judge what it is by yourself.

You may talk back on this point that the fishermen in the Bible would leave their net for they met Jesus directly but we are not under such situation. It is wrong. Consider the following question seriously. Did the fishermen know Jesus was Messiah? No. As I mentioned shortly earlier their decision was made without knowing the whole truth. Their meeting with Jesus itself was God’s grace for them. They accepted the grace without missing the opportunity. There might be many who received Jesus’ invitation, “Follow me!” However, they refused his grace of calling.

For us who are following Jesus still have many uncertain things. However, we are the people who put our fate to Jesus. If you have made such decision then live by following him step by step. Leaving what we have to leave selectively and you should enter into his life practically. Then the grace given to the disciple may overflow in your life.