Mark 1:16-20. From Fishermen, to Fishers of Men

Scripture: Mark 1:16-20

"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 father, he saw Hames 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.”

Here we find, once again, the nature of Mark’s gospel, swiftly moving and bringing the essentials of the gospel forward. Here, we see very foundational truths for every Christian. We also find one of the greatest characteristics of Christ and His heart.

They were fishermen

So, imagine yourself minding your own business, working (I know it’s hard to imagine with this quarantine)  at your basic minimum wage job, barely getting by. Possibly having been turned down from going to the college that you desperately longed to attend. Maybe your dream job got shut down, you had just started in January and were excited to learn and finally start the job that you have always wanted, and now you’re stuck in a last-ditch effort to make money. Here, we find something similar. In the New Testament culture, fishermen were nothing special. These could have been viewed as your basic bank teller (not trying to be offensive), making a living, not noticed as something crazy significant. Yet, we find that there is even more significance in Christ calling these men.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was about 30 years old, it doesn’t give us an exact number, but it is still important. When a Jewish man was able to become a Rabbi, he would have been around thirty. So, like Rabbi’s, Jesus called disciples to him.

In Jewish culture, there was a process of becoming a disciple. In the early years, Jewish boys would go to school. Their primary “goal” in school was to memorize the first five books of the Bible (Also known as the Torah). Then, when it was time for the boy to take the test, the synagogue would determine if they should continue with Rabbi training or should go and learn their father’s trade. However, if the synagogue decided that the boy was good enough, the boy would continue onto the second “goal.” To memorize the entirety of the Old Testament (For them, it was all the scripture that they possessed). Similar testing would occur later, and they would either continue or have to make a last-ditch effort to learn their father’s trade. If they were accepted, they would be chosen by a Rabbi to then be the Rabbi’s disciple. They would follow them carefully, be taught, trained in the philosophies of the Rabbi, and if all went well, they would then become a Rabbi as well.

So, when we find that Jesus calls to these fishermen working with their father, the one’s that failed. These men, Simon and Andrew, were average workers, nothing special if anything rejects of the synagogue. Yet, Jesus, the Son of God, greater than any Rabbi ever could or would be, called them even though they weren’t that great. They were fishermen, working for their dad, yet Jesus told them that he would make them something more significant, fishers of men. There is so much more value in people than in animals.

They were called

One of my favorite parts about church traditions is recounting what had happened to the disciples after Christ ascended in Acts 1:6-11. There are many accounts of what happened to each of these disciples. Peter (called Simon in this passage) was brought up to be crucified, yet requested that he be crucified upside down so he wouldn’t be crucified the way Christ was. James was beheaded, Andrew was also crucified, requesting that he be crucified on an X-shaped cross because he felt unworthy to die like Christ. It’s interesting to think that these men/boys were living a life in their Father’s business, living in rejection, probably just following what the culture prescribes. Then out of the blue, it seems, this man who was rumored to be the Messiah comes along and calls for these men to leave their family and possessions, all to follow a man that could possibly not be who they thought he was. They left these things to serve the Son of God, the one that would bring about the greatest act of mercy ever known to man, ever known to God’s chosen people Israel. 

The Call

So, let’s come back to the illustration that I began this with. You have had to make a sacrifice in this trying time with COVID 19. Maybe you were so very close to working the job that you had only dreamed of. Now, you are stuck in a time of uncertainty, confusion, pain, maybe even regret. Understand this, we don’t follow the motto of this world. We aren’t swayed by the profession of employment, but the profession of our hearts, minds, and lives to follow Christ. To give up even the most profitable stature in life (if necessary) so that we can inherit something worth more than anything that this world has to offer. Jesus Christ, eternal life, and salvation from sin. When we have repented and believed in Christ, we don’t serve a dead-end job. We don’t even serve a profound career path, we serve the Son of God, the one that called us; Jesus calls a bunch of nobodies to make His name known. Now, either you will make His name known in this life, or you will make His name known when He says, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness (Matthew 7:21-23). Are you working for yourself? Or are you working for the Lord?