Jesus now comes to invite the first four of the group of disciples, as
they became known, to go with him. These four are all fishermen, two sets of
brothers, and Jesus uses the analogy of catching people. What is fascinating,
and perhaps challenging, is that there is no hesitancy of the part of these
first followers. They go with him immediately, and that, right from the
beginning, says a great deal about the charismatic leadership that we are going
to discover as we walk the roads and lanes of Galilee and beyond with Jesus and
the loyal group who identify with him.
This does not, of course, mean that all will be easy, nor that all will always be well. Leith Fisher (Will you follow me?) notes that challenges and difficulties lie ahead – “As the story of the disciples’ life with Jesus unfolds, we will see many painful birthpangs on the way to the establishing of the new order – following Jesus is not instant heaven. …. The story depicts the call to discipleship with stunning simplicity; it is on the way itself that the implications of the call will deepen and unfold.”
James and John would appear to come from a comparatively wealthy family, as we are informed that their father, Zebedee, remained in the boat with the hired men. Perhaps it was not too big a risk to leave home, family and work, at least for a while. We can be less certain as to whether that applied to Simon and Andrew. However, in both cases, they surely left a hole in the family business, and we might assume that this would not be welcome. However, there is no recorded indication of any second thoughts or anyone trying to persuade them to reconsider.
Whatever we are not told, meeting Jesus was a transforming moment in their lives. This may well raise questions about how we respond to God’s call, and just what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in our day.
However, we might also note that Jesus does not appear to have done anything to persuade them. He simply invites them to go with him; and, unhesitatingly, they accept.
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