Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45

The Call You Can’t Resist – Continued

Please read Mark 1:16-28 for the background to this section.

These are the very men that Jesus calls. The reference to “fishers of men” is not just a play on words, but an Old Testament expression about God gathering people for judgement. Jesus is simply stating:

“Now that I am here, it’s decision time. People must repent of their sins and turn to God, or else they will face God’s judgement. I am bringing in God’s kingdom, and I am calling people into it, and everyone will end up on the inside or the outside. You unpromising-looking fishermen are going to join Me in my mission.”

Five minutes later He says the same thing to James and John, busy on the annoyingly difficult task of mending their nets. He calls them to follow, these men, Simon and Andrew, James and John, who are impetuous, stormy, given to fits of rage, and lacking confidence; they offer a wide range of flawed personalities and a complete absence of academic qualifications, but Jesus simply but directly says, “Follow me.” Possibly not considering it, but the cost will be very high; they must abandon their sole means of livelihood and the only way of life they have ever known. Unless this wandering beachcomber is someone extremely special, what they are being asked to do is crazy. Yet when He speaks, they recognize the voice of authority, and they can’t resist the call.

Jesus takes them on to his next destination into Capernaum. This town is on the north shore of the lake; it may have been the home of the four fishermen. It’s a sizeable village, and Jesus makes it His base for operations around Galilee. The synagogue He entered on the Sabbath would have been the most prominent building in the village, probably the only one of any size. On this particular Sabbath, Jesus, along with the rest of the community, would be there, and it was not unusual for a visitor to be asked to speak at the appropriate point of the service, following the prayers and the readings from the Law and the Prophets. Mark doesn’t tell us exactly what Jesus says, but there can be little doubt that He speaks about the Kingdom of God; and He does so with authority. Luke describes a very similar occasion in Nazareth when Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah and calmly tells the people, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (see Luke 4:16-30).

Jesus certainly gets a reaction for they were astonished and amazed. The scribes, also known as  teachers of the law, were the ordained religious professionals and they are featured prominently in Mark’s Gospel where Jesus continually faces and confronts them. Originally, these men were simply copyists. Their job, long before the age of printing, was to write out the words of Scripture, creating new manuscripts to replace the ones which wore out, hence the name “scribe” applied to them. The only qualifications they needed were an eye for detail and clear handwriting. But as time went by, members of this profession became specialists in the law itself. They didn’t just write it out; they studied and learned it, and by the time of Jesus they were the acknowledged experts. That’s why the NIV translates the word for “scribe” as “teacher of the law.” Teaching was their job, and how they taught! Their technique with any question was to go back and quote the experts, and the way the experts had quoted other experts.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.