The Calling of the First disciples

[NewCreation435]

I am doing a study right now in Mark and comparing Mark with Matthew, Luke and John. I looked in Mark 1:14-20 at the calling of Peter and Andrew and James and John. Matthew has a very similiar story about how they were fishing and Jesus came along and called them. Their response was immediate and they left what they had including James and John leaving their father and following Jesus.

Luke 5:1-11 adds the story that Jesus was preaching and Jesus borrowed Peter's boat for a period to use it as a platform to preach from. After Peter had been fishing all night and caught nothing Jesus tells him to let down the nets again. Peter does so and the caught is enormous. To the point it says that both boats begin to sink Luke 5:7. At this, Peter responded to Jesus "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Jesus tells him not to fear and that from now on they will be fishers of men.

So, I am wondering if you have any thoughts about why Peter's reaction to the large haul of fish was like this? I was thinking that perhaps it was several things including that he didn't really want at first to let down the nets because he was tired and frustrated after working all night for nothing. Perhaps also he had heard some things while Jesus was preaching that convicted him.

Any parallel lessons that we should apply to each one of us who are also called to believe in Him?

 

[tango]

I am doing a study right now in Mark and comparing Mark with Matthew, Luke and John. I looked in Mark 1:14-20 at the calling of Peter and Andrew and James and John. Matthew has a very similiar story about how they were fishing and Jesus came along and called them. Their response was immediate and they left what they had including James and John leaving their father and following Jesus.

Luke 5:1-11 adds the story that Jesus was preaching and Jesus borrowed Peter's boat for a period to use it as a platform to preach from. After Peter had been fishing all night and caught nothing Jesus tells him to let down the nets again. Peter does so and the caught is enormous. To the point it says that both boats begin to sink Luke 5:7. At this, Peter responded to Jesus "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Jesus tells him not to fear and that from now on they will be fishers of men.

So, I am wondering if you have any thoughts about why Peter's reaction to the large haul of fish was like this? I was thinking that perhaps it was several things including that he didn't really want at first to let down the nets because he was tired and frustrated after working all night for nothing. Perhaps also he had heard some things while Jesus was preaching that convicted him.

Any parallel lessons that we should apply to each one of us who are also called to believe in Him?

We were just looking at this in a church group recently.

The notion that the disciples left everything "at once" is the kind of thing that seems to encourage the kind of faith that has no basis, it's as if someone today walked by a taxi in stationary traffic and said "follow me", so the taxi driver literally just got out of his car and abandoned it, leaving the door open, the engine running, and a rather bemused passenger wondering if he was going to get to the airport at all.

Luke's story puts it in a much better context. Peter had been out fishing all night and caught nothing. Jesus borrowed his boat to preach to the crowds, then asked Peter to go back out to sea. Then came the casting down of the nets, which made no sense at all because if there was nothing catch at night there certainly wouldn't be anything to catch in the heat of the day, but Peter went ahead and did it anyway. He was then rewarded by seeing that small seed of faith turned into a demonstration of who Jesus was.

It's the difference between a blind faith with no basis in experience (and possibly no basis in reality), and a measured faith that knows Jesus is there and does what he says he will do. It's the kind of faith that addresses the question "what has Jesus done for me?" with a definitive answer rather than a vague answer based on little more than hearsay of what we think Jesus has probably done for Someone Else, Somewhere Else.

In many ways the letting down of the nets was a fairly minor inconvenience for Peter. He'd just finished cleaning them and if it all turned out to be a colossal waste of time he'd have to clean them again, but if anyone asked him what he thought he was doing fishing at the time everybody knew there was nothing to catch he arguably had an explanation that "this guy from out of town wanted to go fishing, I tried to tell him it was a waste of time but he insisted". From that first tiny step of faith we can see how Peter developed. It's a far cry from the people who seem to think that, based on nothing in particular, we should be the ones to take a stand and make bold proclamations and not leave any wiggle room. Maybe God does sometimes work like that but, since he encouraged Peter to start with a fairly small step, I don't see it as a big logical step to figure he's probably going to allow our own faith to grow at a speed that's right for us.

I think the lesson for us is to be willing to take the first step, as opposed to waiting for God to call us to take a big bold step when we're still wary of taking a small step.

 

[Lamb]

The immediate response of the disciples shows that they didn't take any time to "decide" to follow...they just did.

Peter's experience at fishing was something that got in his way initially of trusting Jesus. But then Jesus showed them that He would provide and Peter knew that he was someone sent from God. It was a foreshadowing of the people they would fish for Jesus, bringing them in with their "nets" filled. When Jesus told the disciples to come follow me, he then showed them that their following was not in vain, that He was somebody who needed to be followed.

 

[NewCreation435]

We were just looking at this in a church group recently.

The notion that the disciples left everything "at once" is the kind of thing that seems to encourage the kind of faith that has no basis, it's as if someone today walked by a taxi in stationary traffic and said "follow me", so the taxi driver literally just got out of his car and abandoned it, leaving the door open, the engine running, and a rather bemused passenger wondering if he was going to get to the airport at all.

Luke's story puts it in a much better context. Peter had been out fishing all night and caught nothing. Jesus borrowed his boat to preach to the crowds, then asked Peter to go back out to sea. Then came the casting down of the nets, which made no sense at all because if there was nothing catch at night there certainly wouldn't be anything to catch in the heat of the day, but Peter went ahead and did it anyway. He was then rewarded by seeing that small seed of faith turned into a demonstration of who Jesus was.

It's the difference between a blind faith with no basis in experience (and possibly no basis in reality), and a measured faith that knows Jesus is there and does what he says he will do. It's the kind of faith that addresses the question "what has Jesus done for me?" with a definitive answer rather than a vague answer based on little more than hearsay of what we think Jesus has probably done for Someone Else, Somewhere Else.

In many ways the letting down of the nets was a fairly minor inconvenience for Peter. He'd just finished cleaning them and if it all turned out to be a colossal waste of time he'd have to clean them again, but if anyone asked him what he thought he was doing fishing at the time everybody knew there was nothing to catch he arguably had an explanation that "this guy from out of town wanted to go fishing, I tried to tell him it was a waste of time but he insisted". From that first tiny step of faith we can see how Peter developed. It's a far cry from the people who seem to think that, based on nothing in particular, we should be the ones to take a stand and make bold proclamations and not leave any wiggle room. Maybe God does sometimes work like that but, since he encouraged Peter to start with a fairly small step, I don't see it as a big logical step to figure he's probably going to allow our own faith to grow at a speed that's right for us.

I think the lesson for us is to be willing to take the first step, as opposed to waiting for God to call us to take a big bold step when we're still wary of taking a small step.

It appears that Mark starts with the period after John had been taken into custody Mark 1:14. This would exclude at least the events from John 1-4 since John had not yet been taken into custody at that time. That means the disciples had already seen Jesus cleanse the temple once, spent the day with him John 1:35-39 and saw water turned into wine in John 2. Besides that, Peter and Andrew had both heard the testimony of John who called Jesus the Lamb of God. So, while it appears that it was blind faith if you take Mark's account alone it was not. I also don't think we are called to turn off the brains God gave us and not think for ourselves.

 

[Tigger]

All of the disciples were foreordained and with the power of God's word it's much like when Lazarus being raised from the dead.

 

[TurtleHare]

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, they follow me. John 10:27 This is the verse that came to mind for me when I was reading your post about the disciples being called and it makes sense that we who are his sheep will heed his voice and follow, immediately and that's not to say that there are those who resist following him because in the end I honestly believe that the sheep will all come into the fold because he calls them.

 

[Josiah]

The thing that strikes me about the 12 is..... what LOUSY choices they were. Not a single one that likely could win an election as dog catcher. Jesus COULD (just as easily) have chosen highly educated and respected rabbis or powerful politicians, or very influential public speakers or even a billionaire or two (just to fund things). Instead, we have this bunch of smelly fishermen, a wild-eyed zealot (think Isis), a hated tax collector, a teenage boy.... Very UNimpressive.

Is Jesus just REALLY bad at choosing people.....or is there a point here? To ME, perhaps one point is that Jesus looks for people not full of themselves, not leaning on their own stuff, people weak enough to be usable by Him? I often think of that miracle where Jesus gives sight to a man using a SPIT BALL..... yup, a SPIT BALL. I like it because I figure if Jesus can use a spit ball to perform miracles, maybe He can use me?


Pax Christi



- Josiah

 

[psalms 91]

I think that was the point Josiah, He says that He uses the foolish to confound the wise and I know that it is only Him that can do miracles and that if you claim any of His glory He will shut you down quick so yes, I think He wants humble people and He wants those who the world would say cannort be used