At once they left the net and followed him. (Mark 1:18)
Yesterday I suggested illusively that in Mark 1: 18, the key point is “following”, but it has a dialectic relationship with “leaving”. The person, who had experienced his spiritual salvation through following Jesus, had no choice except giving up extra things. And what does it mean by leaving something in here in details?
While we are following description of the text, first of all, Simon brothers left their net. The net was a tool to make a living for them. Giving up their net by which they used to fish everyday means that they gave up their basic way of living in this world. In here it sounds a little bit strange to us. Even though there must be charisma in Jesus, isn’t it strange that they gave up everything to follow the person whom they met for the first time and who seemed to be in the same age as they were. I think I have mentioned before. Probably this could not be the first encounter between Jesus and Simon brothers. For a certain time, they might know each other, and Simon brothers could make up their minds to leave home just like Jesus. The Bible just likes to pay attention to Messianic character in Jesus, so that it does not say what happened in details. But we should think about what happened exactly while reading the Bible. Our expectation is not decisive for our faith, but definitely a literary imagination is required in order to read the Bible texts more vividly.
We can’t help asking a fundamental question in here. Was it a good thing for Simon brothers to give up the net? Even though we can’t figure out exact situation in details, the net might be a lifeline for Simon brothers, having tears and sweats for their life. Regarding Simon brothers having abandoned the precious net for a living, they did not seem to have a family to support or they did not have any desire to support family. Even though it must be very valuable to follow Jesus, abandoning family relationship like this did not look appropriate.
After today’s text, according to verse 30, there comes the incident that Simon’s mother-in-law had fever. It might be more serious problem for a married person to give up his net. And then is it possible to think like this? The description in the Bible that they gave up the net and followed Jesus could not mean literally abandoning family relationship, but it could be a loose kind of leaving home. What about this? Just in some special occasions like visiting Jerusalem in Passover, they might follow Jesus, and in other times they could stay at home to do routines. You could forget about this, because there is no any foundation for this kind of my imagination. Anyway, whether it means definitely leaving home or loosely leaving home, it is clear that Simon brothers transferred from family community to Nazareth Jesus community. The author of the Gospel might describe that situation as leaving the net to follow Jesus.
We cannot follow Jesus by the way of leaving home, because we are not in the same position as the disciples, and we don’t have to do it. But we should remember that they had abandoned their net. From old order to new one, from earthly order to heavenly one, from family community to Jesus community, they had moved the center stage of their life. For this nobody could describe precisely what we should give up in details. It should be decided on his own. Only it is a problem that only you could decide and choose for yourself. This is a decisive moment only between you and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, help us to live as a person who has moved our living into Nazareth Jesus community. Amen!
Yesterday I suggested illusively that in Mark 1: 18, the key point is “following”, but it has a dialectic relationship with “leaving”. The person, who had experienced his spiritual salvation through following Jesus, had no choice except giving up extra things. And what does it mean by leaving something in here in details?
While we are following description of the text, first of all, Simon brothers left their net. The net was a tool to make a living for them. Giving up their net by which they used to fish everyday means that they gave up their basic way of living in this world. In here it sounds a little bit strange to us. Even though there must be charisma in Jesus, isn’t it strange that they gave up everything to follow the person whom they met for the first time and who seemed to be in the same age as they were. I think I have mentioned before. Probably this could not be the first encounter between Jesus and Simon brothers. For a certain time, they might know each other, and Simon brothers could make up their minds to leave home just like Jesus. The Bible just likes to pay attention to Messianic character in Jesus, so that it does not say what happened in details. But we should think about what happened exactly while reading the Bible. Our expectation is not decisive for our faith, but definitely a literary imagination is required in order to read the Bible texts more vividly.
We can’t help asking a fundamental question in here. Was it a good thing for Simon brothers to give up the net? Even though we can’t figure out exact situation in details, the net might be a lifeline for Simon brothers, having tears and sweats for their life. Regarding Simon brothers having abandoned the precious net for a living, they did not seem to have a family to support or they did not have any desire to support family. Even though it must be very valuable to follow Jesus, abandoning family relationship like this did not look appropriate.
After today’s text, according to verse 30, there comes the incident that Simon’s mother-in-law had fever. It might be more serious problem for a married person to give up his net. And then is it possible to think like this? The description in the Bible that they gave up the net and followed Jesus could not mean literally abandoning family relationship, but it could be a loose kind of leaving home. What about this? Just in some special occasions like visiting Jerusalem in Passover, they might follow Jesus, and in other times they could stay at home to do routines. You could forget about this, because there is no any foundation for this kind of my imagination. Anyway, whether it means definitely leaving home or loosely leaving home, it is clear that Simon brothers transferred from family community to Nazareth Jesus community. The author of the Gospel might describe that situation as leaving the net to follow Jesus.
We cannot follow Jesus by the way of leaving home, because we are not in the same position as the disciples, and we don’t have to do it. But we should remember that they had abandoned their net. From old order to new one, from earthly order to heavenly one, from family community to Jesus community, they had moved the center stage of their life. For this nobody could describe precisely what we should give up in details. It should be decided on his own. Only it is a problem that only you could decide and choose for yourself. This is a decisive moment only between you and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, help us to live as a person who has moved our living into Nazareth Jesus community. Amen!
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