Monday 30 November 2009

Background

This passage demonstrates people's proper response to God'srule. The one whom God called (Jesus) now calls others (thedisciples) who will advance his mission.

Jesus' call to leave profession and family was radical, the sort ofdemand that only the most radical teacher would make. Early Greekand Jewish traditions assumed that disciples were responsible foracquiring their own teachers, whereas the more radical teachers,like Jesus, sometimes even rejected prospective disciples (Matthew19:21-22).

Jesus therefore, in seeking out disciples himself, may represent aserious breach of the custom, but it also represents Jesus'servant-leadership as he socially 'came down' to the level of thedisciples.

The calling of the first disciples takes on a special meaning inthis passage. Instead of the rebukes that John the Baptist issuedto religious leaders who came to him (Matthew 3:7-16) itis a positive injunction that Jesus addresses to lay people as theyare at their workplace - fishing and preparing their nets. He askedthem to follow him in order to become religious leaders.

To Ponder

What do you think was the disciples' motivationfor following Jesus?

Many people say, "I'd abandon everything if Jesusasked me to, but he has not asked me to." What do you consider tobe God's method of speaking to us?

The disciples James and John abandoned not onlythe boat which represented their livelihood, but also their fatherand the family business. In a society where teachers normallystressed no higher responsibility than honour thy parents,including economic responsibility for them, to what extent was thisa scandalous act?