Episode 158: He’s still calling

March 06, 2024David Lambert
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Episode 158: He’s still calling

I like reading the Book of Acts because it tells us how people acted after Jesus had ascended to Heaven. They had to figure out how to relate to each other, how to do church, what was "Christian" and what was just somebody else’s idea of how church ought to be. But I also like reading the Gospels. because the writers were able to tell us how people responded to Jesus when He was right there with them. Sometimes I wonder if I would have responded the way each group did when confronted by the things Jesus did and said in those moments. Today's passage describes two of those responses. Let’s listen to it:

As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two fishermen, Simon and his brother Andrew, catching fish with a net. Jesus said to them, “Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people.” At once they left their nets and went with him. He went a little farther on and saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat getting their nets ready. As soon as Jesus saw them, he called them; they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went with Jesus. (Mark 1:16-20 International Children’s Bible)

In this passage we read that Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He wasn't just wandering aimlessly trying to figure out what to do next; He was intentional about calling followers. He saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew, and the Bible tells us that they were "catching fish with a net."  In other words, when Jesus called them, they were catching fish. I don't know about you, but when I'm out in a boat catching fish, I don't want to be interrupted and certainly not stopped, but Mark tells us that they left their nets "at once" and went with Jesus. He went a little further down the beach and saw two more brothers, James and John, in their boats, getting their nets ready. They were with their dad and some hired men. Mark tells us that as soon as Jesus called them, they left their father with the other mean and went with Jesus. I'm sure I was very young when I first heard Jesus calling me but I didn't leave everything to follow Him. When I finally knew I wanted to follow Him, I was much older and I could hardly think of anything else.

Think back. Where were you when you heard Jesus calling you to follow Him? Aren’t you glad he called you? I’m sure glad he called me. And today, He's still calling more and more people to follow Him. And that's such very Good News!

© 2024 David Lambert
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