Jesus Recruits Some Fishermen - 2 (Hunch 10)
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
In a Nutshell
Jesus picked the first students for His school. They lived near
to where He lived and some were relations.
Questions
What does 'follow after me' mean?
Jesus
knew His cousin John had put the hard word on them. They also knew why Jesus
had come. They chatted. Before John had been carted off to prison, they were
his students and he had pointed to Jesus “Follow
Him, He’s the One. Now I decrease and He must increase.” John's days
in prison were numbered.
Jesus
decided when to ask them to be His students. He seems to have started from
where John left off, but He asked them "eye-ball to eye-ball",
telling them He wanted them to be His students. He was preparing them for when
His work was complete. They would then be prepared to do what needed to be
done.
But
look again at the words Jesus used when He talked with the two fisherman who
had been John's disciples. John had told them Jesus was the One to follow.
John, out in the desert, had been the messenger preparing the way. Now, when
Jesus called them He reminded them of what John had said about Him. Jesus was
not only inviting them to join His school. He was telling them that they -
James, John, Peter and Andrew - would have important work to do for God's
Kingdom after the work of the Lamb of God was completed. John's work would be
finished before Jesus had done His! And they would do their work after Jesus
had completed the Messianic work His Heavenly Father had given to Him.
We
say now that Jesus confirmed the value of John's work. When Jesus invited these
fishermen to join His school, John's days were numbered, but they didn't know
what work lay ahead for their new Rabbi and they didn't know what lay ahead.
They would follow him - He would have to teach them what "following"
meant. Soon enough they would realise that Jesus was saying that if they
followed Him they would possibly end up like John in prison … on death row.
That could not have been easy for these former disciples of John. That is also
why Jesus went to them directly. Mark tells us they became students in Jesus'
school after He came and asked them to enrol. He didn't trick them. He didn't
argue. He didn't manipulate them. He said what He wanted of them. Would they do
what John had said to them and follow the One John had called the Lamb of God?
John
the Baptist, was son of Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin. Mary's sister was married to
Zebedee. So of Jesus' first four disciples, 2 were disciples of His second
cousin, and two were His cousins. These were the first to enrol in His school.