To Be Called by Christ

Scripture: Mark 1: 14-20

How does one start following Jesus?

If I were to ask you how you became a Christian, what would the story look like?

“Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of many theologians who have thought deeply about the immediacy with which the first disciples heeded the call to discipleship. (Though he was commenting on Mark 2.14, the sentiment remains the same for our text.) Some of those thoughts are shared in The Cost of Discipleship, which was published in 1937 and serves as a call to repentance as the Nazi regime’s ideological influence and power was becoming more and more overt. Struck by the fact that we are not given any rhyme or reason to the psychological state of the disciples as they turn to follow Jesus, Bonhoeffer lays it all on the authority of the one who issues the call: “This encounter is a testimony to the absolute, direct, and unaccountable authority of Jesus.” (https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2024-01-15/mark-114-20-4/)

Did you have a moment of epiphany, where all was clear, you saw the light and knew to trust in Jesus? That may be the case. Or, was your journey to becoming and identifying as a Christian a more gradual journey. Your family always attended Church, you went to Sunday School and learned about God. At some point you came to realization of what this meant in your life and decided with your head and your heart to follow in the way of Jesus. To become a Christian.

I identify with the second of these. In fact there was a period in my life where I wasn’t sure and part of my growing closer to God occurred while not attending church very often in my late teens. I had been baptized and had affirmed my faith, all things we ask people to do, but there was something I felt I still needed to explore. Perhaps I needed to know what my life was like without the church in order to appreciate all that it offered and all that I could offer.

If you read Mark’s gospel, it appears like a call to follow Jesus is an instant thing. Jesus calls, you answer. That’s just how it works. That’s what happens with the brothers Simon and Andrew and a few sentences later it happens with the brothers James and John. Jesus calls, they answer. These four men were actively engaged in their livelihood when Jesus called. They left the fishing nets on the boat and started following Jesus. Jesus tells them they will now be fishers of people.

Why follow Jesus? What was he offering? At this point Jesus is a nobody travelling preacher. Scott Hoezee puts it this way, “Fishing had been the source of their livelihood up to that time.  Was Jesus promising them a more lucrative way to make money? That seems unlikely. Jesus did not look like someone who offered riches. But maybe he did look like someone who offered these men a chance to bring people into that kingdom whose nearness Jesus had been talking about ever since arriving in Galilee. And maybe the thought of reeling folks in to that better place was just intriguing enough as to have been part of what motivated these men to start modeling their lives on the life of the man whom they did not previously know but who seemed to believe in a future greater than could be imagined in that present moment.” (Scott Hoezee – https://cep.calvinseminary.edu/sermon-starters/epiphany-3b-3/?type=the_lectionary_gospel)

Perhaps Jesus knew this about these men and had sought them out because of it. Perhaps the conversation was longer than is recorded in Mark. Ultimately, we don’t know and can only work with what we have. We do know that Jesus had been proclaiming the Good News, perhaps they had heard him preach and now when he shows up in front of them asking them to follow them, they decide to do just that.

What is evident is that Jesus is proclaiming something new and the seeds of that message took root in the hearts of these men sufficiently enough that they decided to follow. I hope that is also true with you when you consider your reasons for following Jesus, for being a Christian. That the proclaiming of the kingdom is something new within society. Even 2,000 years later, it is not fully realized within society. In fact, we may be no further ahead as a people than when Jesus walked the Earth.

A large part of following Christ is discerning how that call plays out in tangible ways in our lives. Though we confess that we are saved by grace, the knowledge of this motivates us to do God’s work in the world for the benefit of the kingdom.

Prof. Matt Skinner writes, “One of our greatest challenges as we navigate our calling to public ministry is telling time.

“Is my service to this community winding down, or just in need of some fresh initiatives? Is this the occasion for leading from the front or from behind? Is it time to shepherd this congregation into a period of challenge and discomfort? Do I tell them that the clock has run out on an old, tired program? What does the current hour demand?” (Matt Skinner – https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/when-its-time)

Skinner writes these words for Minister’s, but I believe they apply for all followers of Christ. As we move through the different seasons of our lives, our ability to serve changes. The needs which require addressing also change. We may find that something new takes root that provides aid in a better way than we can provide and so rather than compete we alter our focus. To be sure there are individuals who for their lives or careers have a singular focus, but I would argue that for most of us the way we serve the kingdom changes, just as the seasons change. This is healthy and good.

If we view this story as an it’s time story, I wonder what the present time might be telling us about the way we do things and if it isn’t ‘time’ to give up certain things or change certain things. If we might reimagine our own calls to discipleship and service. Often when monumental change occurs in our lives we have to reflect on the activities we take part and make modifications. A new relationship, the birth of a child, a new job, retirement, an illness. All of these and more cause for a change of season within our lives, which may prompt us to ask, ‘is it time for a change?’

What is clear is that Jesus isn’t inviting Simon, Andrew, James, and John to leave what they know for something easier or more lucrative. Jesus is inviting them into a relationship and on a journey which will change not only their lives, but other lives as well. This is the effect that the call of discipleship has on our lives.

Prof. Osvaldo Vena writes, “I would like to suggest then that the purpose of Jesus’ call to discipleship is not to take people out of a hostile world, promising them a better life in God’s heavenly kingdom. Instead, his purpose is to change the world in such a way that it will cease to be the hostile place it is, so that God’s reign can be established on earth. Doing this will require that we make a preferential option for the poor, the dispossessed, the excluded, and those who because of gender, sexual orientation, race, or class have been rendered invisible in our society.” (Osvaldo Vena – https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/third-sunday-after-epiphany-2/commentary-on-mark-114-20-5)

Vena implies that our task as followers of Christ is to make a difference. The difference we make is by establishing the kingdom of God. A society based on equity and fairness, which seeks to address the socio-economic and political inequities that face us. This is not a romantic notion of discipleship, it isn’t all hymns, laughter, and smiles. It’s not that these things aren’t present, they are, but much of the hard work we are called to do isn’t appreciated by everyone.

As we travel through this year, I am sure we will encounter ways to do this work. To call others to come and follow, to help in the work. Perhaps we will find ourselves called to work alongside another, all for the blessings of the kingdom. We don’t do the work because it makes us materially wealthy, we do it because it enriches our spirits and the lives of those around us. Amen.