Concluding Mark #4 Movement, Trust and Surrender
| "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of people." At once they left their nets and followed Him. (Mark1:17) |
Mark's gospel is a gospel of movement and calling.
Jesus is portrayed as "the One who came to serve and not be served."
He is constantly on the move: teaching, healing, praying and calling.
When it comes to calling, the first disciples quickly learned that following Jesus means movement, trust and surrender.
In Mark, discipleship is never passive.
Again and again people must:
- leave their nets
- leave comfort
- leave pride
- leave old identities
- leave fear
When you add people to a quiet life, it stops being quiet. Jesus called the disciples to be fishers of people. Previously they would have talked about nets, techniques and the best way to cook a fish. Now they would talk about connection, contact and their need for God. Their lives would be filled with:
- jostling crowds,
- moms bringing snotty babies,
- hungry crowds,
- and going wherever Jesus took them.
And the disciples often fail spectacularly.
- They misunderstand.
- They argue.
- They panic.
- They sleep in Gethsemane.
- Peter denies Jesus.
And yet Jesus keeps calling them back.
That is deeply encouraging.
Mark reminds us that discipleship is not about flawless performance, but about continuing to follow Jesus in the helter-skelter --> even after failure.
