Christ Church, Falkirk

First Reading: Psalm 62 v5-12

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7 v29-31

Gospel Reading: Mark 1 v14-20

Last week, you may remember, our Gospel reading from John’s Gospel focused on the calling of Philip and Nathanael. This week we hear the story of the calling of Andrew and Simon, and James and John. The passage we’ve read is very typical of Mark’s Gospel. The description of what happens is concise; there are no lengthy explanations or exchanges of conversation. Jesus sees the brothers casting their nets; he calls them; they follow him. Twice in this short passage, the word ‘immediately’ is used.  

People have often commented on what it might have been like for Zebedee, the father of James and John. How did he manage once they had left? Surely God wouldn’t want these two sons to leave their father with so much work, and some hired men? It’s uncomfortable reading, isn’t it! Impractical, surely, to expect them simply to leave everything and follow Jesus without a word of explanation to anyone!

Imagine the dialogue:

Jesus to James and John: Stop what you’re doing, leave everything, follow me!

Andrew and Simon. Okay, we’re coming.

Zebedee, father of James and John: Hold on a minute, where do you think you’re going? You can’t just leave...

There’s a kind of reckless impracticality in the command of Jesus, ‘Follow me.’ Jesus arrived, commanded, and the fishermen follow. I was reminded of a couple of weeks ago, when I spoke of the impracticality of the Magi’s gifts to the infant Jesus. Instead of something practical for the child, they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Practical, it seems, it not always what is wanted by God!

Today, instead of giving his first disciples some notice so that they can make some other arrangements to cover their work, Jesus asks them to follow immediately. And they do. I wonder if God has ever asked anything entirely impractical of you? You’ve been doing one thing, and suddenly you find yourself going in a completely different direction, and there’s not always a very obvious reason.  

As reasonable and thoughtful people, I’m sure most of us try to live our lives in a responsible way, most of the time. But what Jesus seemed to ask of those first disciples seemed completely irresponsible. What do we do with that? And how would we respond? Are we ready for that, in our lives of following Jesus?

In the Psalm, the Psalmist sings these words: ‘For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us’.  These are strong words! We are told that our focus should all be on God; on God alone. He is the one who is our rock and salvation, and to be trusted. Our plans can easily, surely, be put asunder by the one who made heaven and earth. 

And in the reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians, we hear these words: ‘The appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, ³⁰ and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, ³¹ and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.’  

Strange words– but all Paul is saying that the attachments of this world are fleeting and transient. Nothing that we hold to on this earth – relationships, marriage, possessions, wealth, our work - are lasting. God alone is. We are to hold to these things lightly. Being aware of this helps us make more sense of the Psalm. The solidity of our lives is found in God alone, not in anything else we may hold dear. He is our rock. He is to be trusted. He is our refuge.  

So with these things in mind perhaps it’s not so impractical and unreasonable that Jesus should say ‘Follow me’ and that the disciples should answer, without reference to their Father or their work. These things, though important, were nothing compared to the call to follow Jesus and to depend on him alone. They must have sensed, without being told, that it is in Jesus alone that their rock will be found; him alone who can be trusted; he alone their refuge.

In our hymn today, ‘Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord, to thee,’ we ask God to take all of our lives – every aspect, and ask that they be consecrated to his use. Our moments; our days. Our bodies. Our voices. Our money. Our wills – and finally, our love. It is an all or nothing song – all for Jesus. And in our final hymn we will sing these words, ‘The dearest idol I have known, what ever that idol shall be, help me to tear it from thy throne, and worship only thee.’

Those first disciples were called, and we are called, to live lives completely for God. We should hold nothing back; and we should hold lightly all that we have. As James and John were called from their father and their fishing, we are called away from the idolatry of putting our relationships or money or jobs first. We are called instead to a life of saying ‘Yes’ to the one who says to us, ‘Follow me.’ May we, like those first disciples, hear, respond, and go, to whatever is impractical and unreasonable, in the name of the God who calls us.