Mark 1:14-20
One of the problems about baring the fruit of Christ is the hardness of our attitudes. Four early disciples of Jesus were fishermen. They had attitudes about their skills and profession that Jesus wanted to use for the glory of God. But they had to do some digging in the hardness of their attitudes to understand what Jesus was calling them to become.
Let start further back, Our Lord Jesus must have spent some time in Judea following his baptism. It was during that time of his preaching the Good News and giving meaning to the writings of God’s Word through the prophets where Andrew and Simon became familiar with Jesus being who John proclaimed as the Lamb of God.
Andrew and Simon followed Jesus into Galilee and it was then when Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine at the request of his mother. Following that event Jesus returned to Judea for attending Passover. John described what occurred in 2:13-25 how Jesus cleansed the temple of the money changers. John further tells us about the visit of the leader of the Pharisees (Nicodemus) coming to visit Jesus in the dark of the night.
Mark’s, Matthew’s and Luke’s account tells us that Jesus has returned into Galilee preaching the Good News.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” 16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
It was important for me to share this in case you had a similar misunderstanding as I had in my youth. It was not clear to me that Andrew and Simon had a prior understanding of the true identity of Jesus when on this visit into Galilee they left their father’s fishing business to follow Jesus.
The idea of these four fishermen just up and leaving their family business because this man called Jesus asked them to; seemed unlikely to me. Having the perspective of time from hearing him after his baptism and the subsequent events helped to remove the mystery. These fishermen learned from John to prepare the way and hearing Jesus speaking the Word of God with a clear meaning for Jews taught in the Old Testament helps to understand why they responded to his call.
The common hard working folks within the Jewish community had an expectation of putting their trust in the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom. And when Jesus preached or performed a miraculous healing it was understood an experience of God’s kingdom had again come to His chosen children, Israel.
Jesus had a great love and respect for the children of God. Jesus showed this respect in the methods he used to introduce the presence of God to those he taught. Jesus treated those hearing him as being intelligent and responsible. Jesus was capable with His unity with the Father’s will to perform miracles. This was not done to provide shock or awe but confirmation of his title. The Jews present were able to discern their own understanding of who Jesus is.
Jesus had confidence in his message and that these common members of the Jewish community would have hearts open to receive the message, for the Word of God will not return void.
Consider what happened after Jesus had asked Simon to put his boat out a bit from the shore so he could preach to the crowd along the shore. When the time was right he asked Simon to let out his nets. During the cool of the night fish come in closer to the shore. Simon and company had already been fishing during the night and caught nothing. Because Simon had gained and understanding of who Jesus is he did what was asked of him. The catch was so great, causing nets to break and the boat about to sink they signaled the other boat to come and help. Simon fell on his face begging our Lord to depart from him a sinner.
Now Simon Peter was not the kind of sinner we think about. He was not a murderer, prostitute, or tax collector. He was what we all are humans with the capability of sin. It is being in the presence of God that we become aware of our sinful nature. Christ Jesus made the announcement the time had come and asked those hearing His preaching to repent for the kingdom of God was now at hand.
Like Simon Peter, we need the Good News in our heart. Like Simon we need to respond with a heartfelt action.
19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
What did Jesus expect with a call to working people to accept a higher calling? Consider the Word of God as recorded in Jeremiah 16:16. Jeremiah 16:16 (ESV)
16 “Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.
It is not to be overlooked that our Lord chose fishermen to be among his disciples. Fishing done using a net meant both good fish and bad fish would be in the catch. It is the duty of the church by mission outreach to be obedient in using the soul saving truth of God’s gift to draw humankind from evil. Jesus expects the disciples to have fruit worthy of the vine they are attached to.
Like the disciples we need to lose the attitudes and mindsets that are of our former self serving survival mentality. If our belief is that God provides then we need to be in daily prayer and meditation upon God’s Word to seek the provisions of the Lord.
Not being dug out of the old human sinful nature is like a plant that remains in a pot to small for its roots. Being root bound means a plant is not baring the fruit it is capable of and it will die. A new bigger pot allows the roots to be seeking the nourishment needed for it to be fruit bearing.
By making yourself accountable to Jesus, your purpose in life is focused upon hearing the Lord’s calling and gaining the vision to see the doors our Father has opened.
Jesus does expect your heart to accept God’s call and your living life as a follower of Jesus Christ. What does that calling look like? Andrew and Simon had an understanding of who Jesus is. They had returned back to the family business in Galilee. Now with the time being right, our Lord’s call of “follow me”, meant they now would live in the presence of Christ.
I heard a Jewish radio host say it this way. “You Christians say your Lord Jesus is with you always.” She continued “If that is the truth then how do you justify your behavior”?
Do you behave as though God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit are in the room with you?
Jesus Christ is the vine, our question to consider is if personal attitudes are preventing what our Lord calls us to be baring “the fruit of the Holy Spirit”?
