Jesus or the World: Mark 1:16-20

Identity is a funny thing.  It is one of the fundamental concepts that human beings pursue the most even though most of the time we don’t realize we are pursuing it.  I’m willing to bet that almost every interaction with social media is about identity: we watch things that interest us; we look for ways to fit in with the world, we share our thoughts hoping to be liked or re-shared.  The clothes we wear are all about our identity.  The car we drive, the phone we buy, the house we spend decades paying off, the job we seek – it’s all wrapped up in identity.  As Jean Valjean sings in Les Misérables, “Who am I?”

In this passage, we see Jesus call His first disciples.  There is Peter, called Simon, and Andrew, Peter’s brother.  Next, we hear about James and John (James’ brother).  They were fishermen mending their nets waiting for the next opportunity to go out and make some money.  James and John’s father Zebedee must have been good at what he did, because Mark tells us that he had enough resources to have some hired hands.  That probably means James and John were still apprenticed under their father, learning the family trade and working the boats until their father died and they could take over.  In those days, it probably meant their life was about as set as anyone could get.  So long as the fish didn’t die, Zebedee seemed to be in control of a plentiful future for him and his kids.

In steps Jesus.  He walks up to these fishermen and invites them into a new identity.  Don’t play this off too easily.  Jesus places himself in juxtaposition to their livelihood and their ability to support their family.  In the case of James and John, He places Himself in juxtaposition with their father.  Following Jesus can lead to abandoning people and life dynamics that have deep meaning.  Following Jesus will mess with our pursuit of identity.

Don’t forget the bigger picture.  Jesus is an unknown quantity here.  He’s just coming onto the scene.  He hasn’t truly started His ministry yet.  From the perspective of someone whose knows how the story ends, we see this as Jesus offering these fishermen early access to the greatest start-up ever invented.  From the perspective of the moment, He’s asking these fishermen to give up a sure thing for some unknown spiritual quantity.

Mark tells us the fishermen immediately followed Jesus.  That’s faith.  Truthfully, that’s more than faith.  That’s faith in search of divine identity.  Rather than spend their lives fishing for money, or they choose to spend their lives bringing people into contact with the creator. 

God’s call to change leads into a new identity.  What are you willing to give up to become the person God has called you to be and play your part in bring the world into contact with its creator?

Identity is a funny thing.