Mark 1:16-20 — The First Disciples
The good news about Jesus Christ is that the kingdom of God has drawn near. That is how Mark introduces his gospel (Mark 1:1-15). The first half (Mark 1:16-8:30) narrates the in-breaking of the kingdom of God in the activity of Jesus. The second half (Mark 8:30-16:8) identifies Jesus as the suffering servant who gives his life for the world and inaugurates a new world.
The setting for the first half is Galilee while the setting for the second half is the journey to and ministry in Jerusalem. The former is focused on Jesus’ authority, teaching and mentoring of the disciples while the latter is focused on the passion of Jesus in both anticipation and actualization. In the first half Jesus is the amazing, authoritative teacher who speaks and acts as God’s representative while in the second half Jesus is the redemptive sufferer for the world.
Jesus’ Galilean ministry begins with the call of his first disciples. Mark introduces four key people who will figure promienently in his narrative. He also introduces the language that will shape his understanding of these figures–they followed Jesus. In Mark 1:16-18, Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, two brothers. In Mark 1:19-20, Jesus calls two other brothers, James and John. In both stories, the final line (in v. 18 and in v. 20) in Greek is “they followed him” (though in Greek it is two different expressions with an overlapping semantic range).
“Follow” is Mark’s word for discipleship (akolouthew is used seventeen times). The concept, however, is more important than the word itself. Discipleship is foundational to the ministry of Jesus. It is his first concrete act in the Gospel–he calls others to follow him. “Come afer me,” he says to Peter and Andrw. He “called” James and John. They left everything, but not in the sense that they would never fish the sea of Galilee again or no longer have homes. Rather, they left everything in the sense that they fundamentally reoriented their lives. Their calling (vocaton) to follow Jesus is more fundamental than their careers as fishermen. Their vocation now shapes their careers and what they do with their careers. It is a realignment of priorities.
For us as well, discipleship is a fundamental realignment of our priorities. We find our vocation in following Jesus no matter what our careers may be. Indeed, our careers, shaped by discipleship, are means by which we follow Jesus as we embody the kingdom of God in our various jobs. Those jobs are forms of discipleship as we follow Jesus. Our careers, as they participate in the mission of Jesus, are one means by which we live our calling (vocation).
What does Jesus call them–and us–to do? The funadmental message of Jesus is key (Mark 1:14-15) and when linked with the language of human fishers a significant point emerges. The language of “fishing” for people is present in the Hebrew prophets (Jeremiah 16:16; Ezekiel 29:41, 38:4; Amos 4:2; Habakkuk 1:14-17), but there it is associated with divine judgment as God gathers humanity for an accounting. The language is also present in Qumran–a community contemporary with the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. They regarded themselves as the instrument of God’s ingathering.
The disciples as fishers are those who heraled the message of Jesus to “repent and believe the gospel.” In other words, they are called to gather a community of penitent believers who live in the light of the coming kingdom, the coming eschatological reality (including judgment). As Lane writes, “The summons to be fishers of men is a call to the eschatological task of gatering [a community] in view of the forthcoming judgment of God” (Gospel of Mark, 68).
To be “fishers” is, then, evangelism, the heralding of the good news (gospel). However, we should be careful that we do not immediately associate this with contemporary revivalist preaching or witnessing. Evangelism certainly includes such but the vision is much larger than that. It is the gathering of a community of disciples among whom the kingdom reigns as they live penitently and humbly in anticipation of the eschaton. This envisions a community that heralds the reign of God in all its dimensions–economic justice, ecology, and peace as well as the forgiveness of individual sins. To be “fishers” is to participate in a community of disciples that heralds the reign of God.
Through calling disciples, some of whom will be called the “Twelve” (Mark 6:6), Jesus mentors a community whose task is evangelism. That community, now empowered by the Spirit poured out at Pentecost, continues in the church. One cannot follow Jesus without participating in community, without heralding the good news, and without praticing the kingdom of God in their lives. Just as we followed Jesus into the water and then into the wilderness, so we follow him in heralding and practicing the good news of the kingdom of God.
In this text, Jesus calls four disciples. These are the first of millions. Contemporary believers are part of that group, and contemporary believers, just like Peter, Andrew, James and John, must be mentored (discipled) by Jesus. That is why we read, study, pray over and meditate upon the Gospel of Mark. Through such Spirit-led focused attention–both in private and in community, we learn how to follow Jesus.
September 10th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
I find your exegis of the Word of God to be very insightful. I enjoyed reading your article.
September 11th, 2011 at 12:19 am
In the first paragraph you noted Mark’s prologue conists of 1:1-15. Are you in agreement with Leander Keck that it is a chiasmus? If so, do you find any other chiastic structures in Mark? Thanks for your work.
September 12th, 2011 at 6:27 am
I am familiar with M. Philip Scott, “Chiastic Structure: A Key to the Interpretation of Mark’s Gospel,” Biblical Theology Bulletin 15 (1985) 17-26, But I am not directly familiar with Keck’s specific proposal. I’m open to seeing chiasms but that need to be well-defined in the text.
September 11th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
I’m glad to see you note the difference between “fishers of men” and contemporary revivalist preaching/witnessing because too often in contemporary Christianity such difference is missed. In fact, too often evangelistic programs are initiated by telling Christians that God commands them to be fishers of men and that to be such they need to get on board with the particular programs at hand. But this is a misunderstanding of the biblical text, making the idea of becoming “fishers of men” our work rather than God’s work in us. In the biblical text, the command is to “follow” Jesus; the promise is that those who follow will be made (“I will make…”) into fishers of men. That means if we would just focus on living as disciples of Jesus, the “fishers of men” will take care of itself as God wills.
Grace and Peace,
K. Rex Butts
September 12th, 2011 at 7:16 am
It is the gathering of a community of disciples among whom the kingdom reigns as they live penitently and humbly in anticipation of the eschaton.
john mark:
i got a real rub with this word.
i just lost a post on this i still don’t type well so ….
the word is ….
“”penitently””
just for one
OR TWO….
no… the whole of the Gospels and the affirmations of the fulfillment of gods graceful promise through the faithfulness to his word and will by the son,to sanctify all of His body of believers
Eph 5:26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,
any way
just so much
SO my friend what’s up with that word ?
🙂
rich
September 12th, 2011 at 8:13 am
Penitently simply means to live with an attitude of repentance; humblying submitting to and receiving grace as we turn from sin toward God
September 12th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Thanks john mark
No truer words can be said
Although…
That word will most likely,
Get the fur on my back up a bit every time
just one of those words.
🙂
Guess I just got a glitch in my getalong bro.
Boy oh boy
Blessings