A 40-DAY JOURNEY WITH THE KING: Lenten reflections from Mark’s Gospel (3)

 

“As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.  And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”  And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Mk. 1.16-18)

     Following his public “unveiling” as the Son of God and his 40-day trial in the wilderness, the King of Israel began to tour his kingdom and to gather a group of apprentices (i.e., disciples) who would learn his ways and partner with him in his mission.  Jesus had a home in Capernaum (cf. Mk. 2.1; 3.19-20), and it seems that Simon and Andrew, along with James and John, were Jesus’ “neighbours” (cf. 1.21, 29).  Indeed, most of the action in chapters 1—3 takes place in/around Capernaum – either by the lake (1.16-20; 3.7-12), in the synagogue (1.21-28; 3.1-6) or in Jesus’ home (2.1-12) or those of his fellow townsfolk (1.29-34; 2.13-17).

     We don’t know what kind of relationship Jesus had had with Simon, Andrew, James and John (or indeed Levi) before “calling” them to become his disciples.  We do know that as inhabitants of the same town and attendees of the same synagogue, they would definitely have known each other, at least superficially.  Basically, what Jesus was asking them to do was to “drop” their daily routine of fishing and join him in a kind of “preaching tour” of the neighbouring villages (and sometimes further afield).  These sorties were often following by a return to Capernaum, the “home base” (Mk. 1.35—2.1).  Jesus’ activity in and around Capernaum consisted of both proclaiming and enacting the kingdom of God, i.e., preaching, performing healing/exorcisms and sharing meals with “sinners”.  This is a strange way of being a king, and these are strange people with which to populate a kingdom – fishermen and tax collectors, i.e., peasant labourers and social outcasts.  These are the ones whose company Jesus seeks out.  Through Jesus, the purposes of God are being fulfilled among the lower echelons of society – indeed, among those whom respectable Judaism considered to be pariahs, “untouchables” (the sick were often labeled religiously “unclean”: e.g. Mk. 1.40-45).

     One thing becomes very clear from the outset – to follow Jesus does not mean to play a passive role, but rather commits one to becoming actively involved in Jesus’ mission.  When Jesus had gathered 12 apostles (i.e., ambassadors, delegates), he commissioned them to perform the same activities as himself (proclaiming the kingdom and performing exorcisms: Mk. 3.13-15; cf. 6.7-13, 30-32).  Besides the official list of apostles in 3.16-19, most of the disciples are not named within Mark’s narrative.  The notable exceptions are the “inner ring” of Simon, James and John, who are often alone with Jesus at significant moments (cf. Mk. 5.37; 9.2; 13.3; 14.33).  However, though these 3 may have enjoyed a greater intimacy with Jesus than the rest of the 12, Mark never draws a veil over the moments when their complete and utter failure to understand Jesus’ message/be loyal to him is on full display (cf. Mk. 8.31-33; 10.35-40; 14.66-72).  The fact that Jesus chose 12 apostles is very meaningful, as it evokes the 12 sons of Jacob/Israel, who gave their names to the 12 tribes of Israel during the period of slavery in Egypt, the 40 years in the desert and the conquest/settlement of Canaan.  By gathering a group of 12 apostles, Jesus was symbolically reconstituting the nation of Israel, the people of God.

     Make no mistake – the first disciples had no clue that the man who had called them away from their fishing nets was their King.  They did not accept to follow Jesus because they believed he was Israel’s Messiah.  The category that Jesus’ contemporaries (including the disciples) used to understand his actions and words was that of …a prophet (cf. Mk. 6.14-16; 8.27-28).  Simon and the others knew the stories of Elijah and Elisha, charismatic prophetic types who performed signs and healings and lived unconventional lives.  Perhaps, at the beginning, they assumed that Jesus had essentially the same mission as John – to prepare the people of God for the arrival of the One who would lead the new Exodus and set Israel free from her enemies.  And so, Jesus’ covert kingdom-movement begins with a misunderstanding as a group of 12 Galileans proclaims the kingdom of God and performs healings/exorcisms (and draws great crowds), all the while provoking scandal by enjoying table fellowship with “sinners” and sitting loose to taboos such as Sabbath observance.