Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:16-20 (day three)
“Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
Jesus had stirred in Simon and Andrew a curiosity about a world larger than the one they inhabited. That’s not to say they considered their society unenlightened or that they longed for “freedom” in the way we would think of that concept today. Spiritually, they would not have yearned for an end to religious rules. They weren’t looking for “grace” so they could be “freed from the law.” Such ways of thinking are later developments that came through Holy Spirit-inspired reflection on Christ and his work. But Simon and Andrew were curious about what Jesus knew of the world. What did his words about God mean? Where did he get his confidence? How did he exude such peace? He wasn’t calling people who would give answers. He was calling people who would ask questions.
I love these insights into why those early disciples walked away from life as they knew it and followed Jesus. Thanks for portraying their decisions so vividly, Bryan!