Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In these days of the Apostles’ Fast, the Church is given a glimpse into the calling of the first Disciples – later to be called Apostles – of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. That term Apostle is not limited solely to those original 12 followers of the Lord Jesus, but comes to be applied to others who, like them, are called and sent into the fields white with harvest such as the Apostle Barnabas in the Book of Acts (Mt. 9:37-38; Lk. 10:2; Jn. 4:35; Ac. 14:14).
Today we are privy to the calling of four Disciples: Peter and his brother, Andrew, and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, endeared in St. Mark’s Gospel as the “Sons of Thunder” (Mk. 3:17). The odd but noteworthy thing about this calling story is the immediacy with which those summoned by Jesus respond and the completeness of their response. “’Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,’” Jesus calls out to Peter and his brother. “And they straightway [immediately] left their nets and followed Him.” In the case of the sons of Zebedee, they, too, immediately leave boat and father behind, “and followed [Jesus].”
Without proper contextualization, one would envision a “sight unseen” response to a stranger that most all of us would characterize as, well, crazy. Who in their right mind suddenly drops everything – family as well as livelihood – to go off trapsing after some unknown itinerant preacher? For some, this episode borders on the magical. There are a few of us, if any that I am aware of, who report such experiences. Nearly all of us have come at this from a gradual perspective while for all of us this coming to follow Jesus is a Mystery of divine grace that may or may not defy common sense and/or logic. A preacher comes calling on kids in a neighborhood inviting them to church and a kid by the name of David Smith says, “Sure, I’ll go!,” despite not having a church background or working knowledge of what he’s agreeing to. God is not without His witness. The Holy Spirit is very much alive in creation and in the creatures of creation, especially in those who bear the divine image (Jn. 1:1-5, 9; Rm. 2:10-16).
More often than not, we come to Jesus little by little through formed relationships with those who know Him (Pp. 3:17; 2 Tm. 1:13; 3:14). In the case of these four fishermen, all indications are from other Scriptures that this was not the first time they heard Jesus but had already had some sort of a relationship established with Him prior to this rather dramatic undertaking (Lk. 4:38-39; 5:1-11; Jn. 1:35-51). Nevertheless, for some of us, their decision was still rash, if not for the reason of their holocaust offering, that is, they offered up everything, left behind everything, sacrificed everything for the sake of Jesus Christ, abandoned their old lives for the new life in Jesus Christ in an utterly complete and thorough way. To follow Jesus Christ is a radical thing and a Mystery of the Holy Spirit whether we come to conversion late in life or straight out of the waters of the Font as an infant. To say “yes” to Jesus Christ is to hand over the keys of our lives to Him. He becomes the new Owner (though, truth be told, He is the Owner regardless) and we His holy possession (1 Cr. 6:19-20). No longer, then, do we live for ourselves, says the Apostle, St. Paul, “but for Him Who died for [us] and rose again” (2 Cr. 5:15).
This account is not dissimilar from others called to follow in the paths of God who are made role models and leaders in the Church. It seems to me this account is designed to invoke these stories and to place these early leaders of the Church on that level with the likes of the Prophet Elisha who, if you recall his story, left everything to follow the great Prophet Elijah at his bidding (3 Kg. [1 Kg.] 19:19-21) or the likes of the Patriarch Abraham, the father of faith, who likewise left behind his idol-worshipping family and ways to go after God Who only bids Abraham to trust and obey Him (Gn. 11:27-12:9; Js. 24:1-3). What the Disciples are experiencing is no less faith and obedience than that of Abraham and Elisha. Jesus, the Son of God, the Word of God made flesh, calls, “’Follow Me!,’” and they go after Him . . . . . . immediately. Such a following is not irrational nor is it rash, at least to faith, but is the work of the grace of the Holy Spirit Who constantly searches out our souls and seeks such souls to follow Jesus Christ. These Disciples, then, become the leaders of the Church. They are made the foundation of the Church and her apostolic Faith, built upon the sure Foundation and Bedrock of the Son of God (Mt. 16:13-19; 19:27-28; Ep. 2:20; Rv. 21:14). To them God has given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God (Mt. 13:11; Mk. 4:11; Lk. 8:10); to them Jesus has entrusted the very words of the Father sanctifying them in the divinely revealed Truth (Jn. 17:1-19).
These men stand out by their sheer devotion to and faith in Jesus Christ, empowered by the Pentecostal Spirit Who has “revealed the fishermen as most wise.” Through them God draws the world into His net (Pentecost Troparion). This is what sets them apart. They are the crème de le crème despite having no advanced degrees or theological pedigree or anything else that would make them worthy of the Master’s calling. But, this they did have: they knew Jesus Christ. And, that knowledge, that relationship with Him, changed them so that they became living sacrifices unto God (Rm. 12:1). It seems to me there is no finer tribute to these Disciples, especially to Peter and John in the Book of Acts, that, standing before the Sanhedrin giving their witness, the Sanhedrin was disarmed by the boldness of what they perceived were two “uneducated and untrained men.” It was then that “they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Ac. 4:13). Jesus made a difference in these men called by Him to the great service of humility in the Church. Jesus – His Way, His Truth, and His Life – transfigured them with the greater glory of God. But, without their immediate and complete response there would not have been a Church.
On this particular Sunday, we ponder the call of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ upon us all. His call isn’t just for Apostles, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, or monastics. It is for all of us gathered here: baptized, catechumens, and inquirers. “’Come, follow Me.’ And I will make of you what I will make of you,” He says to each of us. But, be assured of this, beloved: the call of Jesus always involves a change in my life. It necessitates me hearkening to His Word directed to me. It goes beyond a mere subscription to the Creed or having an affinity for what Jesus teaches. It demands that I get up and follow Him, that I give myself to Him holding nothing back just like these men, just like Abraham our father in faith and the Prophet Elisha. “The Kingdom of Heaven has no price tag on it,” says St. Gregory the Great. “It is worth as much as you have.” The worship of God – for this is what it boils down to – demands my firstfuits and not my leftovers. The worship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Second Member of the Holy Trinity, entails sacrifice worthy of Him.
What have I given to follow Him? What have you given to follow Him? What is Jesus calling me, calling you, to leave behind so that we may attain to His Kingdom? And, lest we be afraid, recall with me what our Lord assured Peter who wondered as well: “‘Verily I say unto you, . . . [E]veryone that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit Everlasting Life’” (Mt. 19:27-30). Not all of us may be required to physically leave these beautiful things and persons behind like these first Disciples, but all of us will need to determine not to cling to anything in our hearts so that they become obstacles to following Jesus and inheriting Eternal Life (St. Gregory the Great). For “the Kingdom of Heaven has no price tag on it: It is worth as much as you have” (St. Gregory the Great).
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
PROPERS:
Rm. 2:10-16
Mt. 4:18-23