The Call of the Disciples  (Luke chp 5)

When Jesus was by Lake Gennesaret, he got into Simon's boat, sailed a little way from the shore, and taught a crowd of people from there.  When he had finished, he told Simon to let out the nets.  Simon replied that he had worked hard all night and had caught nothing, but that he would do as Jesus asked.  Then and there, so many fish were caught that the nets were about to break.  The catch was loaded into two boats - but there were so many fish that both vessels began to sink under the weight.  Simon Peter saw what had happened, fell at Jesus' feet and confessed that he was a sinner, asking Jesus to depart.  But Jesus rather called Simon to follow him, along with Simon's co-workers James and John (sons of Zebedee).  So when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Themes

• Teaching - Jesus' ministry involved teaching the people.  In this particular instance, there were so many people on the shore who wanted to hear Jesus that he got into a boat and taught them from there.
• Miracle - Simon (later called Peter) had been fishing all night, and caught nothing.  When Jesus told him to cast his nets, he caught so many fish that the nets tore, and the weight of them almost sank two boats!
• Proof - this miracle convinced Simon, James and John of Jesus' greatness, and they left everything behind in order to follow him.
  
  

Contemporary Issues

• Change of lifestyle in order to follow what one truly believes to be right.
  

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The Rich Young Man  (Mark chp 10)

A man ran up to Jesus, calling him "Good Teacher", and asked him what he had to do in order to inherit eternal life.  Jesus quoted some of the ten commandments to him, and the man replied that he had kept these all of his life.  So Jesus gave him the most difficult of instructions - in order to have treasure in heaven, he had to sell all he had and give the money to the poor.  But the man was too attached to his many earthly possessions, and went away from Jesus upset, unable to fulfil this command.  And Jesus felt sorry for him. He then explained how hard it would be for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and that following God would result in persecution, hardship and a need to leave family and possessions behind - but the eventual rewards would outweigh this.

• Wealth - in the first century, this was a status symbol.  People believed that it was a reward for living a good life, and would make it easier for you to get to heaven.
• Keep the commandments - part of being a good follower of Jesus is to observe the ten commandments.
• There's more to it than simply commandments, though… - to be a true follower of Jesus required a whole lifestyle change.  Simply keeping the commandments was a good start, but in order to follow Jesus most effectively, sacrifices had to be made - actions as well as words.  In this instance, the sacrifice of earthly wealth and possessions, in the hope of a future reward in heaven.
  
• It's not meant to be easy - nobody ever said that following Jesus would be a picnic!  The sacrifices which the followers had to make were not meant to be simple - they gave up important parts of their lives in order to pursue what they believed to be right.  After all, Jesus' life was not an easy one either…
  
  

Contemporary Issues

• Danger of wealth - then and now.
  
• Necessity of sacrifice in order to follow one's beliefs.
• Challenges.

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The Request of James and John  (Mark chp 10)

James and John (sons of Zebedee) asked Jesus if they might be allowed to sit in glory with him in heaven - one at his right hand and one at his left.  Jesus replied that they were not able to jump the same hurdles which he would be facing during his ministry on earth, and that those seats in heaven were not his to grant anyway.  The other disciples were angry at James and John for asking what they did, and Jesus taught them that, in order to live in accordance with God's law, the one who wants to be in charge must first be prepared to serve others (in the way that Jesus was to humble himself by washing his disciples' feet at the last supper).  He said that he himself had not come to be served, but to serve others, and to give up his own life as a ransom for many.


Themes

• Exalted positions - James and John ask for exalted positions, sitting side by side with Jesus in heaven.  They do not understand the significance of what they are requesting.
• Jesus came not to be served, but to serve - Jesus taught that he had come to serve others, even as far as being prepared to be crucified for their sins.  In the same way, in order to reach true greatness, the disciples must first be prepared to lower themselves to serve others, rather than expect to be served by others.
  
  

Contemporary Issues

• True greatness.
  
• Suffering for what you believe in.
• How best to follow Jesus.

Revision