Jesus' Call

You shouldn’t be surprised to learn Mr. Bill loves to fish – I may have mentioned it a few times. Although he loves to fish in the surf, on occasion he enjoys deeper waters so he calls Captain Joey. There’s absolutely nothing flashy about Joey; he’s simple and laid back. Hmmm, sounds a lot like Mr. Bill!

How do you respond to demands? Interestingly, yesterday’s “hard-headed” is today’s “strong-willed.” However you choose to describe it, demands aren’t always well-received. On several occasions, Jesus issued this call: Follow Me. Mostly to a ragtag group of fishermen, Jesus pressed them to leave life-as-they-knew-it and Scripture records no rebellious responses. Why do you suppose Jesus didn’t go to the synagogues and places of learned men to put together His team? Captain Joey has never promised Mr. Bill the catch-of-his-life or even the fishing excursion to top ‘em all. No, he just loads up the boat and ventures out with a fisherman’s optimism. Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17). From watching Mr. Bill, here’s what I know – fishermen don’t mind wading out into otherwise scary waters; they know the risks and accept the risk to make the catch! I fear for too long we [Christians] have heard the call but aren’t willing to leave the dock in search of floundering souls. Jesus still calls fishermen today. Will we hear Him? How will we respond?