NOTES for Mar 1:14-20

One of the main themes we encounter in the Gospel of Mark is the theme of calling and our response to that calling. This is not a matter of spontaneity: these four men had apparently already met Jesus (this is one way to understand John 1:35-51). We ourselves are not reading these lines for the first time either. What is striking here is something else: how briefly the evangelist speaks of it. Calling and conversion are, after all, only the very beginning of the journey. The words and deeds of Jesus, the disciples' doubts and denial, and the joy of the Resurrection will be recounted in much greater detail. Yet, on the other hand, without this episode there would have been no Gospel at all. What would have happened if no one had followed Jesus? Christ's action in this world continues in our own time. And this time the disciples, without whom nothing would happen, are you and I. That is why it is so important for us today to realize once again that the Lord has called us to follow Him—and to find within ourselves the courage to climb out of the boat and go after Him.