Jan 15 2019 Mark 1: 14-28

And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

This is the second little bit we hear from Mark, after Jesus is baptized by John, John’s arrested, and Jesus is driven into the wilderness by Satan. Whew. Mark packs a lot of details in a small section. Today’s section includes the calling of the first disciples, teaching in the synagogue as one with authority, the first recognition by someone else that he’s the Holy one of God (intriguing that the recognition is from demons), and his driving out of those demons.

This morning, I’m struck by the idea that the first disciples immediately left their way of life, their families, their livelihood – and followed Jesus. How hard is that for us! Both to leave all of those things, and to do so immediately.

In my life, this isn’t so much about moving to a mission field somewhere, although until recently, I’ve believed that’s a likely possibility. On a more hedonistic level, I was imagining leaving employment (aka retirement) early, in about 5 years. Life events have likely changed that. Such is life. For me, the challenge – or opportunity is to give up these earthly things and commit to follow. Even the earthly visions of where my life was heading. Those were my visions and my plans.

The opportunity in following is to stop worrying about steering this vehicle. With a navigator in Jesus, I can fully trust that the destination will be exactly as it is supposed to be. While that could cause some anxiety because I’m not in control, once we realize who is, and turn over the keys, it’s so much easier to be a passenger. Even if sometimes I’m a little like a back seat driver. Again today, I’m ready to put down my net and immediately follow,