Matthew's calling of the disciples always struck me as an almost magical moment when Jesus just appeared before them unannounced and they followed this mysterious but compelling stranger.
This is a romantic notion that gives Jesus an almost magnetic personality in which it would be easy to get caught up. Of course, the idea of compulsion goes against free will. We know that some people chose not to follow Jesus. We know that some people actively work against him.
Luke's Gospel shows how Jesus was in Simon's life before this call came. It is likely that Jesus knew each of these men pretty well before asking them to be his disciples.
They would also have heard him teaching in the synagogue and were witnesses to the healing he brought people. It would have been very attractive to be a disciple of this itinerant rabbi who was surrounded by great crowds from across the region. It was a chance to be a part of something larger than yourself.
We continue to follow Jesus today. In some places, Jesus is still quite popular and to be a follower is normative if not admired. But other places, to be a follower is quaint if not the cause of derision. It may not be easy today to be a disciple.
Not that it's hard to attend worship once in a while.
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| How does Jesus get our attention today? |
But there are days I decide to stay behind and tend the nets. After all, they need repair, don't they? If I just leave them to follow Jesus, what will happen to them? They won't just fix themselves!
Where do you find the pull of the everyday interfering with the deeper sense of things?
Prayer for the day:
God, we are very busy.
Our schedules are filled.
We realize that we may not prioritize very well.
Sometimes, we are captured by all of the things demanding our time.
But we know you will always be there, won't you?
God?
Photo by Tasayu Tasnaphun via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
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