16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
As we compare these two accounts they are almost exactly the same, with two minor additions by Mark. First. Jesus said “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” The key addition here is "become" fishers of men. This was going to be a process, not some snap-of-the-fingers experience. That is exactly what we see happening as these men follow after Jesus. There is a lot of saying stupid things and coming to the wrong conclusions on their part as they listen, learn, and begin to live like Jesus. We call that sanctification - this process whereby God changes us over time. But there is this dramatic decision that initiates the process: "I am going to follow Jesus." The second addition here is in the last verse we read: that they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants. James and John were from a well-to-do background; their father had not only his own business with boats; he had hired servants. Both pairs of brothers here were fisherman, but their economic class was not necessarily the same. As they chose to follow Jesus, it was not choosing an easier life; it was probably a step down the economic ladder. For many of us in our society, if we are serious about following Jesus, it may include choosing a less comfortable lifestyle than we now live. Like Matthew pointed out in his gospel, all these men immediately followed after Him. Have you?
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