Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people.” — Mark 1:17
A few pages in our high school yearbook were devoted to pictures of the girl and guy with the best car, the best hair, the two most likely to succeed, etc.. We didn’t have a best bud award, but in looking into this text of Jesus gathering these disciples, I see he’d have all the votes on this one.
I’m never quite comfortable with a film adaptation of the gospels. Lines are always added that, while incredibly well-intended and thoughtful, don’t jive with me because the truth is right before us: in scripture, there is not a lot of script to work with.
Case and point: in Mark 1, pro fisherman and brothers Simon and Andrew are throwing a net into the water when Jesus calls out to them. After Jesus offers this one single solo line,
“Come with me, and I will show you how to fish for people,” they leave their nets (the NLT suddenly makes the net plural) and immediately the two follow him. Boom. That’s the whole scene. The whole scene.
Jesus had to have had something about him. Something wonderful. Something obvious. Something incredible. There had to have been more conversation between the three than what is recorded, but the proof that Jesus earns his best bud superlative happens next. A little further up the shoreline, Jesus sees the thunder bros, James and John. The scene that just happened with Simon and Andrew repeats. These two also drop everything and follow Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t stand still and wait for his pack to come to him. It’s the reverse. He goes to them. That’s what your best buddy does by definition, right? They go to you. When they find you, they say just the right word or words and whatever you were doing suddenly is not what you are doing now. Why? Because in the company of your bestie everything is different.
Everything is right, or will be right.
Oddly, I don’t think Jesus would want the best bud accolade. He’d give that to his Father.
PRAYER: Jesus, you come to us as you did with this foursome. Our intro with you may be as short as what is recorded here, but that’s okay. We have time to talk along the way. Amen.