Friends,
today’s Gospel reports the Lord’s calling of his first disciples. What
is it about this scene that is so peaceful and right? Somehow it gets at
the very heart of Jesus’ life and work, revealing what he is about. He
comes into the world as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, a
representative from the community which is
God—and thus his basic purpose is to draw the world into community
around him.
“He
said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”
There is so much packed into that simple line. Notice the way that God
acts. He is direct, in your face; he does the choosing. Jesus is not
offering a doctrine, a theology, or a set of beliefs. He is offering
himself: become my disciple, apprentice to me.
“And
I will make you fishers of men.” This is one of the best one-liners in
Scripture. God is the Creator, the one who makes us from nothing. And
what he makes us is always a reflection of himself: a fisher of men.
Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
Lectionary: 684
Brothers and sisters:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
The Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!But not everyone has heeded the good news;
for Isaiah says,
Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?Thus faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
But I ask, did they not hear?
Certainly they did; for
Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
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