31st August, 2012

BRUCE C. WEARNE

Read Mark 1:16-20

Jesus knew His cousin John had put the hard word on James and John. They knew why Jesus had come. Before John was carted off to prison, they had been his students and he had pointed them to Jesus - “Follow Him, He’s the One. Now I decrease and He must increase.” And John's days in prison were numbered.

Jesus decided when to ask them to be His students. He seems to have started from where John left off, but He asked them "eye-ball to eye-ball". He left them in no doubt. He wanted them to be His students. He was preparing them for when His work was complete. He would prepare them to do what needed to be done.

But look again at the words Jesus used when He talked with the two fisherman who had been John's disciples. John had told them Jesus was the One to follow. John, out in the desert, had been the messenger preparing the way.

Now, when Jesus called them He reminded them of what John had said about Him. Jesus was not only inviting them to join His school. He was telling James, John, Peter and Andrew that they would have important work to do for God's Kingdom after the work of the Lamb of God was completed. John's work would be finished before Jesus had done His! And they would do their work after Jesus had completed the Messianic work His Heavenly Father had given to Him.

We can say now that Jesus confirmed the value of John's work. When Jesus invited these fishermen to join His school, John's days were numbered, but at that point they didn't know what work lay ahead for them with their new Rabbi.

They would follow Him - and He would have to teach them what "following" meant. Soon enough they would realise that Jesus was saying that if they followed Him they would possibly end up like John in prison...on death row. That could not have been easy for these former disciples of John. That is also why Jesus went to them directly.

Mark tells us they became students in Jesus' school after He came and asked them to enrol. He didn't trick them. He didn't argue. He didn't manipulate them. He told them what He wanted from them. Would they do what John had said to them and follow the One John had called the Lamb of God?

John the Baptist, was son of Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin. Mary's sister was married to Zebedee. So of Jesus' first four disciples, two who were disciples of His second cousin were also His own cousins. These were the first to be enrolled in His school.

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