“Able to say ‘yes’”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Sunday, January 21, 2024

Mark 1:14-20 (Forward, p. 84) CEV p. 1026

Have you ever had the inner compulsion that you should say ‘yes’ (or perhaps ‘no’) but didn’t have the inner courage to do so. Perhaps there was an outside pressure almost compelling you to decide one way or another. Or perhaps there was an ‘inner child’, the way you were socialized or brought up, that forced your hand in a certain direction. Either way, you didn’t feel that you could break out, break free and take the risk, and move in another direction. (I have certainly felt this way at times.)

And so, it is with regards to this sort of thing that I take great delight and inspiration in what happened in today’s gospel account. I take great delight in the ability of the four fishermen to just leave everything, their livelihood, their fishing partnership, and in the case of two of them, their father and hired workers, to simply come and follow Jesus. What a break from routine, and from expectations and upbringing that must have been! And, what a risk—to leave an occupation with job security and income for what was essentially an unknown! And with an essentially unknown, untested character—Jesus!

But maybe this was not quite as radical or abrupt as it might seem from Mark’s stark account. We are explicitly told in John’s Gospel (John 1:35-42) that Peter and Andrew had already met up with Jesus—namely at the site of His baptism down at the River Jordan. And presumably the other two had been there was well, for they too would have been baptized by John the Baptist (see Acts 1:21-22 for Peter’s explanation of the qualifications required of an apostle.)

But now they were ‘back home’, back to their old familiar places and routines, and away from the emotional ‘flush’, the excitement, of that first encounter with Jesus. Nevertheless, I am sure that the four of them were not remiss about talking among themselves about that time with Jesus. Interestingly, Margaret George, in her book, Mary Called Magdalene, suggests that some other factors might have arisen in the meantime. She suggests that the fiery, impetuous ‘sons of thunder’, James and John, had started to have rows with their father Zebedee, chaffing perhaps under his authoritarian and high-handed ‘rule’. And that Peter and Andrew were likewise dissatisfied with having ‘to do all the work’ and getting so little of

the credit or the profits. However, whatever the circumstances or the motives, these four were willing, and able, to make a clean break with the past and strike out in an entirely new direction, an unknown direction with an unknown leader, Jesus. To me, this warrants my most profound admiration.

My guess is that our Lord seldom asks for or demands such a radical or abrupt uprooting, but even so, may ask for something that is still somewhat hard or challenging. My prayer—for myself and for all of us—that we too will be able to say ‘yes’, to say ‘yes’ to whatever it is. Amen.

Forward notes: “And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him” (verses 17-18).

“When our 5-year-old son complained repeatedly about what seemed like common symptoms of an ear infection, I felt in my gut something more was going on. We immediately went to the pediatrician’s office. It was our regular doctor’s day off, and we saw someone new. After examining his eyes and mouth and hands, the new doctor told us that he needed to be admitted to the hospital immediately. Our son had a serious illness called Kawasaki disease. The doctor happened to be the foremost specialist in the Southwest for this disease, and I believe his quick intervention saved our son’s life.

“I made the decision to go to the doctor’s office without much forethought. I felt compelled. I felt grounded in something hard to describe, but I had certainty in the decision. I imagine these fishermen also felt that kind of sure compulsion and made their immediate decision with abandon. No forethought. No wavering. Just clarity to say yes to God.”

Moving Forward: “When have you felt compelled to act? Did you respond or ignore the feeling?”