There is an immediacy to following Jesus that we must recognize. Throughout the book of Mark, we continually see that both Jesus and his followers take action ‘immediately’, ‘at once’, or ‘without delay’. Unlike the other gospels, we have no indication here as to how much these men really understood who Jesus was, or how much interaction that they had with him prior to their calling. We must assume that there was some. All we know is that they dropped their nets, along with their livelihood, and yes, even their families to come and follow Jesus.
I do not think that Mark is encouraging us to merely be free spirits here who leave our lives behind at the drop of a hat. However, I do believe that Mark is using the story of the immediate response of these men to show us just how powerful the message of Jesus really is. If these men were willing to leave so much behind so quickly, then we must consider the importance of this man as well.
While these men did not fully recognize who Jesus was, they did know that his message was not only what they had been waiting for their entire lives, but also what Israel had been waiting for hundreds of years. We must also recognize that what we have is not merely a religious figure, but we have Jesus, who has brought with him the kingdom of God. Along with Simon, Andrew, James, and John, he has also called us to drop everything and follow him.
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