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The Sturdiness of the Gospel “Call Stories” by Peter L. DeGroote |
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A Supplemental |
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The following supplemental reading is extracted
from a manuscript about The Way of Jesus that I have been working on for
several years. I don’t know if I will ever find the time to finish it, but I
put a copyright label on it. You are free to copy it for sharing and
discussion or to send it to someone else. If you want to put it on another
website or include it in any other publication, printed or otherwise, please
ask me. Thanks. |
Wednesday, June 22, 2005 There are three basic models for the stories
describing Jesus’ call of disciples (call stories). The following draws on
the report of Jesus calling his first disciples that appear in each of the
four gospels. The total number of such stories will depend on purpose and
method of counting. Theses three basic models undoubtedly reflect the
experience of different early Christian communities at different times and in
different places. Interestingly, each of the three presents a distinct model
of how people have always come to follow The Way of Jesus. They remain
surprisingly relevant today. The different stories have some of the same
characters playing different roles, Peter being in all. (All quotes are SV). Mark and Matthew's report is the same. (Mark
1:16-20, Mt. 4:18-22) Peter and his brother Andrew are fishing; Jesus passes
by and says, "Become my followers and I'll have you fishing for
people!" They drop everything and follow. Moving along, they come across
James and John sitting in a boat with their father, mending nets. Jesus
calls; they abandon boat, nets, and father to follow Jesus. The model presents Jesus as simply calling; the
disciples follow, leaving family, obligations, and former life behind. One
can still witness this kind of response. To some it seems excessively
authoritarian on one hand, and simple-minded on the other. However, a
personal history has usually prepared the way for the person to be able to
both hear the invitation and respond in the manner he or she does. In Luke (4:38-5:11), the calling takes place
against a background of Jesus' growing reputation. Jesus had been teaching
and healing. After visiting a synagogue, he enters Peter's house where he
found Peter's mother-in-law ill. Jesus healed her, and she got up to perform
her duties as a hostess. That evening many ill people came and were healed.
All of this contributed to Jesus' growing popularity. Those things that impressed others were not
enough for Peter. Remember that every age has those with a gift of healing,
including our own. Our explanations for what occurs are seldom any more
convincing than those of Jesus' day. A characteristic of those who follow
healers is the claim that "our healer is better than yours." What
Jesus did probably got Peter's attention, but it was not enough. One morning along the shore of the lake, a large
crowd pressed close to Jesus, trying to hear what he had to say. Peter had
returned from a night of meager fishing and Jesus stepped into his boat,
asking Peter to move it a little way from the shore so that the people could
see and hear him. When he finished speaking, Jesus told Peter to go out into
deep water and drop his nets again. Frustrated with a night of poor fishing,
Peter complained but did what he was told. The resulting catch was so large
that his partners, James and John, had to bring a second boat to contain
it. Peter fell to his knees in fear, saying,
"Have nothing to do with me, Master, as sinful as I am." Jesus said, "Don't be afraid, from now on
you will be catching people." The three brought their boats ashore,
abandoned their former lives, and followed Jesus. (See John 21:1-8 for a
different use of this story of a miraculous catch of fish.) Luke's model for "calling" relies on
the effect Jesus has on people's lives, both individual and community life.
Many responded to Jesus' healing, a metaphor in Luke that includes physical,
emotional, and spiritual health and wholeness. Peter and his partners seemed
to have needed more, something that drove the point home personally. Their frustration from a failed night of fishing
disappeared with such a large catch of fish. That seeming miracle would have
been enough for many, but the ever-confident Peter was not yet ready. Shaken;
he had to deal with the fact that he did not have all of his usual answers.
Unable to understand, he realized he was vulnerable, which caused him to be
afraid. Jesus responded to the fear by assuring him there was no need for
fear, but that he and his partners had a new purpose for living. It was a
contingent assurance; i.e., only by following this new way of life that Jesus
had called them to would the sense of vulnerability and fear be relieved. In the Gospel of John (1:35-42), John the Baptist
recommends Jesus to two of his own disciples, "Andrew and another,"
who is left unidentified. Accordingly, they trail behind Jesus, who turns and
asks, "What are you looking for?” They answer by asking, "Where are you
staying?" Jesus said, "Come and See." After
spending the day with Jesus, Andrew went and told his brother Simon that he
had found the Messiah. Simon went to see, agreed, and was renamed Peter. In John, there is a sense of being invited, to
come and see what Jesus' way of life is all about so that one can decide for
oneself. There are similarities to Luke, but in John we sense an invitation
to explore God's ways with humanity with an emphasis on our making the
decision to follow. Taken together, they are three sturdy models that help describe how
people approach The Way of Jesus then, as well as today. It is enough for
some to simply hear Jesus say, "Follow me." Others respond over
time because they can see the evidence of how Jesus' teachings affect the
life of individuals, the community, and, ultimately, their own lives. Still
others require a time of conscious exploration, examination, and choice. The
route we take doesn't matter, and there are probably other routes. Despite the variety of ways by which one is called to The Way of
Jesus, all end in the common understanding that a response to Jesus’ call is a
new way of life, a walking away from the values, preoccupations, and passions
of one’s former way of living. In today’s world, that represents a major
challenge. As one of the participants in our Bible Talk noted, “we simply
can’t drop jobs, family obligations, and other responsibilities to become an
itinerant preacher.” That raises another question that I have never researched. How many
times did an encounter with Jesus result in him telling a person that he/she
could not come with him but to go back to his community, family, etc. in
order to witness to the impact that Jesus had on his/her life? Copyright © 2005, by Peter L. DeGroote |
The last paragraph ends with a question that is worth
pursuing. If anyone has done so, or chooses to do so, I’d appreciate knowing
what you found out. Send me an email at: pdegroote@foundryumc.org. The
sources for biblical quotations are labeled as follows: NRSV: The New
Revised Standard Version, Copyright ©1989, The National Council of
Churches of Christ in the SV: The Scholar’s
Version; i.e., The Five Gospels, The Search for the Authentic Words of
Jesus, Robert W. Funk and Roy W. Hoover, and The Jesus Seminar,
Copyright © 1993 by Polebridge Press. TM: The
Message, The New Testament in Contemporary Language, Copyright © Eugene
H. Peterson 1993. navpress, M: My paraphrase. |
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