The call of John

As Jesus moved from the obscurity of life in Nazareth and entered into public ministry, He carefully chose companions who would help in the work on which He was embarking. These companions would ultimately become the ‘first-fruits of a worldwide movement and be greatly used in God’s service.

The men chosen were not the rich and famous. They were not from the elite political or religious circles in Israel. Instead, Jesus chose men from the lower stratum of society, men who were intelligent, hard-working, and willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the gospel.

John lived and worked in the town of Capernaum. He was a fisherman, earning his livelihood on the Sea of Galilee. He worked with his father Zebedee, his brother James and partners Simon and Andrew. His life was radically and irrevocably changed when Jesus called him (and James, Simon, and Andrew) to leave their jobs, for the vital work of winning souls for heaven.

It is interesting to note that Jesus did not choose idle people. These men were engaged in work, with John doing the job of mending nets, without which no fishing could be done. They were being faithful in the menial tasks of life and were called by the Lord to higher service, ‘Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men’.

The response was immediate; they left their boats and nets and followed the Lord. They had already met Jesus and heard the testimony of John the Baptist concerning Him; see John 1. So they had some knowledge of the uniqueness of Jesus, and on this basis, they were willing to take the life-transforming decision to follow Him. They had no clear idea of where He would lead them, but they trusted Him and allowed no family ties, material concerns, or future difficulties to divert them from the most important decision which any of them ever made.

John, as one of the first disciples, witnessed many wonderful works performed by the Lord and heard marvelous words from His lips. He grew in devotion and was a dedicated servant of the living God. As Christians, we have made the decision to follow the Lord, but our faith should grow into full commitment.

We read in Matthew 20:20–28 and Mark 10:35–45 of a lesson John learned.

Mothers tend to want the best for their children and in this incident, Salome, on behalf of her sons James and John, makes a request to Jesus. It was that the two sons would have the chief positions, on the immediate right and left of the Lord in glory. They wanted prominence in the coming Messianic kingdom.

Such a request should never have been made. It was presumptuous, selfish, and revealed ignorance of God’s ways. They should have known better; Jesus had previously talked about the wrongness of debating who should be the greatest, Mark 9:33–37. That teaching had not been heeded by John and James.

The Lord’s response to this request was gently instructing them rather than sharply rebuke them. He drew their attention to suffering and pain, and away from glory and reigning. He talked of the cup and baptism of suffering which He must experience and in their ignorance they claimed that they would do likewise. Though they would eventually suffer, the Lord turns their minds from selfish ambition to selfless concern and care for others. Thus they had to learn the lesson that coveting important positions was not the aim of being a disciple.

The lesson had to be given to all the disciples as the others were not pleased with the request of James and John, for they too harbored selfish ambitions. Jesus explained that power and domination were the pursuits of those who do not know God. His followers had to be different, for greatness is witnessed in service and the chief place is one of ministering to others.

The supreme example of such an attitude and way of life was the Saviour Himself. His whole mission was not to get but to give. He came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many.

Like John, we must learn that the Christian life is one of humility and a willingness to serve. It may involve menial tasks, small acts of kindness, or inconveniencing ourselves for the good of others. It may involve self-sacrifice and there may be little appreciation for what we do. Indeed, few may see any worth in our work of service. Yet when we do it unto the Lord and for His glory, it takes on eternal worth.

Author Young, P.