Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

 Mark 1:16-20

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. Mark 1:16-20

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 1:16-20, which is the text for the second of three divisions per the commentary.  Excerpts from the commentary:

• "This is a call to discipleship and a unique one at that. In the rabbinic schools of the day, the aspiring student sought out the respected rabbi. Further, the student’s allegiance was to the Law, not to the teacher. Jesus’ form of discipleship is fundamentally different! Jesus seeks them out, and their allegiance will be to Him."
• "Jesus looks for men and women who will commit to Him, who will learn from Him, who will deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him[.]"
• "There is no prerequisite to following Him. This is a grace call. He does not tell them to improve their moral character or their social acceptability. Jesus finds them where they are, and He simply calls, in effect, 'Come! Come as you are, but come, you must and come right now.'" 
• "The summons to be fishers of men is a call to the eschatological task of gathering men in view of the forthcoming judgment of God. It extends the demand for repentance in Jesus’ preaching [quoting Lane]."
• "Like Simon and Andrew, James and John did not hesitate: they left their father and the hired servants in the boat! This is striking and captures what it truly means to follow Jesus. To follow Jesus, we are called to forsake everyone and everything else. We must not rationalize or explain away Jesus’ call as mere hyperbole!"
• The commentary refers us to Matthew 10:34-37, Mark 3:33-35, and Luke 14:26 as text that emphasizes how Jesus is the most important relationship in believers' lives. 

The Ten Commandments outline commands that focus on love of God and love of others.  In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus shares that these are the two most important commandments (with love of God coming first) and that all other commandments hang on those two.  When we love God, we seek to please Him and avoid sinful temptations that draw us away from Him, including activities that absorb our time that we might otherwise use to draw close to Him in a study of His Word and in prayer. We must deny our earthly desires (see Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23), seek Him, and allow Him to work through us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2) such that our desires become more like His desires - sanctification.   

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My Prayer: Father God, Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of incredible grace and compassion - thank You for my salvation, and for the mercies You continue to pour out for me daily.  Thank You also for giving me Your Word, the Holy Spirit, and the church so that I can know and love You more.  I am not deserving of any these blessings.  My sin is great and it continues....daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.