Taking a chance

As I was spending some time reading this week, I came across a story that made me think.  It’s in Matthew chapter 4 and it talks about Jesus walking the shore line calling a few men to come follow him.  I noticed that when he called James and John, the son’s of Zebedee, that their Father was with them mending nets.  Now, reading the story, it says that Jesus called “them” and the only two that got up and followed was James and John.  My thoughts were, Why didn’t the Father get up?  Why didn’t Zebedee lay down the nets and leave the fishing business to follow after Jesus?  We can only assume, which is where my thinking comes into play.

My first thought was maybe he just didn’t care to follow anyone at his age.  I mean he’s an old fisherman, why would he want to leave a successful business and follow some guy that showed up and said, “Come follow me”?  “Who was this guy?”  “Where was he going?” “Why do you want me to follow you?”  These are questions that any reasonable person would ask.   But Zeb never asked the first question, he just sat there.  Maybe he thought, “I’ve been doing this for x number of years, I’m not going anywhere.”   Or maybe he said, “I’m too old to follow you” or “I’m too set in my ways and I don’t want to take orders from you.”  All valid reasons as to why he never made a move to follow.

Then I thought, maybe he was comfortable in the boat.  Why move from his comfortable position?  He was satisfied with where he was in life.  He was President and CEO of Zebedee and Son’s Inc.  He had everything he wanted and needed, why move?  He had plenty of money in the bank, he had food on the table, family surrounding him, why move?  He was successful right where he was, why does he need to follow someone? 

My last assumption kind of un-nerved me a little.  Maybe the reason he didn’t move was because he wasn’t mending his net, but was caught and tangled in it.  He only appeared to be mending, when in actuality he was tangled up in the net and if he would have moved, it would have been very noticeable to his family, his friends and his coworkers.   What an embarrassing situation to be in.  Everyone would see that he’s tangled and knotted up in all the circumstances of life.  There is no way he could take that chance.

Don’t we do the same thing that I assumed Zebedee did?   We either act like we don’t care, we make excuses, we’re satisfied and comfortable with what we have and where we are or we are so tangled up in a mess and don’t want anyone to know, that we don’t move when an opportunity comes along. 

If I get an opportunity to become something better, I’m taking it.  I’m not going to sit idly by and let, what could possibly be a chance to become a better person, slip by me.  I think that’s what James and John did.  They saw an opportunity to get out of the mess they could see their Father in; they saw a chance to do something besides row a boat, toss a net and sell fish for the rest of their lives.  They took a chance and followed someone who made them better people, gave them a gift that no one could ever take away, and allowed them to experience things they never would have experienced on or in a boat.

In the story it says that James and John left their nets, the boat and their Father to follow Jesus.  They left the comfort of the boat; the success of a good business, the entangled mess of the nets, and their family to pursue and follow someone they heard call out three words, “Come, follow me.” 

I’ve been told I missed my calling, maybe I have, but I’m not too old to go back and answer it.  Neither are you, but you have to be willing to lay down the nets, leave the comfort of the boat and the familiar surroundings to be taught how to be a …….You've got to fill in that blank.

Just my thoughts, on a page