A Second Time

Is it, “They immediately left their nets and followed him,” or is it, “The word of the Lord came a second time”? I know, you’re saying that they are both in there. But I mean, which is it for you? Or for your congregation? How often do you get an immediate response? It does happen. Someone who is ready, someone who is leaning in already, someone who is itching to get going. Maybe Peter and Andrew were already thinking about leaving this fishing thing behind. Perhaps James and John were just looking for an excuse to get off their boat, leave their dad behind, and set off on an adventure. It could be a case of narrative foreshortening, meaning that details were left out of the story to not interfere with the flow. But that’s just speculation. Maybe the better clue is in Jesus’ announcement – or what some call his first sermon, at least according to Mark.