Written by Mark Roberts, a contemporary writer.
When Jesus calls his first disciples, Simon and Andrew, then James and John, he calls them away from their work (fishing for fish) and into a new line of work (fishing for people). If we are going to follow Jesus faithfully, should we leave our jobs and take on new employment?…Though the earliest disciples of Jesus did give up their jobs to follow him, that wasn’t true of all first-century followers of Jesus… Often, indeed, most of the time, the call of Jesus does not require the leaving of our jobs. Rather, it invites us to see our work in a whole new light and to do our work for a whole new purpose. Following Jesus fills our “ordinary work” with new meaning and energy. Or, better yet, when we follow Jesus fully and faithfully, there is no “ordinary work.” … The example of the Apostle Paul helps us realize that following Jesus does not necessarily mean we give up our careers or our occupations. Paul was a “full-time craftsman,” a leatherworker who often used his skills to make tents. Usually, therefore, we refer to Paul as a tentmaker. During most of his apostolic efforts, Paul worked long hours in his craft, using his work to support himself and as a platform for sharing the gospel. The example of Paul helps us realize that following Jesus does not necessarily mean we give up our careers or our occupations. But, if we follow Jesus faithfully, then how we live and how we work will be radically altered, even if we remain in the same jobs we had before saying “Yes” to Jesus.
As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. [Mark 1:19-20]
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