In the readings last week, we find a variety of ways God uses to call people to service. In 1 Samuel, God calls the boy Samuel even before he knew God. Yet, with the encouragement of the priest Eli, Samuel responds and begins a great career as Israel’s first judge. In the Gospel reading, John presents his version of the calling of Andrew and Philip, who both go on to call others to discover Jesus. Nathanael’s response might be similar to how we might react – with skepticism. However, even Nathanael becomes quickly won over by the insights Jesus shows.
Today’s Gospel reading gives us the very familiar story of Jesus walking beside the Sea of Galilee and calling Peter and Andrew and James and John from their occupation as fishermen to become fishers of men. Much has been made of their willingness to abandon everything they knew to follow Jesus. Why were they so willing? Some suggest that they might have already been familiar with Jesus’ teachings, since He was there in Capernaum where they worked, or because they had already known Jesus through the ministry of John the Baptizer, as we see in the Gospel of John. For whatever reason, these four men dropped everything and followed Jesus.
