Reflect prayerfully on the Scripture reading as you listen.

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

Mark 1:16-20

Lord Jesus, you called the Apostles to follow you. Help us to hear your call in our daily lives and respond with faith. Give us the courage to follow you in all we do.

Our Father...

Just as they did not know everything about their best friends when they first met them, the disciples did not know or understand that Jesus was the Messiah. This was because they believed, like most of the other Jews, that the Messiah was going to be a military hero who would make Israel a powerful country. They also did not understand that Jesus would die and be raised from the dead for the salvation of God’s people. Often when Jesus performed a miracle or something that was hard to believe, He told people to keep it secret. This is called the Messianic Secret. Some think Jesus did this because He was not the type of Messiah they expected. Others think it was because Jesus understood human nature and how, if you tell someone to keep something secret, they will tell even more people. Whatever the reason, even though the disciples were with Jesus while He performed miracles and they heard all that He taught, they still were slow to believe. It wasn’t until Jesus rose from the dead that they fully understood who Jesus was!