I will make you become fishers of men.

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

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Multiplication, not addition, has been a consistent axiom of the Kingdom ever since Jesus first called these men to a new style of fishing. It reminds me of that old adage:

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Do you think it odd that the Lord did not call men familiar with theological matters to be by his side? I wonder what it was in these men that attracted the Lord to them? Possibly the Lord wanted capable men that came to him with a blank theological slate?

What strikes me is how eager these men were to leave all to follow Jesus. One has to wonder if they really understood the cost involved. I guess that is what I love the most about this story. Relatively young and passionate men who were not satisfied with the status quo. Men who in just a few years would turn the world upside down as they fished for men.

Lord, I am not comfortable with the status quo. Help me to hear your call.