Mark 1:16–20 (ESV)
16 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. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 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. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
The brevity of this scene is a bit shocking. It’s usually not a good idea to leave your family and your career to follow someone who simply walks up to you at work and asks you to follow him.
In Luke’s account of this event (Luke 5:1-11) he documents Jesus’ miracle of producing a large catch of fish at the wrong time of day and in the wrong area of the lake. John’s gospel notes that some of the disciples had encountered Jesus at his baptism with John the Baptist. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that they have had some interaction with Jesus before this point. Mark choosing to eliminate these details. This along with the use of “immediately” in v. 18 and 20 are likely meant to emphasize the step of faith that following Jesus required. For them to leave their source of income and their families was obviously a huge risk. They weren’t sure of Jesus’ identity at this point and he had only just begun his ministry.
Two more notes on this passage. One, Jesus doesn’t call them to follow a teaching or a way. He simply calls them to follow him. He, himself, is the source and the object of the call. This is unheard of in the Old Testament. The prophets all called the people to greater faithfulness to the covenant and the way of God, not to follow themselves. So even this is a bold claim of Jesus and one that sets him apart from every other prophet.
Two, note the promise associated with following him. It’s not wealth, luxury, or fame. It’s a mission! Their mission is currently to fish for fish in order to sustain a living. Jesus tells them that their new mission will be to fish for people (the word translated “men” is broader than just the male gender, it refers to all humanity). At this point, he doesn’t even promise them success in this new mission! Yet they choose to follow him. If Jesus were trying to gain a following under false pretenses, this was certainly not the way to do it. Instead, he tells them the truth of what following him will entail.