Context, Context, Context

When studying the Bible, context is everything. Knowing the author, the audience, and the context of the passage you’re reading will not only help prevent you from making dangerous misinterpretations, but will also open your insights into things your might otherwise have missed.

Certainly, “All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2Tim 3:16) and “no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (1Pet 1:21), but we cannot deny the importance of the history, experiences, and personality of the men who spoke from God! A context-focused study provides better insight into the passage as you consider the personality of the writer, the topics he’s been discussing, the people to whom he’s writing, and even things the author chooses to leave out.

In this book, our author is Mark, a disciple of Simon Peter who (as far as we know) never met Jesus, but instead got all of his info about Jesus’ life and ministry directly from Peter and from the sermons he preached (Acts 12:11-12; 1Pet 5:13). So in essence, we’re reading in part “the Gospel according to Peter,” a record of Jesus through the eyes and mouth of one of Jesus’ best friends and part of his “inner circle” (Matthew 17:1), the man who boldly preached the first sermon in the Church Age (Acts 2).

Simon the Fisherman

Mark 1:16-20 is a familiar passage. But let’s use the context of Simon Peter as a fisherman to unravel an important message for every child of God.

Consider Peter at the time of this writing, so much older than he had been when he walked with Jesus, now with a disciple of his own. He’s been relating his own call to ministry—he’s probably preached about it a hundred times!—and now Mark is ready to record it for the world. Still, Mark chooses to tell it not from Peter’s perspective but from Jesus’.

“Now as He walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen” (v.16). Simon Peter recalls his old life near the Sea of Galilee—he’d gone back to that occupation often enough when times got tough!—and Jesus used that lifestyle as a call to ministry. “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men!” (v.17)

“Follow Me, and I will make you…”

I wonder if this calling could work in other ways as well. My grandfather was a stone mason, the best in the biz. I wonder if Jesus would have said to him while he slathered mortar onto a rock, “Follow Me, and I will make you a builder of the Kingdom!”

Or to my brother, who’s in orthopedics, “Follow Me, and I will make you a mender of the broken-hearted!”

Or to my wife, whose life has been given to English education, “Follow me, and I will make you teacher of the lost!”

I think it’s likely true. I am a man of 1,001 interests, and in college I felt a similar calling on my life: “Follow me, and I will make your life an adventure for the cause!”

We think of this calling to be “fishers of men” as the stand-in call for everyone, but this was Jesus’ call to Simon and Andrew, James and John, men who had lived their entire lives as fishermen beside the Sea of Galilee. Jesus might not be calling you to be a fisher of men, because you’re not a fisherman!

But perhaps you’re a biker or a baker, a hunter or a conservationist. Perhaps you’re a computer programmer or work-from-home parent. Whatever your calling in life, consider it: how is Jesus calling YOU to follow Him in ministry?

Action Points:

1) Make a list of the top ten things that you truly enjoy.

• Some of these might be hobbies, some might be work; some might include time with friends or family and some might be time spent alone.
• From this list, ask yourself: “How might Jesus be calling me through this interest?” Try to use the, “Follow Me, and I will make you…” model of Mark 1:17.
• Jot down possible ministry opportunities for each of those callings.
• Make it your goal to use one of your hobbies or interests as the means for ministry this week.

2) Do you know someone who is struggling with purpose right now, especially during the pandemic?

• Write them an encouraging note to point an area where they truly excel.
• Ask them if they have ever thought how Jesus might use their talent, interest, or hobby for His glory.

3) Spread the Word that ministry is no drudgery but something that should excite and fulfill every Child of God!

See Also:
Mark 1:1-8 – “The Beginning”
Mark 1:9-15 – “How to Fight Temptation”
Mark 1:16-20 – “Follow Me”
Mark 1:21-34 – “A Day in the Life of Jesus”
Mark 1:35-45 – “A Time for Prayer and Healing”
Mark 2:1-12 – “Through the Roof”
Mark 2:13-17 – “The Sinner’s Friend”
Mark 2:18-22 ‘ “Inside and Out”

©2020 E.T.