Give Up Everything

Come dinner time in my house, I’ll announce, “It’s dinner time! Come for dinner!” But usually, children don’t materialize in the kitchen. To summon the kids to the table, I’ll next declare, “Drop what you’re doing and come now!” This statement inevitably provokes a response to come to dinner.

In a similar vein, the Old and New Testament readings in Mass today can be summed up by God saying, “Drop what you’re doing and come to me now!” The abrupt and radical response of the Ninevites to Jonah’s call for repentance forms a backdrop for the Gospel account of the urgent call of the disciples. It reminds us that God’s commission—whether it was issued under the Old Covenant or the New Covenant, requires an instantaneous response. The obvious question arises – why did Jesus demand such an immediate and radical response from his disciples? Father Joseph Edattu answers this question by having us make the connection when Jesus before said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). In short, the time is now when God’s plan of salvation is being ushered in. Any delay and these men will be taken over by uncertainty and an unwillingness to do the crucial mission at hand. The devil works tirelessly behind the scenes to make a person hesitant and then apprehensive in doing God's work. Look at when Peter protested to Jesus about His need to suffer and die. Recall that Jesus' response was bold in declaring that Satan was working in Peter to thwart God's plan as He declared to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan" (Matthew 16: 23-24).  We can suspect that the devil was working to invoke laziness in Jesus' disciples at every stage - especially as Christ begins to recruit His disciples.

How do we know this? We know from the other Gospels that there was a little more backstory to Jesus’ relationship with these four fishermen. They were disciples of John the Baptist and were introduced to Jesus by John as “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The point of Mark’s punchy narrative illuminates that “after John was arrested,” what did these disciples of John go back to doing? They went back to their former way of life even though they knew the importance of Jesus. Here, they were caught in the trap of becoming complacent and perhaps dejected at God's mission because their teacher, John, was removed by the ruling powers. Therefore, Jesus knew these men lacked the courage and desire to act when the time came. Walking up to them today, Jesus needed to provoke a holy sense of urgency in the mission. And true to form, as Jesus challenged these men, they responded to His call to courageously move quickly and empty themselves of earthly attachments.

The response of the Apostles sets an example for us. Simon and Andrew “abandoned their nets,” whereas James and John “left their father in the boat.” They gave up their profession (“nets”) and family relationships (“father”) to follow Jesus. The impulse to abandon all attachments and follow Jesus highlights the surpassing excellence of Christian discipleship over every worldly pursuit. Of course, for many of us, following Jesus might mean doing a better job in our profession or caring more deeply for our family. The point is not that professions or family relationships are inherently bad. It’s that nothing can take priority over our work in God’s mission.

To become a soldier in the U.S. Marines is a radical change for a man where he has to give up much. He is asked to give up his former way of life precisely because he is about to embark on an important mission in defense of his country. How much more is the case of those who join the ranks of Christ's army? Here, these men must thouroughly empty themselves from their wordly bonds to usher in God's kingdom while simultaneously assist in defeating the devil’s kingdom.

Abandoning everything to follow God for most means dropping that hobby or obsession that dominates our thoughts and affections and keeps us from praying and living out God’s plan. So, let us go deep to understand what our attachments are and be prepared to let go of them and follow Christ wherever He takes us.