Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. Mark 1:18
What are some things in your life that you have left behind? Your school years? A past job or career path? Certain relationships? In this Sunday’s Gospel passage, we continue the theme of discipleship that we talked about last week. We hear how Jesus called His first disciples and what they left behind to follow Him. Simon and Andrew left behind their livelihood as fishermen to become “fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). James and John left behind their father, Zebedee, still sitting in the boat! (Mark 1:20).
In our Psalm, we plead to God to help us to follow Him more closely: “Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths” (Psalm 25:4). This is the way of discipleship: following the path God has planned for us, no matter what we have to leave behind. Detachment is all about prioritizing. It isn’t about forsaking all good things, like relationships and careers. Rather, detachment is about rightly ordering the things of this world and placing God before all else.
Jesus taught about detachment and discipleship in this way: “If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26). Surely Christ is exaggerating here; we are not meant to hate anyone. But we are called to place God before all good things, even our own lives.
Repentance is another theme for this week’s readings. God sent Jonah to Nineveh to convince them to turn “from their evil way” (Jonah 3:10). And Jesus proclaims, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Repentance is leaving sinful patterns behind. In the presence of the Kingdom of God—Christ the King—our call is to detach from the good things of this world and repent from the evil things.
Lord Jesus, help me to rightly order my desires so I can respond to the things of this world with a holy perspective. Help me to place God over all good things and repent from all evil things.