Mark 1:16-28, 35-39
Mark 1:16
“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.”
Now the action begins! After His baptism and temptation, Jesus—empowered by the Spirit—begins His mission. His first task is to call those who will become His apostles.
The word apostles means “sent ones.” Simon and Andrew were brothers working in the family business, which provided them with stability, security, and comfort. Jesus asks them to leave it all behind.
Would you leave everything for a man you just met?
Jesus chose simple fishermen, not learned men, to become His messengers. This reflects Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:20–21:
“Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”
The call of Jesus is more important than family traditions.
Mark 1:17
“And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’”
By this point, Andrew, Simon, James, and John were already acquainted with Jesus (John 1). They had been pointed to Him by John the Baptist. Yet, they had not yet confessed Him as Lord and Savior.
For Jesus to be Lord of our lives, we must be willing to “immediately leave our nets and follow Him.” This is the same call echoed throughout the gospels.
N. T. Wright comments:
“Only when you think a bit about the sort of life Peter, Andrew, James and John had had, and the totally unknown future Jesus was inviting them into, do you understand just how earth-shattering this little story was and is. Leave everything you’ve known, all your security, your family (and family solidarity was hugely important in that culture), and follow Jesus. Some people, maybe some people reading this, face that call today.”
Jesus works incarnationally—in the flesh. He comes to dwell with us (Immanuel), brings us into His body by partaking of His body and blood, and sends preachers we can see and hear. God desires to partner with us in restoring creation.
God graciously wants to “catch” and save those who have gone astray in sin. He chooses apostles to accomplish this mission (1:15). Later, He appoints the Twelve (3:13–19), sends them out with authority (6:7–13), and ultimately commissions them for worldwide mission (16:15; cf. Matt 28:18–20). This fulfills God’s promise to Abraham that his offspring would be a blessing to all families of the earth (Gen. 12:3; 22:18).
Mark 1:18
“And immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
Tertullian writes:
“Do you hesitate about your business and professions for the sake of your children and parents? It has been demonstrated to us in Scripture that any too dear relations, crafts and trades are to be quite left behind for the Lord’s sake. For James and John, called by the Lord, immediately leave quite behind both father and ship. Matthew is roused from the toll booth. Even burying a father was too tardy a business for faith! None of those whom the Lord chose to him said, ‘I have no means to live.’” (On Idolatry 12)
Mark 1:19–20
“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.”
“Wash, rinse, and repeat.” Again, Jesus calls; again, the disciples leave everything.
Zebedee’s family business was profitable enough to employ hired servants. John 12:15 shows that this family even had connections with the high priest. Yet, his sons left behind a safe and successful vocation to follow a rabbi from Nazareth.
Jerome explains:
“There must have been something divinely compelling in the face of the Savior. Otherwise they would not have acted so irrationally as to follow a man whom they had never seen before. Does one leave a father to follow a man in whom he sees nothing more than he sees in his father? They left their father of the flesh to follow the Father of the spirit. They did not leave a father; they found a Father. What is the point of this digression? To show that there was something divine in the Savior’s very countenance that men, seeing, could not resist.” (Homily 83)
Why fishermen?
Logos Notes: Fishermen lived on the fringes of Jewish religious life. Their work made it hard to observe purity laws. By calling them, Jesus showed that His message was for all—not just the religious elite. Their trade also trained them to endure hardship, face danger, and persist through disappointment. Their lack of formal education let Christ’s power, not human wisdom, shine. Having already followed John the Baptist, they were spiritually receptive. Jesus chose them not for ability but for willingness. His choice shows the inclusive and transformative nature of His ministry.
Mark 1:21–22
“And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.”
Capernaum was on the northwestern coast of the Sea of Galilee, west of the Jordan River. Archaeological research has uncovered the synagogue mentioned here, as well as what may have been Peter’s house—later transformed into a house church and, by the 4th–5th centuries, a Byzantine octagonal church.
Jesus’ teaching stood out. Unlike the scribes, He taught with authority—His own authority. This models the pastoral office today: pastors speak in the Name of Jesus.
The Greek word ekplēssō means to be astonished, amazed, or struck dumb.
Lenski observes:
“Note the psychology—as long as Jesus spoke, every eye and every ear were fixed on him in rapt attention, dreading to miss a single word. But when the voice that held them spellbound became silent, the tension was relaxed, and amazement swept over the hearers. What produced this effect was the διδαχή (teaching) of Jesus.”
Mark 1:23–24
“And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.’”
An interruption: a man possessed by an unclean spirit.
This shows Jesus’ ministry in both Word (teaching) and Deed (healing). What seems like a disruption becomes an opportunity to display authority and mercy.
Interestingly, the second being in Mark’s Gospel to recognize Jesus is not a disciple, but a demon. People often fail to see Christ clearly, but demons know exactly who He is.
Yet this knowledge does not save them. Faith without love is dead.
Augustine comments:
“Call to mind with me the time when Peter was praised and called blessed. Was it because he merely said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’? No, he who pronounced him blessed regarded not merely the sound of his words, but the affections of his heart. Compare that with the words of the demons who said almost the same thing: ‘We know who you are, the Son of God,’ just as Peter had confessed him as ‘Son of God.’ So what is the difference? Peter spoke in love, but the demons in fear.… So tell us how faith is to be defined, if even the devils can believe and tremble? Only the faith that works by love is faith.” (Sermons on New Testament Lessons 40.8)
Mark 1:25–28
“But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.”
The presence of Jesus is torment to demons. His word is enough: “Be silent, and come out of him!”
These same words silence the voices that torment us.
N. T. Wright comments:
“Sometimes people for whom life had become a total nightmare—whose personalities seemed taken over by alien powers—confronted Jesus; indeed, they seem to have had a kind of inside track on recognizing him, knowing who he was and what he’d come to do. He’d come to stop the nightmare, to rescue people, both nations and individuals, from the destructive forces that enslaved them. So whether it was shrieking demons, a woman with a fever, or simply whatever diseases people happened to suffer from, Jesus dealt with them, all with the same gentle but deeply effective authority.”
The witnesses cannot keep quiet: His fame spreads everywhere.
Mark 1:35
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
After a long day of teaching and healing, Jesus seeks solitude and prayer. His strength comes not from popularity or power but from communion with His Father.
Origen observes:
“Jesus prayed and did not pray in vain, since he received what he asked for in prayer when he might have done so without prayer. If so, who among us would neglect to pray? Mark says that ‘in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed.’ And Luke says, ‘He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray,”’ and elsewhere, ‘And all night he continued in prayer to God.’ And John records his prayer, saying, ‘When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.”’ The same Evangelist writes that the Lord said that he knew ‘you hear me always.’ All this shows that the one who prays always is always heard.” (On Prayer 13.1)
Mark 1:36–39
“And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’ And he said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.”
The disciples wanted Jesus to stay in Capernaum and continue healing—perhaps even start a “house of healing.” But Jesus’ mission was larger.
Because He spent time in prayer, He was clear about His purpose: not simply to heal, but to preach the good news.
His ministry flows outward: from Galilee to Judea, then to Samaria, and finally “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Questions for Reflection:
When are you most willing to set aside your own needs for another person’s needs?
What does it mean to be “fishers of men”? (1:17)
What does Christ expect us to give up to follow Him?
What does it mean for a person to sacrifice personal achievements, friends, or even family for the sake of Christ?
What does our society think of loners?
In light of this passage, how do you think Jesus knew His life purpose so clearly?
How can you order the parts of your life to reflect the priorities Jesus had?
Sources:
Tertullian — On Idolatry 12
Jerome — Homily 83
Augustine — Sermons on New Testament Lessons 40.8
Origen — On Prayer 13.1
John Chrysostom — (referenced indirectly in earlier section, not here)
R. C. H. Lenski — The Interpretation of St. Mark’s Gospel
N. T. Wright — Mark for Everyone
Logos Notes — on fishermen, ritual purity, and discipleship background