And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Mark 1:16-18, NKJV
Did you realize that day wasn’t the first time Andrew and Peter had met Jesus? It’s true. According to John 1, they had both encountered Jesus much earlier while Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist far away from the Sea of Galilee.
Business as Usual
One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).
John 1:40-42, NKJV
Can you imagine that? The Son of God (Matthew 3:16-17) met them and spent time with them—and gave Simon a brand new name before Simon had done a single thing to deserve it. Andrew and Peter began to faithfully follow Jesus for a little while, but for some reason, along the way, both of them turned back to “business as usual.”
It isn’t clear exactly what kept these brothers from making Jesus the top priority of their lives, but in spite of their revelation of who Jesus was and their commitment to follow Him, something got in the way. Has that ever happened to you?
More Than a Commitment
They walked away from Jesus, but He didn’t give up on them! Or you. Or me. He never does—no matter how many times we go back to business as usual. Before long, Jesus found them again on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. They were the same two guys, but this time, they made far more than a commitment. They SURRENDERED their lives to Him.
There is a real difference between those two things, and the difference is what it costs you. A commitment costs you an intention. Surrender costs you the boat. Look again at what Mark tells us these men walked away from that morning—their nets. Not a hobby. Their trade. The skill they had spent their whole lives sharpening. The thing that paid the bills.
The rest of the story of these two fishermen—Peter in particular—is well documented. He soon witnessed miracles, doubts, betrayal, remorse, disbelief, faith, and mighty works. All because this fisherman finally made relationship with Jesus his top priority in life (John 21:15-19).
Your Nets Are Your Music
Here is what I don’t want you to miss. Jesus never told them to stop fishing. He told them He would make them fishers of men. He took the exact ability they had worked their entire lives to develop and pointed it in a completely new direction.
I’ve watched a lot of talented people lay down real gifts because they assumed surrender meant walking away from the very thing God put in them. It rarely does. More often, the “business as usual” that pulls us back isn’t sin at all—it’s the work. The gig calendar. The streaming numbers. The next song that has to be finished by Friday. Good things, every one of them, that slowly move from being what you offer Him to being what you answer to.
So Where Are You Today?
Did you make a commitment only to fall away—back to the “busyness” of your “real” life? Or are you one who is following Him faithfully, right in the midst of your every-day life?
Even if you have slipped away from His call to a deeper personal relationship, there is real hope for you today. Jesus is still walking down the shore of life, inviting us to leave our “busyness” behind and follow Him. And remember—He named Simon long before Simon was ready to live up to it. He knows exactly what He is going to make of you, too. It’s up to us to lay down the distractions and follow Him.
That decision sure worked out well for Peter.
