Matthew 4.18-22: "And they straightway left their nets and followed him."
When Jesus chose his first disciples, he shows considerable daring: he will not seek them among the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, but invites fishermen (or sinners) to follow. In fact, Jesus does not look at the curriculum vitae of those men, he seeks to know the disposition of their hearts.
Today, it is motivating for all of us, because we might be tempted to believe that in the eyes of God, our expertise, knowledge gained from our training can become more important than what our heart feels. But God searches the hearts, the heart of being and He knows that is what we are that counts, not what we learned on the benches of the universities or faculties of theology (which is certainly important, as there are readers here no contempt for studies).
Faith is also a bold, to run a risk: followers abandon everything to follow a man who is foreign to them. They leave their boats, their nets, their own father, to embark on a journey totally unknown. They take the risk of losing some material comfort, security of employment, to launch headlong after a man who will lead, ultimately, at the foot of the Cross.
The call of Jesus is to us too, as it is renewed every day. Each morning, we do not know what the day will be made. So take the risk, as the disciples to follow in the footsteps of Christ, let surprise, bring something, by someone who goes beyond us.
Having faith is believing, is putting all his trust in God that we never met face to face.
Having faith is believing that Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem us from our sins so that we could never touch this man.
Having faith is believing in defiance of all laws of physics and all medical theories, that death is not the end all and that the resurrection and eternal life are promises that God has given us.
Faith is daring! It means being brave! Faith is willing to be disturbed, shaken in our certainties and habits, to answer the call of Christ. This is especially willing to leave a good safe day to commit to an uncertain future, where there is only one certainty: Jesus calls us and before us. He tells us, to each of us, every Aurora: "Come, follow me!"
So let's be bold and give up our comfort "too" reassuring to respond joyfully to the call of Jesus.
Image source: personal photo (c) in July 2008.
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