Picked First

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. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 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.
Mark 1:16–20
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Picked First
If you ever stood in a line on the playground as teams were being picked, you know the anxious feeling that comes upon you. You want to be picked first, and if that doesn’t happen, then at least don’t be picked last. We all want to belong, to be wanted, to be picked. The first thing Jesus does in His public ministry is to call two pairs of brothers. They respond by dropping everything, following Him, and becoming “fishers of men.” This same invitation to discipleship confronts all people today: either drop everything and, in faith, follow Jesus, make the sacrifices, or run the risk of missing out on the Kingdom. Thankfully, we are not left to our own devices in this regard. God’s Holy Spirit, working through the Word and Sacraments, moves us to faithful discipleship and so also to eternal life. And whether we are picked first or last is not as important as the fact that Jesus has picked us. We are His, and in that truth, we have comfort and peace. Let us thank the Lord for calling us into His kingdom, for which He declares us fit by His grace. May He keep us faithful in our calling, for Jesus’ sake.