We can learn a lot about how God calls folks to what He created them for from the gospel accounts of the callings of Jesus' first disciples. We'll start that off by considering the timing of such calls.
Prayerfully read these scriptures and then consider the points set out below
The next day as John stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past,36and John looked towards him and said, 'Look, there is the lamb of God.'37And the two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.38Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, 'What do you want?' They answered, 'Rabbi' -- which means Teacher -- 'where do you live?'39He replied, 'Come and see'; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.40One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and say to him, 'We have found the Messiah' -- which means the Christ-42and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas' -- which means Rock.
43The next day, after Jesus had decided to leave for Galilee, he met Philip and said, 'Follow me.'44Philip came from the same town, Bethsaida, as Andrew and Peter.45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.'46Nathanael said to him, 'From Nazareth? Can anything good come from that place?' Philip replied, 'Come and see.'
47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, 'There, truly, is an Israelite in whom there is no deception.'48Nathanael asked, 'How do you know me?' Jesus replied, 'Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree.'49Nathanael answered, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel.'50Jesus replied, 'You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You are going to see greater things than that.'51And then he added, 'In all truth I tell you, you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of man.'
As he was walking by the Lake of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast into the lake with their net, for they were fishermen.19And he said to them, 'Come after me and I will make you fishers of people.'20And at once they left their nets and followed him.21Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.22And at once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.
As he was walking along by the Lake of Galilee he saw Simon and Simon's brother Andrew casting a net in the lake -- for they were fishermen.17And Jesus said to them, 'Come after me and I will make you into fishers of people.'18And at once they left their nets and followed him. 19Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending the nets. 20At once he called them and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.
Now it happened that he was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God,2when he caught sight of two boats at the water's edge. The fishermen had got out of them and were washing their nets.3He got into one of the boats -- it was Simon's -- and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
4When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.'5Simon replied, 'Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.'6And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear,7so they signaled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled both boats to sinking point.8When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, 'Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.'9For he and all his companions were completely awestruck at the catch they had made;10so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's partners. But Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will be catching.'11Then, bringing their boats back to land they left everything and followed him.
1. First, let’s try to sort out the chronology. It appears that the events described in John 1:35-51 preceded those described in Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, and Luke 5:1-11 (collectively “the synoptics”). More specifically, it seems that Andrew, Simon/Peter, Phillip, and Nathaniel met Jesus at the Jordan shortly after Jesus’ baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness for His temptation, and then the events described in the synoptics occurred.
2. The sequence of events described these passages illustrate some interesting dynamics about the “when” of God’s calls:
A. God’s calls unfold over time. The seeds planted during the events described in John 1:35-51 do not mature into the full-grown call described in the synoptics right away. Jesus went away for 40 days in between those events, and, as discussed below, other things occurred between those events, things that supported the disciples’ acceptance of their calls (as described in the synoptics).
B. God’s plan unfolds via multiple, sometimes simultaneously occurring, circumstances. The seeds planted at the encounter described in John 1:35-51 likely germinated in Galilee while Jesus was being tested in the desert. Given that Andrew and Simon/Peter lived in the same small community as James and John, and that they worked in close proximity to each other, it is likely that the Zebedees were aware of Andrew’s and Simon/Peter’s encounter with Jesus at the Jordan and discussed the matter while Jesus was out in the desert. God’s plan was therefore unfolding in two locales simultaneously (in the desert and in Galilee). God was multi-tasking here, doing (at least) two things at once.
C. God’s calls unfold in stages, with God laying the ground work before He makes each stage. The calls described in the synoptics were not “cold calls.” Consider that:
i. There were preexisting relationships between Jesus, Andrew, and Simon/Peter. That relationship started at the Jordan (as described in John 1:35-51). It was likely renewed on at least a general level when Jesus started his public ministry in Galilee after His testing. See Matthew 4:12-16, Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:14-37. It was undoubtedly strengthened through the events involving Peter’s family, described in Luke 4:38-39.
ii. Jesus took specific actions that made it easier for Peter to answer His call. The miracle described in Luke 4:38-39 no doubt underlined the fact that Jesus was worthy of following, as did the miraculous catch described in Luke 5:4-7. That likely made it easier for Peter’s family, and Peter himself, to see that Jesus’s call was worthy of acceptance. Further, the miraculous catch described in Luke 5:4-7 made it easier for Peter to accept the call by providing material support for his family.
Although it is unclear if the Zebedees met Jesus at the Jordan, they no doubt had prior awareness of Him through Andrew and Simon/Peter’s discussion of what happened there and Jesus’ general activity in their area. Further, they were likely aware of what Jesus had done for Peter’s family (as described in Luke 4:38-39) and definitely knew about the miraculous catch described in Luke 5:4-7. That catch also provided material support for their families, making it easier for them to accept Jesus call. Those things therefore laid the ground work for the Zebedees’ call.
D. God’s calls take a while to mature once they are accepted. Jesus said “I will make you fishers of men” (emphasis added). That implies that the disciples will need to grow into the role Jesus is calling them to. That dynamic—growth over time—is also reflected in the scriptures collected in Wisdom principles: We Grow in Godliness Over Time, Gradually.
E. Peter’s life illustrates that calls are not once in a lifetime things. He faced several other moments in his life where he had to decide whether he would follow Jesus on Jesus’ terms. See John 6:60-69, John 21, Acts 10.
F. How do we respond to those dynamics in living our lives?
i. Be patient. Don’t be frustrated or worried that God has not yet called you to (what you perceive to be) a more significant role in His plan. The dynamics discussed here are consistent with a wider pattern: God grows us into what we were ultimately created for over time. See the scriptures collected in Wisdom Principles: We Grow in Godliness Over Time, Gradually. We should therefore be content with what God has already given/tasked us with. Sirach 3:21-22 puts it well: “Do not try to understand things that are too difficult for you or try to discover what is beyond your powers. Concentrate on what has been assigned you” (NJB).
ii. Be open to and focused on what God is calling you to/doing in your life right now. It might well be preparing you for a different call, so you don’t want to miss it. Indeed, Peter’s response to Jesus’ call might have been different if he had not let Jesus into his house (Luke 4:38-39), denied Jesus’ request to use his boat as a pulpit (Luke 5:3) or blown off Jesus’ direction to go cast his net out at the time and place Jesus indicated (Luke 5:4-5). Jesus references that dynamic in Matthew 25:21. That dynamic might also be another reason that Jesus tells us to focus on what God has put before us right now in Matthew 6:33-34.
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Other posts about God calling folks to the purposes He created them for are collected at What we can learn about God's calls from Jesus calling His first disciples--collected
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