Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia
Internal Circulation
August 2014
August 2012
CALLING OF THE
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DISCIPLES
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the lamb of God!” The disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them. “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael answered him, “How do you know me?” Jesus Bishop’s Message Editorial My Heartfelt Thanks to ELCM - Rev. Ebenezer Photo Gallery ELCM Events / News Updates
answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1: 35-49). “Calling” is a very Christian word. No religion of the world refers to this idea of a “calling” except the Christian faith. And there is a very good reason for it. Unfortunately, we confuse this word frequently with other ideas. The English word “vocation” comes from the Latin vocatio, which means “calling.” They are the same thing, though this is not obvious to the people who use these words. The fact that many people speak of their jobs as their “vocation” while pastors and missionaries speak of “being called” shows how inadequately we have understood the universal call of God to every Christian. God’s call is primarily salvation-oriented rather than occupational. Martin Luther admonishes that “the Christian is called to be a Christian in whatever situation he or she finds himself or herself, rather than equate vocation with occupation (jobs).” The Scripture affirms that “calling” is always to someone (i.e. God), not to something or somewhere!” The gospel narratives of the calling of the disciples give us an interesting insight into what “calling” itself means for us. In Mark 3:13-15, we find that Jesus goes up a mountain and calls the twelve and they came to him. Mark comments that Jesus ordained them for four purposes: one, to be with him; two, to go out and preach the gospel; three, to heal the sick; and four, to cast out demons. In Matthew, the entire
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