Sunday, March 8, 2026

If you read the New Testament in the Bible, you’ll take a look at stories of Jesus and his first followers. You’ll find fishermen with tempers, tax collectors with reputations, doubters, and arguers. This rag-tag group of individuals may surprise you, but the truth is, the people who physically followed him more closely than anyone else on earth were also the ones who regularly misunderstood him.

I don’t know about you, but this gives me hope and encouragement. It’s a reminder that, as humans and sinners who are far from perfection, we are not disqualified from being followers of Jesus or from being the people he wants to spend time with.

Mark 1:17-18
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

We read that the disciples left their nets and followed him at once, or “immediately,” as the word is used in other gospels.

It's easy to romanticize this immediate action as an effortless or even a fearless moment. But when we read the fuller accounts across the Gospels, we see something more human.

Immediately doesn’t mean they instantly followed him because they understood everything. It means they said yes, immediately, with what they knew.

That’s where following Jesus begins, and that same invitation is available to each of us at every moment of every day.

To immediately follow Jesus does not require perfect clarity; it requires present trust and a willingness to say yes with what you know right now.

Perhaps God is inviting you to set down a net that has defined or restricted you, or to bring an honest question before him. The invitation is not to have everything figured out, but to respond with openness and trust.

During the remaining weeks of Lent and leading up to Easter, we will explore the Gospel of Mark to learn more about Jesus. As we read these chapters, we’ll see ordinary people respond to Jesus in the moment—sometimes with courage, sometimes with hesitation or doubt.

Their journeys show us that following Jesus is rarely straightforward or easy. It can feel uncertain, messy, and even costly.

Yet every story of following Jesus, even yours and mine, starts the same way: with a simple, honest yes.

Discussion Questions:

Ice Breaker: What's something you've had to really prepare for (a trip, race, big event, hunting/fishing season, etc.)? What did the preparation reveal about how serious you were about it?

Where do you see opportunities in our community for us to reflect Jesus’ heart for all people more intentionally?

Read Luke 5:1-11: Jesus moved the disciples' focus from catching fish to reaching people. Where might he be shifting your focus right now?

What do you think it would feel like for you to say yes in the moment, leaving your full nets behind?

Reflect and Respond: Who is one person God may be inviting you to "fish for" — to pray for, invest in, or reach out to?

Subscribe to the Mark Reading Plan and join us as we read together through additional accounts of Jesus calling the first disciples in Mark 1. Take this step with us as we journey deeper into the story and invitation of Jesus.

Prayer:
Jesus, as I follow you, give me your heart for people. Help me to see others not just as part of a mission or a task, but with the same compassion and love you have for each person. Teach me to care more about people than results, and to let your kindness guide all that I do. I love you, I trust you, and I worship you. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:
2 Corinthians 5:20
So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

This post was written by Lori Tuckerman, Director of Content for the Daily LivingItOut.