Mark 1:14-20
My husband and I sit at home at the end of the evening and watch television. Quite often we will try watching a new show but once something implausible happens in the plot, we soon tire of the show and it is gone forever, off the DVR and future episodes never to be recorded. Judge Judy has a saying, ' if it doesn't make sense, it's probably isn't true'. I sit hear thinking about some of the implausibilities of this Scripture passage.
I suppose the first thing of all would be that a Jewish carpenter is actually the savior of the world. But from this passage, the carpenter picks fisherman to be his first disciples. These are to be the chosen elite, the ones who will walk with him, dine with him, learn from him and probably laugh and drink with him as well. These men will become so close to Jesus that they will die for him. Today the church remembers James, mentioned in this passage, who is the first apostle recorded as martyred by being beheaded.
Another improbable ( but a good possibility ) is the relationship that evolves between James' brother John and Jesus. John is thee "beloved disciple" , the "disciple whom Jesus loved" and the disciple who as a young man at the time, laid his head on Jesus' breast. The highly improbably single, 33 year old Jewish man is our savior who, while dying on the cross tells his mother that John is now his son. Jesus also tells John, this is now your mother. Perhaps it is my imagination or shades of Ruth and Naomi, but this sounds a bit like a hand off in a tradition where the families have already been joined in whatever manner was appropriate at the time. Nothing sexual is (ever) noted in the New Testament about Jesus so we can't really think there was anything going on between the two in that vein but it is clear that it was unique and loving relationship, even more than his normal followers and Apostles.
What may seem blasphemous to some is the mere idea that Jesus was gay but it seems to me equally as plausible as some of the other things we are presented with in holy scripture and we believe them none the less, fisherman as disciples, a carpenter is the messiah and let's not even get into the miracles.
With the eyes of faith we can believe many things and we can actually see them. The truth is though, would it matter if Jesus was gay? Would his message be negated because he was gay. We like to think of male and female but yet God is neither male nor female. God the 'father' is a construct that we feel comfortable with in our male dominated societies. Perhaps God is both male and female, perhaps God is a she or God is simply 'God'.
My point is that whatever we find hard to believe or seems implausible or perhaps seems blasphemous, it simply detracts from the overwhelming truth that God wishes us to know in our hearts and in our minds. We are created in love, God is love and Jesus gave us the two great commandments as the final say with love as the arbiter. Anything else that troubles you in faith, put it aside until time or wisdom gives you the answer. In the meantime you can love, love, love and know God is with you always.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
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