Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. The second pair's departure adds father to the list of what is left: the boat (livelihood), Zebedee (family), and the nets (occupation) are all left immediately. Luke 14:26 records Jesus' demand that disciples love him more than father and mother, son and daughter; James and John enact this before the demand is spoken. The father who is left behind is not abandoned to destitution — he is still in the boat with hired servants (Mark 1:20) — but the priority has been established. Following Jesus means allowing the relationship with the teacher to reorder all other relationships without destroying them.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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