What was it like to hang around Jesus?

It is easy, somehow, to think that the first disciples were special or in some way prepared for the encounters they had with Jesus. Yet if you read the stories of how Jesus called the disciples to follow him, it becomes clear that they were just ordinary folks, doing ordinary jobs. I especially like the stories of Jesus and Peter (or Simon Peter as he is sometimes known), particularly those from the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Peter seems like the kind of guy that you could hang out with. In fact, Peter's first recorded interaction with Jesus is at Peter's own home. In seems like Peter had invited the guys back to his house for dinner after worship at the Synagogue. When they got home, Peter's mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever. Jesus healed her so quickly that she was able to help with dinner preparations. The speed of that healing must have made Peter sit up and take notice, realizing that Jesus had some kind of special power.

The next encounter we hear about between Jesus and Peter is when Jesus asks to use Peter's boat as a pulpit. Peter was hanging around on the beach washing out his fishing nets when a whole bunch of people followed Jesus down to the water to hear him preach the Word of God. So that he wouldn't feel so crowded, Jesus asked Peter to let him preach from the boat, pushed out a bit from shore. I wonder what Peter heard in the words that Jesus preached. I wonder what Peter thought about all the crowds following Jesus. And then when Jesus finished preaching he gave Peter a very unusual command. He told Peter to go out and do so more fishing.

I really wonder about how Peter felt about that command from Jesus to "go fish". Peter, like any businessman, was probably proud of his fishing business and his own skills in fishing. He knew the ropes. He knew that in the Sea of Galilee you fished with nets at night. He knew the fishing had been terrible the night before. I would guess that he was ready to go home and catch a nap. I wonder what he thought about this carpenter/cum itinerant preacher telling him how and when to fish. Peter's response to Jesus reflects his dismay at Jesus' order. "We were out all night and didn't even catch a minnow. Now you want me to go back out in the daytime. If YOU command me to do it, I will." I wonder if Peter was questioning Jesus' sanity, or resenting the lost of sleep it would cost him, or thinking about having to get his clean nets all messed up again.

When Peter followed Jesus' command, he caught fish beyond belief--so many fish that his nets tore and his boat partially sank. He had all these fish to deal with, torn nets to repair and a water-logged boat to salvage. Yet when he came ashore, he followed Jesus immediately. Jesus' power must have really impressed this "down to earth" fisherman for Peter to leave his livelihood and wander off with Jesus. I wonder if he came back occasionally and kept his fishing business up. I wonder if his father and perhaps his brothers kept the business going. What was it like to be wandering around with Jesus as he preached, healed and engaged in confrontation with people in authority? Did Peter sense he was into something "big"? I don't think Peter had any idea of what he was getting into, when he decided to go hang around with Jesus. Yet he followed!!!

What would it be like if anyone of us, got so excited that we followed a call to do something that Jesus asked us to do? What would it feel like? How would our lives change? Would we feel content, challenged, or "in over our heads'?