leaving the nets

Good, but not nearly enough.

winter in Prejmer, Romania.

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Leaving the nets.

Leaving the nest.

Leaving the rest.

Leaving your vocation for another.

Leaving your home for another.

Leaving your religion for another.

The Twelve left their nets to follow Jesus. It was not a complete break because there are occasions where they are seen back at work, especially after Jesus' death. They also left their homes, not completely because they still moved about in the general area, but Jesus (Luke 18 for instance) allowed that they had left their homes truly enough to be recognized as such.

After Pentecost their status became less identifiable, but it is nevertheless true that at the beginning they had left their nets and nest for Christ, at times. They moved further away from Jerusalem over time, often into the extreme Gentile areas, but always returned home. No one stayed.

It was not until Paul that anyone left Israel and stayed away as a general principle. In order to do that, Paul not only left "the nets", but also his nest (his place of comfort and refreshment). Possibly unintended, it also meant he left the rest: those who would leave their home for a while but not completely.

It might have been a surprise to Paul to find himself at odds with "the rest" by taking on the role of missionary to the Gentiles. It did not have to be that way. There was no reason for the others to regard him as an outsider. He was different, but they turned that difference into distance. He was not just a missionary to the Gentiles; he was also traitor to the Jew.