He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.
Parallel translations
- WEB Immediately he called them, and they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.
- KJV And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
- BSB Immediately Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.
- NKJV And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.
- NASB Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and went away to follow Him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus calls James and John, and they leave their father and the boat to follow Him. Following Christ may mean leaving even close ties.
Overview
Their immediate departure, leaving their father Zebedee, underscores the priority Jesus rightly claims over all other loyalties. The mention of hired servants suggests they left a settled livelihood, not destitution. Such ready obedience illustrates the all-surpassing worth of following the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Matt 10:37He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.
- Mark 10:29Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News,
- Luke 14:26“If anyone comes to me, and doesn’t disregard his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple.
- Matt 8:21–22Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”
- 2 Cor 5:16Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more.
- 1 Kgs 19:20Elisha left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me please kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” He said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?”
- Matt 4:21–22Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them.
- Deut 33:9He said of his father, and of his mother, ‘I have not seen him.’ He didn’t acknowledge his brothers, nor did he know his own children; for they have observed your word, and keep your covenant.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 1:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.