Recklessness is a response to the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
And passing by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother, casting nets into the sea (for they were fishermen). And Jesus said to them: Come after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And immediately leaving their nets, they followed him.
(Mark 1:16-18 DR)
There is not much of a thought in this. Jesus calls them, they leave him, and follow. Why did they follow so soon? Was the fishing business really bad? There is something much more behind their immediate response. Jesus calls them to repent and believe in the Gospel. The reckless abandon of the soon to be disciples has to do with the person that called them. They can see the life they live now and the attraction to a life of fulfillment and love through this man who is calling them, Jesus.
The reason I know this is not from the text. I know personally that when I have encountered Jesus Christ and he has asked something of me that there is a grace that he gives as reckless abandon. The first, or at least the most memorable time, I experienced this myself was sitting in a chapel to help lead a youth group night almost fourteen years back. This was the time in adoration that I accepted the Lord’s call to consider the priesthood.
In this particular instance there was a grace God gave for me to say YES with reckless abandon. It was attached to the prayer I prayed before this in which I prayed: “Lord. everything I’ve done without you, I have failed.” It was only after that prayer that I had this feeling of recklessness that I could say yes to whatever God asked of me.
I imagine that this was the same grace our two disciples had. Repentance had already taken place. John the Baptist had already been calling them to repentance. They were ready to follow a “new way”. It is only with repentance that our hearts are open to be able to receive the grace of reckless abandonment to Jesus. The place we see this in the Gospel that we see this most clearly is Jesus’ reckless abandon to the will of the Father as he undergoes His passion. Most notably, we see this in his prayer in Gethsemane. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Jn 22:42 NIV) It illustrates well where this grace comes from, the Holy Spirit, the love that is shared so immensely in intensely between the Father and the Son. This is the cause of why Jesus offers himself freely for us on the cross.
That’s what Jesus is calling for us to believe in with this call to follow him after repentance. This great love that is overpowering and overwhelming. And when it is heard with open and repented hearts we can only turn and say yes with RECKLESS ABANDON!
