Mark 1:20 (ASV)

Passage

And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.

Nearby Context

Mark 1:18 And straightway they left the nets, and followed him.

Mark 1:19 And going on a little further, he saw James the [son] of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending the nets.

Mark 1:20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.

Mark 1:21 And they go into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught.

Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his teaching: For he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "straightway", "left", "father", "zebedee", "boat", "hired", and "servants". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "straightway", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And going on a little further he..." into verse 21's "And they go into Capernaum and straightway...", so "called" and "straightway" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "straightway" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.