Mark 1:20 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Mark 1:18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

Mark 1:19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

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

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

Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "straightway", "left", "father", "zebedee", "ship", "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 when he had gone a little..." into verse 21's "And they went 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.