Following Jesus (2)

We are now in the church year season of Lent, a time for self-inspection and growth in discipleship. If we want to be disciples of Jesus we will want to know what this entails. Our reading today shows us the beginning of being a disciple.

Matthew 4:18–22 NIV84

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

At least some of them were already disciples of John the Baptist (John 1:35). No doubt they had already talked with Jesus and had already listened to him. They were not men of great scholarship, or influence, or wealth, or social background. They were not poor; they were simple, working people with no great background, and certainly, anyone would have said, with no great future.

Jesus calls

The call is a call to discipleship. Disciples normally chose to become students of a particular rabbi, rather than a teacher calling his own disciples.

A disciple is a student who studies under a teacher, an apprentice learning from a master.

Listen to His teaching

Observe His way of life

Become like Him

John 15:16 NIV84

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Disciples respond

Immediately

No hesitation

Left their old lives

Fishermen had more income than average people in Galilee, so James and John left behind a good job.

Followed

New lives

Tony Evans says, “People want salvation but don’t want to put in the time to be strong disciples of Jesus Christ. What many Christians want to do is to audit the Christian life. An audit is where a person goes to class to get information, but is not required to do any of the work. They don’t have to take a test or do any homework. They are only attending for informational purposes. They want the data without the responsibility. That’s an audit. That’s what some folks do every Sunday. They audit Jesus.”

Fishers of men

What Jesus needs is ordinary men and women who will give him themselves to follow Him. He can do anything with people like that.

Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today

He has no feet but our feet to lead men in the way

He has no tongue but our tongue to tell men how He died

He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible the careless world will read,

We are the sinner’s gospel; we are the scoffer’s creed;

We are the Lord’s last message, given in word and deed;

What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?

What if our hands are busy with other work than His?

What if our feet are walking where sin’s allurement is?

What if our tongue is speaking of things His lips would spurn?

How can we hope to help Him or welcome His return?

—Annie Johnston Flin