Come, Follow Me

Introduction

Picture a large manufacturing plant in your town or city that produces shoes. The management has invested great sums of money and many man-hours into the plant to produce the finest shoes possible. Money has been spent on salaries for the employees, machinery for shoe making, and materials from which the shoes are to be made. The plant is now in operation with hundreds of workers scurrying to and fro. Machines are running full blast, and activity is at a maximum.

One day the president asks the production manager, “How many shoes have we produced so far?”

“None,” the manager answers.

“None?” the president exclaims. “How long have we been in operation?”

“Two years.”

“Two years? And still no shoes?”

“That’s right,” the manager says, “No shoes, but we are really busy. In fact, we have been so busy that we are all nearly tired out. We’ve been very active at our jobs.”

The management would probably be very concerned, fire somebody, try to find out what the problem was.

If we now put a cross on top of that building and transform it into the church on the corner—your church, we find much activity going on. Men and women are working hard. The budget is higher this year than ever before. The objective, however, is to produce disciples. Has all that money and man-hour in your church gone into the production of disciples for Jesus Christ?

Making disciples. That is what the church is all about. The passage we are considering today constitutes Mark’s first mention of the disciples. Most commentators of Mark recognize that his gospel is centered on two fundamental characters - Jesus Christ and his disciples. This introduction, like the bulk of Mark’s gospel, is brief - yet at the same time is full of significance and application.

In order to help you appreciate the significance of this passage, we are going to spend the next three weeks considering Jesus’ call to discipleship. This week we will consider the call itself - “come, follow me”. Next week, we will look at the task to which the disciples were called - “I will make you fishers of men”, and we will conclude by looking at the disciples response - they dropped their nets, departed from their boats, and left their family. This is really the essence of discipleship - a call, a task, and a response. As a church it is our duty to make disciples - to communicate the call of Christ, to assign Christ’s task, and to encourage men and women in their response. My hope is that this series of sermons will help us to better comprehend our task of making disciples and to better prepare you to

Matthew 16:24 RVR60

Entonces Jesús dijo a sus discípulos: Si alguno quiere venir en pos de mí, niéguese a sí mismo, y tome su cruz, y sígame.

Setting the stage

Mark’s account of the calling of the disciples focuses on two sets of brothers: Andrew and Peter (1:16) and James and John (1:19). We know from Luke 5:10 that these two sets of brothers were in all likelihood business partners working together in the fishing industry on the sea of Galilee. We know from John’s gospel (1:35), that Andrew knew about Jesus from John the Baptist and that John the Baptist had identified him explicitly saying

John 1:35–36 RVR60

El siguiente día otra vez estaba Juan, y dos de sus discípulos.Y mirando a Jesús que andaba por allí, dijo: He aquí el Cordero de Dios.

Andrew and Peter knew who Jesus was; they knew he was the Lamb of God, the promised Messiah.

Mark chooses to focus his attention on the calling of what G. Campbell Morgan has called the “special three”. He chooses Peter who loved Jesus. He chooses John who was the beloved disciple. And he chooses James who was the first to seal his testimony with blood.

Jesus and his disciples in Mark

Markan scholars have debated the significance of the disciples in Mark’s gospel. T.J. Weeden, for example, argued that if Jesus is the hero of Mark’s gospel, the disciples are the anti-heroes. Jesus’ perfection is on full display in Mark’s gospel even while the disciple’s imperfection is exposed over and over again.

What are the disciples’ imperfection recounted in Mark? Well, let’s think about that:

Lack of faith - when Jesus calms the storm

Mark 4:40 RVR60

Y les dijo: ¿Por qué estáis así amedrentados? ¿Cómo no tenéis fe?

Lack of understanding - feeding of the multitude

Mark 6:52 RVR60

Porque aún no habían entendido lo de los panes, por cuanto estaban endurecidos sus corazones.

Lack of submission - Jesus announces his death

Mark 8:33 RVR60

Pero él, volviéndose y mirando a los discípulos, reprendió a Pedro, diciendo: ¡Quítate de delante de mí, Satanás! porque no pones la mira en las cosas de Dios, sino en las de los hombres.

Lack of humility - when the disciples became jealous of James and John

Mark 10:44 RVR60

y el que de vosotros quiera ser el primero, será siervo de todos.

The disciples were indeed an imperfect bunch. But with each imperfection of the disciples, we see more clearly the perfection of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ excellence begins with his calling of the disciples.

So, let’s turn our attention to this calling. If you would, look at

Mark 1:17 RVR60

Y les dijo Jesús: Venid en pos de mí, y haré que seáis pescadores de hombres.

Today we are going to consider the first part of Jesus’ calling: come, follow me. First, we will look at the summons itself - come. Next we will consider the manner of the summons - follow. And finally, we will consider the object of the summons - me.

“Come, follow me.” This is an unusual and surprising way for a teacher to obtain disciples. In Jesus’ day, many rabbis and teachers had disciples. But none of them went out to identify their disciples. On the contrary, the disciples would seek out the master. They would hear of his teachings and long to be under the teacher’s tutelage. They would travel great distances and pay huge sums of money just to study under the master. But not so with our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ did not have anyone longing to be his disciple - rather he chose his disciples. And that is the way our Lord operates today. No one here chose Jesus - Jesus chose you. You see, Jesus Christ summons us individually to a personal relationship with him. That is the sum and the substance of the disciple’s calling. So, let’s look at the three parts of this calling:

Come

The word translated “come” is the Greek word deute is a hortatory participle indicating the immediate action of the addressee towards a goal. It is used in other key NT passages such as

Matthew 11:28 RVR60

Venid a mí todos los que estáis trabajados y cargados, y yo os haré descansar.

and to Lazarus’ inert body in

John 11:43 RVR60

Y habiendo dicho esto, clamó a gran voz: ¡Lázaro, ven fuera!

Jesus’ call of the disciples - come - is not a general call, not a blanket invitation but it is an individual summons. It is not an option or a suggestion. When given the summons there is no alternative.

Application

Theologians speak of the Lord’s calling on the individual as the “effectual call.” When Jesus calls men and women to himself, there is no option, no alternative. The Spirit’s in-working is so powerful, so compelling, so irresistible that men and women have no choice but to respond.

You cannot determine the manner, the timing or the place of the calling. The Lord decides that. And when the Lord Jesus Christ calls out to you, you can be assured that you will respond effectually. What if he catches me on a bad day? What if I am not fully convinced? What if I miss the call?

You see, this is what makes Christianity different from any other religion on the face of the planet. Other religions offer a method, a pattern, a pathway to achieve some benefit. But Christianity offers none of these. Christianity offers a person - the Lord Jesus Christ - who calls sinners to himself in a personal relationship and he assures that his calling will be effectual.

John 10:27 RVR60

Mis ovejas oyen mi voz, y yo las conozco, y me siguen,

The Lord’s calling is always personal - it is to you specifically. You are not called because you grew up in a Christian home, you are not called because you live in a Christian nation, you are not called because you have a certain ideology or hold particular positions that endear you to other Christians. You are called as an individual sinner in need of God’s grace and you are assured to find him assurance of mercy and redemption.

So, now let’s look at the manner of the calling.

Follow

The Greek word here is opiso which suggests leadership, being mastered by something. We are not called to an identity, to a label - we are called to bend a knee to King Jesus - to be mastered by him. Luke uses the word in Acts 20:30 to convey the idea of drawing away:

Acts 20:30 RVR60

Y de vosotros mismos se levantarán hombres que hablen cosas perversas para arrastrar tras sí a los discípulos.

John uses it in Revelation 13:3 to describe the luring power of the beast:

Revelation 13:3 RVR60

Vi una de sus cabezas como herida de muerte, pero su herida mortal fue sanada; y se maravilló toda la tierra en pos de la bestia,

Jesus uses it in Matthew 16:24 to describe the true nature of discipleship.

Matthew 16:24 RVR60

Entonces Jesús dijo a sus discípulos: Si alguno quiere venir en pos de mí, niéguese a sí mismo, y tome su cruz, y sígame.

Application

To follow Jesus is not simply to assent. It is not agreement. It is not that you like his words. To follow Jesus is to be mastered by Jesus. In verse 15 of Mark 1 we see the content of Jesus’ preaching

Mark 1:15 RVR60

diciendo: El tiempo se ha cumplido, y el reino de Dios se ha acercado; arrepentíos, y creed en el evangelio.

The Kingdom of God has drawn near and we are to live under his kingship. We are to bow the knee to him. To submit to him and to be mastered by him.

So, the question is: are you being mastered by King Jesus this morning? Are you living under his authority and not your own? Are you bending your knee to him or are you bending it to something else?

You agree with the teachings preached from this pulpit every week. Ok. You assent to the truth of the Word. Ok. You enjoy hearing the Word preached. Ok. But are you continuously being mastered by the Lord Jesus Christ himself? That is the real question we need to ask ourselves this morning.

So, let’s turn, finally, to the object of the calling.

Me

The call of discipleship is a calling to follow Jesus Christ. Let’s approach this by asking a question:

What does it mean to be a Christian?

You might say: it means holding to a particular set or system of doctrines - the Trinity, the incarnation, the covenant, redemption, the life everlasting. It is certainly true that being a Christian means holding to all these things, but holding to a system of doctrine in itself will not make you a Christian.

You might say: it means living a Christian life. It means ruling your life by a set of standards and norms set forth in Scripture. It is certainly true that being a Christian means loving God’s law and striving to live under it. But again, this in itself will not make you a Christian.

A third option is to say: it means going to church, attaching yourself to a local Christian congregation to grow in grace and knowledge. It is true that as a Christian your utmost desire is to be a part of the Lord’s congregation and to live in fellowship with his people. But again, this in itself will not make you a Christian.

All of these things certainly play a role in the life of the Christian but none of them, by themselves or in any combination will make you a Christian. To be a Christian is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior and king. To be a Christian is to have a personal relation with Jesus Christ - submitting to him, being mastered by him.

One of the disciples called on that day - the Apostle John - records one of Jesus’ great “I am” statements in

John 10:11–14 RVR60

Yo soy el buen pastor; el buen pastor su vida da por las ovejas.Mas el asalariado, y que no es el pastor, de quien no son propias las ovejas, ve venir al lobo y deja las ovejas y huye, y el lobo arrebata las ovejas y las dispersa.Así que el asalariado huye, porque es asalariado, y no le importan las ovejas.Yo soy el buen pastor; y conozco mis ovejas, y las mías me conocen,

To be a Christian is to be a sheep in the flock of the great shepherd. So, are you following the great shepherd this morning? Are you letting him the lead the way or are you wandering on your own? Are you lying in the green pastures he has led you to or are you finding your own pasture? Are you following him by the still waters or are you seeking the waters of a rushing river? Are you comforted by his rod and staff or are you doing everything you can to escape his loving instruction?

Conclusion

The mission of the church is to make disciples. It is to transmit Jesus’ ongoing call to come and to follow him. And that is why the church cannot be about anything but Jesus Christ; that is why the church must exalt Christ in everything it does. Every sermon, every teaching, every activity needs to be about Jesus Christ. Why? Because being a disciple of Christ means that we are following him.