FOLLOW ME
Matthew 4:18-20 NKJV
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Follow - to come after. To take as a model or precedent, imitate: Jesus called Andrew and Peter to follow Him. His promise to the brothers was that if they would follow Him, He would make them fishers of men. For two regular fishermen, that was a major upgrade - to become fishers of men. But there was a condition to the promise. Peter and Andrew had to follow Jesus before He could make them fishers of men; at face value, that sounds simple enough. But if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
Following Jesus came at a price. They left their nets, meaning they left their fishing business. Leaving a business in that day is the same as leaving a business today. The culture may have changed, but the sacrifice of leaving your primary source of income would be there. And we can imagine that there were some conversations when Peter got home. He was a married man and may have had some explaining to do.
Following Jesus came with another price. Jesus did not fill them in on all that would be involved. The brothers had to trust that coming after Him would be worth it. That becoming a fisher of men would be worth the effort and sacrifice. And there is another price to following Jesus. To follow Him meant that they would not be leading. These two men had their own fishing business and were used to calling the shots and making decisions on their own. Following Jesus meant they would be yielding to Him and doing what He required. And sometimes, doing what Jesus wanted would go crosswise with what they wanted to do. It was Peter who rebuked the Lord and told Jesus that He was not going to be rejected and die at the hands of the religious leaders. And Peter was sternly corrected by Jesus for saying that.
And while we are on the subject, following Jesus involved being corrected by Him. Again, Peter seemed to lead the way in this category, but all the ones who followed Jesus were corrected by Him. Jesus called His disciples out for their selfishness and self-promotion. He called them out for their unbelief and lack of faith. Jesus called them out when they tried to keep little children from coming to Him. Jesus challenged and corrected His disciples.
But there was a purpose to following Jesus. There was a purpose behind the sacrifice and the enduring of correction. Jesus was not showing who was boss. Jesus was making the men and women who followed Him fishers of men. He was preparing them to reach the world with His gospel message. Following Jesus was not the easiest path, but it was the most profitable one.
APPLICATION
You know where I am going with this. Following Jesus today still comes with promises and challenges. If we follow Him, we will make a difference in our world. If we follow Him, He will make something of our lives far better than what we would have accomplished on our own. Following Him has such promise.
And following Him still comes at a price. We may not leave a business or profession, but many have. The bottom line is that we will leave something to follow Him. We must leave our pride and our own desires at times. Sometimes, we leave friends and family that are opposed to our relationship with the Lord. And today we find out just as Peter and Andrew, and the millions upon millions of people after them, have discovered. Following Jesus is not the easiest path, but it still remains the most effective and best path in this life and for the life to come.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I choose to follow You. I choose Your ways before my own and appreciate Your correction in my life. Thank You for making me a blessing to my world.