Follow Me

“And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."” (Matthew 4:19 ESV). This command was given as an invitation to those men Jesus was calling to be his disciples. Apparently each one called decided to follow as there is no indication otherwise, and to those who follow and leave their current lifestyle, he promises to train to become fishers of men. Since this was a call to those to become his disciples, how might thus apply to us?

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands us, as believers, to go and make disciples. Each believer is therefore considered to be a disciple of his. As we follow Jesus our task is to call others, but only a few of them are actually chosen to follow: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14 ESV). As followers of Jesus, our job is to invite or to call, but only those who are lost sheep, will the Father choose to become disciples. The more people we call the more lost sheep we will find. Remember, of those called only a few are chosen, so we must not be discouraged.

It is important to point out that evidence of being chosen is that we will begin bearing fruit, “Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:20 ESV). Those who are chosen receive the Holy Spirit and thus should display the fruit of the Spirit of “. . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; . . .” (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV). A central piece of being chosen that is increasingly being ignored today I that we are by faith to be crucified with Christ, for “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 ESV). As Jesus lives his life in me we will take on a new lifestyle and bear fruit to his glory. So, how are we doing in following Jesus?

Prayer

Father, as I think about a prayer in relation to this command to follow Jesus, I realize how far off the mark we are today. Our following involved little lifestyle change and little desire to commit to kingdom work. Following Jesus today appears more and more like being of the world, not being in the world as a representative of God, with the attitude that I have a free pass to heaven. Following Jesus is not being what I want to be, it is becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 4:19

“And [Jesus] said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”” (Matthew 4:19 ESV). This verse finds Jesus at the beginning of his ministry when he is calling his disciples. As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother who were casting a net into the sea. Jesus calls to them, asking them to come and follow him and if they would he would retrain them to become fishers of men. Surely they must have known Jesus; maybe they were friends because without hesitation they left their nets and followed him into three years of training for a new calling for their lives.

These two fisherman did not come to Jesus and ask to follow him, but Jesus chose them and asked them to follow him. It is clear that their hearts had been prepared for this invitation because without hesitation they were willing to make a lifestyle change and follow him. As we read through the gospels, we watch Jesus teach his disciples and we watch the disciples struggle to understand who Jesus really is, what he plans to accomplish through his death, and what this means for them.

This snapshot is a reminder of God the Father choosing us that we would obey him as our father. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV). Salvation was not our doing; it is a gift of God. We cannot say that we are better than someone else because we chose to believe while someone else didn't. God chose us because he deeply loves us, but he also chose us to spend some time here on earth in his service doing good works which he has prepared for us to do. To do those works we are to “Be diligent to present [ourself] approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NASB). We are to use the word of truth to search out lost sheep to bring to the Shepherd. We are to continue on with them in the process of spiritual growth. Do you understand the responsibility of being chosen by God, and do you also understand how much he loves you and how much he wants to help you accomplish the assigned work? “Come follow me” requires we carry a cross, a symbol of sacrifice and death, but it also points us to eternal glory.

Prayer

Father, as I think about this lesson, I am forced to think about how effective I am in being a fisher of men. As I think about my evaluation I next wonder what that says about my following Jesus. As I think about this I am reminded that Jesus told us to go and make disciples. I find this to be difficult to do here in the west. Among unbelievers, the world is way more attractive than the gospel of Christ and even among believers there is a dying interest in the word of God and in spiritual growth. The direction our country is going is a reflection of how closely we are following the Lord (2 Chronicles 7:14).