Last Friday I met a guy while waiting for a table at a restaurant. He asked me, "Which team are you following to the Super Bowl?" I replied, "I don't follow baseball." Then he gave he a strange look. Quickly, I revealed that I was just teasing him. He laughed, and asked, "What sports do you follow?"
I was looking at one of my social media accounts to see who I had been following. To name just a few, I have been following a famous preacher, a local Shakespeare Festival, and then, well I hate to admit it to the whole world, "Elvis Lives." Yes, its out there, I am an Elvis fan. It started way back when I just a kid, I have dragged my wife to the show twice now.
Do you know what it means to follow Jesus? Are you following him closely?
Today we are going to see how Jesus called his first four disciples to follow him. Following Jesus is an important theme in the Gospel of Mark. But this is not merely a history lesson because ‘following’ is an important metaphor for the Christian life and there is much to reflect upon this account.
“Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him” (Mk 1:16-20).
Jesus called these men from their trade as fishermen, to follow him and enter into a life-changing pursuit of discipleship. Today we are going to look at this pursuit by asking,
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW JESUS?
1. FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS TO HIS ANSWERING HIS CALL (V.17)
Jesus is completely counter-cultural! Rabbis did not recruit their disciples. Disciples had to prove themselves worthy of the Rabbi’s attention. Disciples had to be top students and have excellent moral character, but Jesus went out and chose his disciples himself.
Jesus called his disciples from common lives—The disciples were not men of high esteem, they were fishermen and tax collectors. JC was never impressed by anyones talents, only their faith!
“It is clear…that the first followers of our Lord were not the great of this world. They were men who had neither riches, nor rank, nor power. But the kingdom of Christ is dependent on such things as these. His [Gospel] cause advances in the world ‘not by might, nor power, but by my Spirit!” (J.C. Ryle).
Who do you think JC was trying to reach by choosing fishermen as his disciples?
Jesus called men who were not full of themselves—This is hard truth in an ‘i’ generation. Luke’s gospel shed’s light upon Peters heart when Jesus called him…
“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (Lk 5:4-10).
Do you see Jesus for who he really is? Holy Son of God?
Do you know that we don't always get to choose when and where Jesus calls us? Once he has called us to himself, following him is always an active pursuit! The Lord is always working out his plans. The spiritually mature wait upon the Lord to know how they will serve him, where they will live, where they will go to church! The less decisions we make for ourselves the better!
2. FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS TO LEAVING OUR LIFE BEHIND (V.18, 20)
—While these fishermen were not likely to be the esteem of their community, the fishing industry in Galilee was good! This sea contained much sought after fish through out the Mediterranean. These fishermen were shrewd and enterprising.
What is the cost of following Jesus? Luke answers,
“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God,” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home. Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:57-62)
The Lord continually calls us away from our life for the sake of his gospel! He calls away from our comfort zones, away from our traditions, and even away from relationships that may hold us back from actively pursuing the advancement of the Gospel in our community!
Sometimes we settle for a ‘good life’ instead of the ‘Gospel life’. A Good life is one where we have pieced together elements that we consider good. These elements make us feel righteous. Maybe these are even godly things, but these godly things were never meant to keep us from the ‘Gospel Life’ the Lord has called us to!
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (8:34-35).
You cannot hold unto a good life and follow Jesus in the Gospel life!
3. FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS TO BE ON MISSION FOR SOULS (V.17
The Gospel Life is the life that pursues the mission for souls! Jesus told these fishermen,
“Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mk 1:17).
“[Disciples] were to labor to draw men out of the darkness in the light, and from the power of Satan to God. They were to strive to bring men into the net of Christ’s church, so they might be saved alive, and not perish everlastingly” (J.C.Ryle).
During my years as a hair designer, there were times when I would share my faith with the person in my chair, only to find that she would take no interest, but would be pleasantly surprised to find someone else in the salon would be interested in my message. Our job is to cast the net, it is God's job to fill the net!
Are you ready for a reality check? Here it is: If you have no burden for lost souls then you are not following Jesus!
A primary purpose for the church is to make disciples who will burden for the souls of the lost! They will be fishermen who will cast the net! They will be farmers who cast seed in the fields! They will be ambassadors for the kingdom of heaven! They builders, reapers, shepherds, stewards, and most of all they will be servants! This is the call of Christ to all who would follow him.
May you be blessed with the true presence and passion of Christ in reading these words. May you see the world as Jesus sees the world. May you know how important you are in God’s plan. And may you walk, move and breathe in the power of the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus.
This article is part of a series, "Son of God--Servant to Man"
on the Gospel of Mark.
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