Part 1
“One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.”-Matthew 4:18-22
“Come, follow me.” are three of the most powerful words a person can hear from the lips of Jesus. However, what does it mean to follow someone? In the age of social media, following refers to the selection of people, businesses, or organizations whose content you wish to appear on your feed. You can keep up to date on any recent developments or activities they are involved in, but you can do so at your convenience. Plus, if at anytime you are no longer interested in following them, you can simply click a button, unsubscribe, and no longer see their content, commitments or activities.
I am pretty certain that is not what Jesus meant when He said “Come, follow me.” His invitation had an expectation of commitment rooted into it. A commitment that was lost on many in Jesus’ day and is lost on many today. Matthew chapter 4 is a powerful look at two different camps of people who chose to follow Jesus: the disciples and the crowds. The question each of us must answer is which camp are you going to run in?
The first camp we read about centers on four men that Jesus invited to follow Him: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. These were the first of the disciples He called. Jesus invited them to come and follow Him and immediately they left their nets at once and joined Him.
Jesus told them, that He was going to make them fishers of men. These men left their nets to pursue a purpose. They were leaving more than just an occupation, but choosing to leave lifestyles, attitudes, activities, extended family and priorities to be with Jesus.
Each of them made a commitment that radically changed how they lived. They left their nets! They chose to walk with Jesus everyday. They gave themselves to His teaching and instruction and followed His leading and direction daily. They saw Jesus’ invitation to follow in a totally different perspective than the second camp of people.
The second camp we read about in Matthew 4:23-25 is the crowd:
“Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.”-Matthew 4:23-25
The crowd, unlike the disciples, followed Jesus when it was convenient for them. They didn’t really leave anything to follow Jesus, nor did their lives didn’t look radically different. Their occupation, lifestyles, attitudes, activities, extended family and priorities remained in tact. However, occasionally, they would rearrange their schedules to come and see Jesus, based on their availability and desire.
Some were pursuing a performance. Others pursued out of curiosity. Others were hoping to have a need met. They were seeking a better life, but Jesus was offering them a new life; a life radically different from what they had been living, and perhaps that is why they chose to stay in the crowd rather than to leave their nets to follow Him.
Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church
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