Jesus Calls Us to Him
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ark 1:14-20
14. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15. and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." 16. And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men." 18. And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19. 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. 20. And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.
Luke 5:27-32
27. After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." 28. And he left everything, and rose and followed him. 29. And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. 30. And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" 31. And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; 32. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
I wonder if, after John’s arrest, his followers looked around and mumbled among themselves, “Now what do we do?” I’ll bet the Galileans had no idea what was about to happen in their little town! They may have thought John was “out there” but Jesus was about to really shock and amaze them! And what about the disciples? Did they really just drop everything and follow Jesus, just like that? The gospel accounts vary slightly in terms of the time lines and some of the details, but each of them emphasizes the immediacy of the response of the twelve who became the apostles when Jesus called them.
History was ripe for a Messiah! In the minds of the people of this time, he was long past due! They desperately wanted John to be the promised one! In fact, there were many false prophets, self-proclaimed messiahs at that time. So how did this one differ from them? Why did these fishermen, tax collectors, tradesmen leave behind the lives they knew and follow this odd young man?
Jesus was not unknown to the people of this area. He had been traveling around and preaching for some time. The twelve, and many others had heard him preaching and proclaiming salvation. So he wasn’t a stranger. But he was certainly not recognized by all as the Savior! He was a carpenter’s son! Without droning on and on, there was really only one conclusion to reach: he spoke with the authority of the heavenly father. He declared he spoke on behalf of his father. He healed cripples and performed many other miracles to “get the attention” of those who were hesitant to get their hopes up, and those who needed a little encouragement to believe.
But these twelve—who Jesus selected out of a large band of followers—were different. They were drawn to him, not only as the Messiah, but as a man, a friend, a companion, a teacher, a brother. I think he must have emanated such a powerful life force, that some were frightened, perhaps even repulsed when in his presence, because their own sin and ugliness were reflected back. These men were not perfect. Far from it! But their obedience was perfect when they received His summons. They left the life they knew behind. They had been forever changed merely by being in his presence and by the power of his words.
How could they ever be the same again!? How could they not follow after him and learn everything he had to teach them? How could they help but to spread the good news throughout the world!? They walked away from their former lives. That’s what Jesus calls us to do too. Walk away from our sin, our past, our lives as unbelievers and idol worshippers. Follow. Hear. Believe. Live.
It sounds so simple. And it is. But its not easy! I hope you spend today following Jesus, spreading the good news to everyone you meet.
Mary
