Following Jesus
I’m a lover of history, so I’ve read a lot of books and watched numerous films, especially relating to World War II. I remember one film where a group of soldiers needed to cross a minefield in order to advance. Before they began to cross, their leader reminded them to walk very carefully, placing their feet directly in his footsteps to avoid the mines and certain death.
Unfortunately, one of the men lost his balance and stumbled. Not only did that soldier lose his life, but the explosion also gave away their position to their enemies and put the lives of the whole squad in jeopardy. One man’s failure affected the whole group.
Learning how to follow well is a skill we all need to develop, especially leaders. But because we’re born with a sin nature, our greatest motivation is to follow self, to pursue what we want. If that motivation is left unchecked, it will ultimately destroy us.
As we continue our study in Mark’s Gospel, we come to the account of Jesus calling the first several of His disciples. In keeping with his style, Mark’s record is very short and very concise, but it provides a very clear picture for us of what following Jesus involves. So, my title is short and concise too, “Following Jesus.” The text for our consideration is Mark 1:16-20. Listen carefully and see if you can pick out the steps that put us on the path to following Jesus.
In this text, Jesus walks us through a series of STEPS to put us on the path to follow Him. Those steps are the call, the commission, and the commitment. We will examine each of these carefully.
The First STEP (on the path to following Jesus) is,
The Call
In our study last time, we learned that after Jesus had overcome all of Satan’s temptations in the wilderness of Judea, He made His way back to Galilee. As our text opens, Jesus is walking along the Sea of Galilee. Now we know enough about Jesus to realize that this wasn’t just a random walk. He had a purpose in mind. Jesus said in John 5:30, “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” So, His walk had a purpose, He was there by divine appointment.
As he walks by the Sea of Galilee He observes Simon, and Andrew, two brothers, casting their net into the sea because they were fishermen. That’s all the information Mark gives us about them as he introduces us to them.
As they’re going about their work, Jesus says to them, “Come, follow Me.” Come can be a word of invitation or a word of command. In John’s Gospel, chapter one, he records that two men who heard John the Baptist’s proclamation of Jesus as the Lamb of God started following Jesus. Jesus turned around and asked them what they wanted. They said, “Teacher, where are you staying?” Jesus’ response was “Come and see.” He was inviting them into His life—into His experience. He was saying, “Follow me and see where I’m going.” They accepted His offer.
You and I are not Jewish, we’re not fishermen, we don’t live in Galilee, and we live in a very different era of time. But this first step along the path to following Jesus is the same for us as it was for those first disciples long ago. It is the call or the invitation, “Come, follow Me.” Just a few verses later, this same invitation is extended to James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
Notice that the call to discipleship, the invitation to follow in this text is initiated by Jesus. No one becomes a disciple of Jesus on his or her own ambition. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me except the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” The invitation to “come, follow me,” originates with God and Jesus, all you and I can do is respond with a yes or a no. In this way, we’re no different than these four men.
Like these men, we too have our daily work, our responsibility of making a living. Like them, we’ve been invited to follow Jesus. If you haven’t heard Jesus’ invitation, it still is valid today. Like these men, we must decide how we’ll respond to the call of discipleship. Like them, we don’t know where this call may lead us. We must, like them, consider the cost. And ultimately, we too can become “fishers of men.”
Have you responded to Jesus’ call to discipleship? A disciple is a follower. In the setting of our text, these men revered Jesus as a Rabbi, a Teacher. In that day, the students became followers. The teacher didn’t just impart facts, he taught by example. The apostle Paul wrote, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” We could just as accurately translate that as “imitate me as I imitate Christ.” So, Jesus’ invitation, His call for these men to follow Him, was a call to pattern their lives after His. That call is still the same after all these years. Have you heard His call? What is your response?
The Next STEP (on the path to following Jesus) is,
The Commission
A commission is a charge, a granting of authority. So, Jesus said, “If you follow Me, I will make you become fishers of men.” They were already fishers of fish. They were seasoned fishermen who knew their business. We know that because later on when Jesus gave them specific instructions about how to fish, they did it only because it was Jesus telling them what to do. Veterans don’t like taking advice from rookies.
Do you ever wonder what may have gone through the minds of these men when Jesus spoke these words, “fishers of men?” They knew a lot about catching fish. First, you need to know the habits of the fish, how they respond to changing conditions, and where they’re likely to be at any given time. In the Sea of Galilee, the fishing was mostly done at night. Then you need the right equipment, boat, nets, and so on. But as any fisherman can tell you, you can have all those things and still catch nothing.
One of our challenges in reading the Scriptures is that we have an inherent cultural bias. That is, we interpret Scripture through the lens of our own experiences. So, when we talk about fishing (in the Western world), we automatically think about a rod and reel, hook, and bait. But these men, according to the text, were casting a net. That’s a different way of fishing.
Our way of fishing capitalizes on deception and singling out an individual fish. Sadly, that’s how some people approach evangelism. I knew a man many years ago who had some folks come to his door to share the Gospel. I have no problem with that method. But after they shared what they had, they kept pressing him, in their words, “to pray the sinner’s prayer.” By the way, I’ve never found that prayer in my copy of the Scripture.
He refused repeatedly to do what they asked. But finally, he realized they weren’t going to leave, so he just repeated the words after them. He told me it meant nothing to him. But those folks could go back to their church and report that they had “caught a fish.” That’s not a good example of “catching” men. I had the opportunity to apologize to him for that bad experience.
Others deceptively offer Jesus as a panacea for all your troubles. “Just come to Jesus and you’ll be healthy, wealthy, and wise.” But Jesus said that following Him involves pain, trials, and temptations. You’ll face rejection from those you love, maybe even abuse. Unbelievers will hate you because they hate Him and His commands. Those are the things He suffered, and He assured us that as His followers we will face the same. Any other message is dishonest.
In contrast, fishing with a net, like they did in our text, implies more of a group mentality. You approach the fish in their natural habitat and gently gather them into the net. I think there are interesting concepts here for how we design our evangelistic efforts.
It’s interesting that this commission to “catch” men appears very near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. And He echoes the same commission in a different form just before He ascended to the Father after His resurrection. There, He said, “Go and make disciples of all peoples…” So, evidently, fishing for men or making disciples was the primary reason for Jesus’ ministry.
Some people believe that evangelism is the main work of the church. I think I understand what they mean, but I don’t necessarily agree. I think the goal of the Great Commission and the goal of the church is the same—to make disciples, not just converts. Statistically, the majority of people who make an initial commitment to Christ never become disciples. That’s because, especially in the Western world, we tend to shy away from difficult things, from suffering, from hardship, from self-denial. Jesus said the path of discipleship is narrow, it’s hard, and only a few will stick with it to the end. Those who do will be amply rewarded.
So far on this path of following Jesus, we’ve looked at the first two steps: the call and the commission.
The Last STEP (on the path to following Jesus) is,
The Commitment
The call or invitation has been given. The commission has been spelled out; this is what will happen if you accept the call. Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John now faced a decision. What would they do, and how would they respond?
Mark says, “Immediately they left what they were doing and followed Jesus.” Simon Peter and Andrew were working, going about their daily tasks, minding their own business. When they followed Jesus, they were leaving behind the security of their occupation, their source of income. They were leaving behind the familiarity of daily routines. They were setting out on a journey that had an unknown destination.
In the case of James and John, they were working with their father and the hired men on mending their nets. These two were leaving behind the same things as Peter and Andrew but Mark makes an additional point of commitment. They were leaving behind relationships with family and business associates to follow (at this point) a largely unknown Rabbi.
Again, the individualism that pervades our Western mindset sees this as “no big deal.” But it was a big deal! In a culture where the approval of the family and community carries much more weight than the opinions or wishes of the individual, you don’t make snap decisions like that.
If any of these men were the oldest sons in their families, they had responsibilities to their parents and siblings that were clearly spelled out in the Law of Moses. So, this step they were taking was against cultural norms and their religious practice. Jesus later taught them that following Him was paramount. Some of their previous understandings needed to be changed. Following Him would cost them family relationships, financial security, and religious acceptance.
These men followed Jesus. Because we have the whole record of the Gospels, we know their initial commitment was tested. We know they didn’t understand some of Jesus’ choices, that they were shocked by some of His interactions with people, especially those considered to be ceremonially unclean and even the “dogs” of the Gentiles.
We know these men struggled with their own prejudices, and their own selfishness, their own desires for prominence. They went from riding the crest of waves of popularity to the depths of rejection and hiding in fear. But through all the ups and downs they stuck with Jesus – all of them except Judas. And Jesus remained committed to them.
I am so grateful that Jesus is the same today. You and I are no different than these four men we’ve met in our text today, nor the other eight who joined them later. We struggle with our prejudices, and our selfishness, our desires for prominence. We feel like our decision to follow Jesus should give us certain privileges or exempt us from certain hardships. But hopefully, through all the ups and downs we stick with Jesus. We are assured that Jesus remains committed to us.
What a tremendous blessing and encouragement it is to know that “He who has begun a good work in [us] will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ.” To know that “for those who love God all things [DO] work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Later, Simon Peter said to Jesus, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel,who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” These are just a few of the many promises in the Scripture for those who follow Jesus.
Where are you on this path to following Jesus? Have you heard His call, His invitation to follow Him? If not, I am offering it to you right now. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” To believe is to follow, it is to make the same choices Jesus would make.
Maybe you’ve already accepted the call and you understand the commission. But maybe life has turned out differently than you expected and you’re somewhat disillusioned with it all. It turned out to be harder than you expected to keep following.
And then, what about your commitment? Maybe you’ve picked up some of the things you initially left behind to follow Jesus—care the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, or unscriptural relationships. You can lay those things down again and follow Him with renewed zeal. This has been my experience. You don’t need to be perfect; you just need to be committed!
To these men, Jesus was an unknown Rabbi. But there was something about Him that commanded their attention and their response. You and I have the revelation of Jesus in a much fuller way than they did. So, we are more responsible. How are you following Jesus?