“Follow Me!”

“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”. Matthew 34:18-19 (ESV).

Matthew Chapter 4 starts off with the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness right after his Baptism by John the Baptist and God saying in a voice out of heaven, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased”. After Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness over a period of 40 days, dismisses Satan by saying “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” (Matt. 4:10). I find it interesting that Jesus uses the very word of God to expel Satan. We might want to think about using that same tactic when the evil one attacks us.

However, today I want to focus on what happens next with Jesus. He left his hometown of Nazareth and went into the Capernaum region by the Sea of Galilee. It was no coincidence that he went into this region, because Jesus knew there were men there that God had set aside for His own purpose. We find Simon, whom Jesus renamed Peter, and his brother Andrew fishing by the sea, “because they were fishermen.” And that’s what fishermen do, they fish. The two men were called by our Lord with the simple command “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (4:19). Literally, the original text reads “Come here, Follow after me…” This was a very normal way in the Jewish culture for a Rabbi to speak to those whom he wished to teach some special knowledge.

I like that first Jesus said, “Come here” and then “Follow after me”. I don’t want to read too much into this, but I find it interesting that Jesus first wanted them to be near Him, so that they would then be able to follow after him. He didn’t want them to think that they could “follow after” Him from a distance.

Now, what Jesus had to teach them required them to be up close and personal. I think that still applies to us today, doesn’t it? All too many people want to “follow” Jesus or at least Jesus’ teachings, but they don’t want to get too near Him. It’s always more comfortable if we can observe something from a distance. It’s safer, isn’t it? It’s easier to walk away and protect ourselves if we keep at a distance from what we observe. But actually, “following after” Jesus requires us to first “Come Here”, listen to His voice, and stop trying to be safe. To get close to Him, to know Him, not just know about Him. I think we all understand that, to know someone, not just know about them, we must be close to them, see them in action, and see how they react to others, especially when things start getting tough. We need to see if what they say matches what they do. Only after we have spent some significant time with someone can we honestly say, “we know them”, and not just that we know about them.

Jesus knew that these men He was calling to be his apostles and disciples needed to be near Him, to hear and observe what He was saying about the coming Kingdom. He knew that the evil one would come after them, and He wanted them near Him so that He could protect them. Even though we are two thousand years after Jesus called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew to “Come near and Follow after” Him, I think he is doing the same things today. Jesus wants us to “Come near and Follow after” Him. But all too often, we want to keep Jesus at a distance. We don’t want to let Him close to us, because then we wouldn’t be able to be the masters of our own lives. After all, suppose He asked us to be “fishers of men” like he did Peter and Andrew?

I have found that Jesus isn’t asking me to come near and follow after Him” to limit my freedoms, but to set me free. To set me free from my own limitations, to set me free from my own selfish control of my circumstances. He wants me close to Him so He can protect me and teach me the wonderful things about His coming kingdom.

So, my friend, if your heart is telling you to listen to Jesus’ call for salvation and to follow Him, do what Peter and Andrew did: “Immediately they left their nets and followed him” (4:20). Stop holding on to something that doesn’t have eternal significance and accept the invitation from the one who loves you and wants you to be near Him.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"