Come, Follow, Fish

Imagine being a Jewish fisherman in the region of Israel around 2000 years ago and a new spiritual leader guy, dressed in common man’s clothing, walks up to you where you are working near the shoreline and He invites you to follow Him. How would you react? We read about this scenario actually happening in God’s Word.

Mark 1:16-20 (NLT) ¹⁶ One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. ¹⁷ Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” ¹⁸ And they left their nets at once and followed him. ¹⁹ A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. ²⁰ He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.

It’s interesting that these guys were common blue-collar fishermen. In this instance, Jesus did not call out to the most educated, influential, rich, and popular people. He called common men who worked hard with their hands and a couple of the fishermen (i.e. Peter, John) would become part of His inner circle, His closest followers.

When Jesus called them to follow Him He was using language that was clearly understood in that day among Jews. The leading rabbis and teachers would formally invite individuals to become their disciples/followers and learn by observing, listening and practicing the master’s example and teachings. This was a serious life-changing mentoring relationship. This was not a casual invitation from Jesus. It was a calling that would radically alter the course of these men’s lives and others through them.

This invitation Jesus extended to His first followers is offered to us in a similar way. It’s like our names are embossed in gold on His royal invitation to us. Jesus is royal, you know. The eternal Son of God was with God the Father on the throne above all thrones and then He became the incarnated God-man who walked the earth. He taught truth. He healed people. He did miraculous things and ultimately, He went to the cross and died for our sin to bring believers to God. He is resurrected now with a familiar body, yet fit for eternity. He literally ascended to the throne of God and He will literally return one day to fully establish His kingdom on earth and it is then that He will reign as King of Kings Lord of Lords for all to know. So, when Jesus gives you and me an invitation to follow Him, it is an eternally significant royal invitation, the most important one we will ever receive.

Mark 1:17 sums up the essence of Jesus’ royal invitation to us: Come, Follow, Fish!

1) Come.

Mark 1:17a Jesus called out to them, “Come..

Jesus is inviting people today, through Holy Scripture by way of the Holy Spirit, to come to Him, to begin a master/disciple relationship with Him. He desires for us to know Him as our Savior and Lord. He wants us to be in a relationship with Him now and forever, so He spiritually calls us.

From the very beginning of His public ministry Jesus proclaimed how to receive God’s good news. He said, (vs15) “Repent and believe.” Spiritually coming to Jesus begins with repenting from or turning from our rebellious and sinful condition before God and believing that Jesus is God the Father’s Son sent to be our delivering Savior and King.

These fishermen were curious about Jesus and His call to them. They were willing to come to Jesus who brings the good news and is Himself the good news we all need. To really come to Jesus spiritually you must be willing to believe this good news of Jesus, to believe upon Jesus Himself as the Savior and Lord you need.

In Isaiah 55:1-3 we receive a preview of God’s gracious Messianic invitation to people:

(ESV) ¹“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. ² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. ³ Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

And in the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus gave a spiritually eloquent invitation to people to come to Him.

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

For us today, the risen glorified King of Kings Lord of Lords says through His Word and the Holy Spirit to you and me, “Come!” What’s your response to Christ when He says to you, ‘Come!’?

2. Follow.

Mark 1:17b Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me..

We have an idea as to what following Jesus meant for these particular fishermen. Jesus came to them, saw them and called them without delay to leave their nets behind and literally follow Him. In some ways it is different for us. Jesus does not physically step into the places where we live and work. He rarely speaks today in an audible voice, at least not to most of us.

What does following Jesus look like for us today? Mark wrote this Gospel account so that people like us could learn about following Jesus from those who experienced Jesus face-to-face and followed Him.

Much of what Jesus did then in His earthly ministry He now does as the resurrected ascended Christ seated at the right hand of God the Father. He works in us and through us spiritually Himself and by way of the Holy Spirit. He ministers to us through the written testimonies we find in Scripture and Scripture is foundational to discovering His desires and commands for us.

Jesus stepped into these four fishermen’s worlds. He saw them with eyes that knew them and knew what they were going to be under His loving leadership. He called them to step into a new life with Him. Jesus gave them the invitation and the men responded with faith and action. Saving and living faith always include a trusting response to what the Lord reveals about Himself and His purposes and promises.

The fishermen responded in ways that demonstrated genuine faith. They responded decisively. What they did, they did immediately. They responded by leaving important portions of their old lives behind; their nets, boats and their earthly fathers’ businesses. They followed Christ by going where He was leading them.

They left their fishing nets. We all have things in our lives that keep us busy, entangle us and distract us from the most important truth of all; knowing Christ, becoming more like Him, living for God’s glory. Some people fear leaving their jobs and towns and they fear how their families and friends may respond to their decision to follow Christ. Some people fear changes that will occur if they follow Christ. What are some nets that hold you back from fully following Christ and His way for you? Sometimes, a change of friends is needed. I’ve done that. Sometimes a change of vocation is needed; I have done that. Sometimes, a relocation is needed. I’ve don’t that as well. Always with Jesus though, it means a Christ-like spiritual transformation; to become more like Him.

In the four Gospels, Jesus said “follow me” several times. He gave this invitation frequently in reference to discipleship. For example, Mark 8:34 And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Jesus is calling us to come, to follow Him, to become one of His learners, students, pupils. This is what it means to be His disciple. And it’s about a full surrendered commitment to Christ, not some one time decision or part-time half-hearted devotion compartmentalizing it into some sort of religious check-list or religious portion of your week. Following Jesus is relational, ongoing, growing, and dynamic. It’s exciting and joyful. Christ is with His people always. There are many great Bible statements of promise and truth about who you are in Christ.

Are you genuinely following Jesus Christ? What is Jesus asking you to do without delay? What must you leave behind in order to fully follow Him? What must you ask God in prayer to help you change? What must you sacrifice? What next steps is Jesus leading you to take to fully devote yourself to following Him and learning from Him and becoming more like Him?

3. Fish.

Mark 1:17 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Jesus used the setting of the moment in the lives of these fishermen; nets, boats and men busy with their daily labors, to picture a new calling for His new disciples. There is much to learn when you follow Jesus and there are new fish to catch for these fishermen who left their jobs to follow Jesus.

Studs Terkel, in his book entitled Working, wrote that, “Our jobs are too small for our souls. What we really need is a calling.”

‘Come, follow, fish’ is a spiritual calling to be Christ’s disciple and His evangelist to the world. We are to spiritually fish in Christ’s name in our own sea of relational connections with people.

I remember when a mother and wife started attending a church. She came to a ladies ministry then had her kids attend the mid-week kids’ ministry and by way of some Gospel influence she gave her life over to Christ as her Savior. Then her life began to be transformed in Christ and she desired for her husband to be influenced by Christ through her and other Christians and for him to know Christ as his Savior. He started coming to church gatherings and he eventually responded in faith to Christ as his Savior. Amen. The wife was doing some spiritual fishing through her Gospel transformed life and God used that to bring her husband into a relationship with Christ. Amen.

Following Christ as His disciple always includes the call of Christ to communicate to nonbelievers about Christ. Evangelism was a primary purpose for which Jesus called the first disciples and it remains a central mission for Christ’s people.

“Rescuing men from sin is God’s great concern. The work of fishing men and women out of the sea of sin, the work of rescuing people from the breakers of hell, is the greatest work the church is called by God to do.” John MacArthur

John Knox once pleaded with God, “Give me Scotland or I die.” How does such a passion for lost souls compare with our personal goals and the ministries of the Lord’s church today? How much a part of our lives is this concern for reaching spiritually lost people with Christ? Jesus came to bring salvation to a lost world. He gathered followers who would emulate Him in this mission. For those of us who are already Christ-followers, how are you and I doing in our divine calling to be fishing for people for the sake of the Gospel? How are the Christ changes in our lives influencing other people toward Jesus? How are we doing at praying for lost people to be found and saved by Christ? How are we doing at communicating the Gospel to nonbelievers, to the ends of the world? Christ is the great news we all need. Christ is the living hope we all need. Let’s tell people about Christ.

This royal invitation Jesus gave to His first disciples should cause some big questions for each of us, like:

Have you spiritually sensed/heard Christ call you to Himself?

Are you truly a Christ-follower? Think about it. Has Jesus, by his Holy Spirit, stepped into your life and asked you to come to Him in a way that requires a changed life that honors Him? Have you repented or turned from your spiritual rebellion and placed your faith in Jesus as your Savior and King? If not, check out this blog: http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/09/great-news-gods-plan-for-true-life.html

Are you really following Jesus according to God’s Word? What is He leading you to do, right now, without delay? How will you respond with immediate and decisive faith in Him?

Do you live with a clear sense of Christ’s call in your life to become more and more like Christ including His commission to His followers to go and make disciples, to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth?

Does this royal invitation from Christ to you; “Come, Follow, Fish” sound like great wonderful news with important responsibilities or does it sound like a demanding obligation or something meant for someone else? What you truly believe about Jesus and His call to you through Scripture will determine how you answer the question.

Jesus extends a royal invitation to you and me. “Come. Follow. Fish.”

I have committed my life to Jesus Christ. I trust Him as my Savior and Lord. I serve Him as a Pastor in Christian ministry. I am seeking to know Him better and better and become more and more like Him and help others in the same way. I have much room for improvement spiritually like with being more involved in communicating the great news of Jesus to people who don't know Him. God's at work. My hope and prayer is that I am on the right track with Him and that I stay on the right track; all for God's glory.

When Jesus says to you, 'Come, follow, fish!' how are you responding?

Mike