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
