And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:19-22)
The call to follow Jesus is an invitation to a transformative journey that begins with a simple yet profound choice to leave our old ways and embrace a new life in Christ. It is a call to discipleship, to a life of obedience and surrender to the will of God. This call is not a one-time event, but a daily invitation to walk with Jesus, to learn from Him, and to become more like Him.
When Jesus called His first disciples, He did not promise them prosperity, comfort or earthly success. Instead, He promised them a new identity: “I will make you fishers of men”. This was a call to a higher purpose, a call to partake in the work of the Kingdom of God. The call to follow Jesus is not just about believing in Him, but about becoming His disciple and dedicating their lives to His service.
Throughout the Bible, we see God taking the initiative to invite people like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Nicodemus, Zaccheus and the Samaritan woman at the well to follow Him. Not everyone followed Him; there were people who turned Him down, such as Pharaoh who refused to acknowledge God, the stiff-necked Israelites who refused to trust Him to enter into the Promised Land and wandered 40 years in the wilderness, the rich young ruler who could not part with his wealth and the Pharisees who rejected Jesus out of pride and envy.
Jesus is still calling people to follow Him today. He is calling us out of our comfort zones, out of our self-centred lives into a life of selfless love and service. He is calling us to leave behind our “nets”, whatever they may be, and to follow Him. Our nets could be our career, our possessions, our relationships, our achievements or anything else that we are clinging to instead of Jesus.
However, the call to follow Jesus is a radically different lifestyle to let go of these “nets” and to cling to Jesus alone. Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross.” Taking up the cross means that we have a continuing attitude of self-sacrifice and unreserved commitment to Christ. On our own, that is an impossible task. But Jesus states it clearly in Matthew 19:26b, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
In John 14:26, Jesus gives us the great assurance that the Holy Spirit, whom the Father has sent in His own name, will teach us all things and bring to our remembrance all that He has said to us. Jesus has also promised to be with us always before He ascended to heaven (Matthew 28:20b). God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all involved to empower us!
On 13 January 1982, Air Florida Flight 90, taking off from Washington, DC, crashed into the Potomac River. It was winter and the river was full of ice. Shortly after, a rescue helicopter let down a life-belt on a line to a man struggling in the water. He grabbed the line, swam to another survivor just by him, clipped the woman in and they hoisted her up to safety. The helicopter let down the line again, and again the man did the same thing. He swam to someone else and rescued them. He saved others before finally, exhausted, he himself drowned. He was out to save others like Jesus saved humanity. On the cross, Jesus did not save himself because he was out to save the world and as we hear Him say to us today, “follow me”, let us respond daily with obedience and be empowered to plunder hell and populate heaven.
Heavenly Father, thank You for saving me and calling me into the light. Help me to embrace my identity as Your child and as a fisher of men. Empower me to be Your true disciple, to love You with all my heart and to reach out to save others no matter the cost. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
DAILY MEDITATIONS
Monday: Matthew 4:19-22
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Tuesday: Matthew 7: 24-27
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Wednesday: Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Thursday: John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Friday: Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Saturday: Matthew 28:20b
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Sunday: Matthew 19:27-30
Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
All scriptures are quoted from the English Standard Version (ESV).
By Pastor Samuel Sam
