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 invitat...
