Discipleship; More than You can Ask or Imagine

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said. “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

When He had gone a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with hired men and followed Him.

Mark 1:16-20

The beauty of being a disciple of Jesus Christ is its simplicity. Before time was yet time, He determined that you were to be His disciple, a light to shine in the darkness, feet to carry the gospel of peace, a voice to call out hope.
Jesus Christ chooses His disciples.

Jesus watches for you to step into history, and long before you are interested in Him, He is interested in you.
Jesus Christ sees His disciples.

Waiting for the exact moment when your heart is soft and desperate, wanting to be seen and known, He reveals Himself to you as the One who sees and the One who knows.
Jesus Christ reveals Himself to His disciples.

And you? What is your part in this disciple thing? Well, your part is deciding yes.
Your part is choosing Him back.

Jesus said, “Come, follow Me”.

What was it about Jesus that resulted in Peter, Andrew, James and John dropping their nets, abandoning their ships, and assuming a lifestyle of professional wandering to follow Him? Later it is Matthew that leaves his post to follow Jesus, and then Philip and Nathanael. Many more would follow, with six more named as part of the Twelve. A bit catchy, this Jesus. What prompts a young man to quit his trade and leave his home?

First, Jesus chooses each of these men. He sees them living their lives, interrupts them by calling their names and then He reveals Himself to each of them. In the Gospel of John, Philip, who has been called by Jesus (John 1:43), goes to his friend Nathanael and tells him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45). Philip recognizes Jesus as the Messiah, the One they have waited for. Nathanael encounters his moment to decide for himself, to determine if he too, will follow Jesus.

Philip’s words, “we found the one” are indicative of those who have been watching, of those who have been waiting, and of those who know what they have been watching and waiting for. These men knew the words of the prophets, they knew the word of God. They believed Him to be their Messiah, their deliverer, their appointed king.

Jesus Christ reveals Himself through His word….if you desire to recognize this Savior when He comes calling, read the word of God.

Not everyone chooses to follow Jesus, not even in the gospel books. A young man in Matthew 19 cannot part with his wealth to follow Jesus. There are the unimaginative religious leaders who oppose Jesus because He does not fit into their tidy box of expectations. A disappointed Judas who follows initially, but with disdain comes to realize that Jesus is not the leader he was hoping for (oh, Judas, could you have not waited a few more days…?). And the desperately fickle crowd who praise Jesus one day and a few days later cry out for His crucifixion. Even in the gospel books, the followers of Jesus are the minority, the few.

Being a disciple of Jesus is simple, but complicated.

Complications for the original disciples manifest as a leader cursed and hanging on a tree, dead and then risen. Again in the minority, they see His resurrected body, talking and eating with Him. Following Jesus meant taking His ministry well beyond familiar landscapes and people, without His physical presence, walking in faith through persecution, ridicule, and for most, eventual martyrdom. Their vision of what the Messiah would bring was not what they encountered. His eternal kingdom was different than they had imagined. Their role in His kingdom, more than they had fathomed.

Many years later we study the lives of these men who first said yes to publicly following Jesus. We see them respond to His invitation with an energetic yes, with eager anticipation of joining the ranks of their long awaited king. We see them stumble their way through His ministry, getting it wrong, not understanding. We see them fail, sometimes miserably. But what we see Jesus do is choose them, see them, know them, train them and use them for more than they could have ever asked or imagined. We see them plant the early seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, resulting in an eternal harvest for an eternal King.

So you want to follow Jesus?

• Choose Him back.
• Choose Him everyday.
• Choose Him when you don’t understand.
• Choose Him when it hurts.
• Choose Him when you are the minority.
• Choose Him when your eagerness has morphed to fear.
• Choose Him when your expectations don’t align with His reality.
• Choose Him when you can’t see the results of your obedience.

Our more than we can ask or imagine, is exactly that.

Jesus said, “Come, follow Me”.

The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Revelation 21:14