“Follow Me”

What would you do if one day, during the middle of your work, school or whatever else is at the centre of your life, a man whom you’ve never met before, approaches you and asks you to follow him? And he’s not asking you to follow him somewhere for only a couple of minutes. Oh no. When he says “follow me,” he is insinuating that you leave your old life behind and walk after him into an entirely new one. Sounds quite incomprehensible, right? What sane person would abandon everything they’ve known in pursuit of a man who, just a couple of moments ago, was nothing more than a stranger to them? 

 

Well, the Bible speaks of four men, amongst many others, exactly like this. Without hesitation, upon meeting a carpenter-rabbi, James, John, Peter and Andrew decided to leave everything on the shore and follow Him. And, in an extraordinary turn of events, it so happened that the very man who called them was Jesus Christ – the son of God. This fascinating account is recorded in Matthew 4:18-22 which reads: 

“18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

Here, we can see that all four men were in the middle of their work, preoccupied with trying to earn a catch and put food on the table for themselves and their families. Yet, all it took was a couple of words from Jesus and their daily routine became beautifully disrupted. There was no sense of waiting. Nor was there hesitation or delay. The passage tells us that “at once” and “immediately” they left everything, demonstrating an urgency and alacrity fuelling their actions. I find it interesting that there was no fancy invitation, no gesture of grandeur, no voice booming down from the heavens. Only two words, uttered by Jesus, managed to capsize these men: “Follow me.” 

 

Luke 5:27-28 speaks of another man, Levi (also known as Matthew), whose record we just read earlier and who, like the four fishermen, left everything behind to follow Jesus. Here is how Luke describes it: 

27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

For a bit of context, at that time, the Jewish people were under the occupation of the Roman empire. A Jewish man being a tax collector would be regarded as the ultimate treachery, given that tax collectors were employed by Rome and Rome was the Jews’ number one enemy. Tax collectors were ostracised, spat upon and shamed by the very blood they willingly betrayed. Most Jews would not have chosen to spend a moment longer than necessary around men like Matthew, tolerating his presence just enough to pay their taxes and perhaps utter a few obscene insults whilst leaving. Yet Jesus, though born a Jew, displays a different attitude. He does not have words of rebuke for Matthew nor words of shame. Akin to the calling of the previous men, Jesus has two words and two words only for the tax collector: “Follow me.” 

 

Despite undoubtedly being an outcast amongst his people, as a tax collector, Matthew would have lived quite a comfortable life, materially speaking. Most likely he had his own house, never lacked food or clothing and though this wealth came at a moral and social cost, Matthew probably never spent a night tossing and turning, wondering if his income would survive the next day. But, there was something about Jesus that convinced him, without a shadow of a doubt, that all the riches he could ever make taxing his brothers and sisters were nothing compared to following Jesus. So without hesitation, Matthew abandons everything and follows after the man that called him, leaving an empty booth and a full wallet behind.

 

In both accounts discussed, Jesus did not approach these men in the likes of a king, endowed with fine clothes and expensive jewellery. The prophet Isaiah describes him as an ordinary looking man, humble in appearance: 

“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” Isaiah 53:2

Therefore, there must have been something about Jesus, something that had the ability to transcend any natural human way of thinking which triggered a blind obedience in the men He called. Why else would they leave everything behind, not even questioning, not even doubting? What could Jesus have possibly offered them? 

 

I believe our answer lies in 2 Corinthians 5:17 which states: 

““Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” 

Jesus’ simple command of “Follow me” brought with it the promise of a new life. The men already possessed worldly purpose, however, when their eyes met the word of God made flesh, Jesus Christ, their priorities changed and became Christ centered instead of self-centered. Jesus gave these men a purpose that not only outlasted but outlived their previous vocations. Peter, the hot-headed fisherman became, as Jesus prophesied, a “fisher of men”, serving as a foundation and a rock in the early church. Matthew no longer spent his time collecting taxes for Rome and instead spent his time steering souls towards Jesus, providing one of the most reliable eye-witness accounts of the Messiah. 

 

 

This new life that Jesus offers is not merely just a change in vocation or routine, but a total renewal of heart, mind and soul. Jesus’ call of “Follow me” was not a command to walk behind Him but rather an invitation to walk alongside Him, to step into a life that is no longer driven by earthly gain and personal ambition but rather marked by love for God and for others. Jesus Himself addresses this new life in John 10:10 – 

“[…] I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

There is wholeness, abundance and meaningfulness in a life lived with Jesus. Nevertheless, He does not merely invite one to walk with Him only on this plane of existence. Jesus, in addition, offers a life that transcends time itself, one that never perishes and one that is undeniably made to last – eternal life. The promise of new life is also the promise of eternity spent with Him. To exchange worldly success for eternal significance. To obtain a purpose that doesn’t vanish, and a life that never ends.

 

The very same words that changed the lives of the men discussed still echo loudly today. Jesus does not restrict his invitation to follow Him only to fishermen and tax collectors. Rather, He extends it to everyone, regardless of background, race, gender and so on. It does not matter who you were before, what you’ve done or how far you think you’ve strayed. What matters is the willingness to step into the new life that He calls you to. Like in the accounts we’ve read, the men leaving their old lives behind to follow Jesus symbolises what we must do as well. The old has gone, the new is here! All it took was a couple of words from Jesus to wholly change these men’s lives. Can those same two words change yours?