Listen – Leave – Follow

Reading through the Gospel of Matthew, I came across a familiar story where Jesus calls His first followers: Peter and Andrew, James and John. I was struck by the responsiveness these men had to Jesus’ call.

Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him. (Matthew 4:22)

I have heard some people lessen the impact of this passage by referencing the fact that Jesus likely had some relationship with these four men before He called them. While I think this does explain some of the rationale for Jesus’ call of these four, it does not decrease the dramatic response they give to Jesus’ call. Here are the three movements:

1. They listened to Jesus’ call: I cannot help but wonder if there were some who did not listen to the call. Had Jesus asked others who did not ‘have ears to hear’? Jesus offered a new life calling – a new vocation – with Him as Master: “Come, follow Me, and I will send you out to fish for people” (4:19)
2. They left: For Peter and Andrew, “at once they left their nets.” For James and John, “immediately the left the boat and their father.” What they had,t hey walked away from with stunning immediacy. They did not hesitate. They did not make excuses. They did not let other ‘masters’ grip their heart, whether that was job, security, or family.
3. They followed: From this point onwards, these four men became Jesus closest followers. Both Peter and James followed Jesus into martyrdom. The others followed to the end of their lives.

Are we the sort of people who listen to Jesus’ call, leave all, and follow Him?