Feb 1: Follow Me
- Jobin John
- Feb 1
- 3 min read
Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mathew 4:19).
These are the words of Jesus Christ recorded by one of his twelve disciples, Mathew. The scene is Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee when he sees two fishermen brothers, Peter and Andrew, casting a net into the sea. Seemingly random, they are called by Jesus to follow Him and we read in the following verse that “they immediately left their nets and followed Him”. But when we read the book of Luke, there’s a few major events that likely took place in the lead up of Jesus calling Peter such as the miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5) and even Jesus healing his mother in law of her fever instantly (Luke 4). In any case, Peter and Andrew and subsequently others were willing to give up everything the moment Jesus called them to follow Him.
The followers of Jesus Christ became known as disciples. The Bible records that there were twelve men called by Jesus to follow Him, to whom He eventually gave the charge to make more disciples. (Mt 28:19) Today, an estimated 2.4 billion people profess themselves as Christian (a follower of Jesus Christ), making it the largest religious movement in the world.[1] As impressive as that number is, the more important question is how many are true disciples of Jesus. To answer that question, we must understand what the word disciple means.
A disciple is defined broadly as a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another [2] or in simple words a student who follows his or her teacher and their teachings. But a true disciple is more than just being a student who takes down notes of everything that their teacher says. I quote from an article on what a disciple (especially in the Christian context) truly means:
“In the first-century Jewish world of Jesus, being a disciple was all about one key word: imitation. When a disciple followed a rabbi, the goal wasn’t merely to master the rabbi’s teachings but also to imitate the way he lived: the way he prayed, studied, taught, served the poor, and lived out his relationship with God day-to-day.”[3]
Are 2.4 billion people in this world truly imitating Jesus Christ? This world would have looked a lot different if we all did.
Truth is discipleship comes at a cost. It takes time, energy, a lifestyle of commitment, and a willingness of give up many things that distract us from following Christ. Discipleship is more than just going to church on a Sunday morning, or even reading the Bible and saying a word of prayer or two every day. It’s a way of life. Our talking, our walking, our doing, all must be in sync with our Teacher. The very purpose of our existence should revolve around what Christ wants us to do. Let the words of Christ sink into the depths of our heart today “Follow Me”. Start asking this question to yourself: Am I truly a follower of Jesus, or am I just a fan?
Over the next days, we are going to re-learn what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Take sometime today to pray and identify one thing that is not an imitation of Jesus. And ask God to help you break out of it. Slowly but surely, you and I will start to look more and more like Jesus.
So good Jobin. Praise God.
Amen Amen Amen 🙏