When Jesus Called

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Today's lesson deals with the call of Jesus to follow Him, and how several people responded to that call. I'm not necessarily talking about the salvation of their souls (though that may possibly be implied as well); I'm just talking today about the legacy of the lives of these ten or so people who came face to face with Jesus Christ and heard the words coming from His own lips: "Follow Me."

First of all, let's look at the four famous fishermen--two sets of brothers--Andrew and Peter, James and John:

"And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him" (Matthew 4:18-22).

We know from other passages that these men already knew Jesus, at least a little bit. They had heard Him speak; they had been to His house. But this represented a significant moment in their lives; Jesus says the words, "Follow Me." And they did. Later on in the book of Luke, a similar scene is recorded. Some think it refers to the same point in time--I think it refers to another moment, shortly after the first call from the Lord:

"So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, 'Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.' But Simon answered and said to Him, 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.' And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!' For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.' So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him" (Luke 5:1-11).

Here we see Jesus giving them what was, to them, incontrovertible evidence that He was, if not the very Messiah of God, at least a very holy Man. "Don't be afraid," said Jesus, for they were afraid. And their response was to leave behind the greatest catch they had ever made--to forsake everything their lives had stood for up until that moment--and follow Him. From then on, as history records, there was no turning back for Peter and Andrew, for James and John.
Next let's look at Levi the tax collector, later to be known as Matthew. We've already looked at this section in our first reading for the day, but let's listen to the parallel passage from Luke:

"After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, 'Follow Me.' So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

"Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, 'Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance'" (Luke 5:27-32).

Again we see the call of Jesus: "Follow Me." And again we see the response: "He left all ... and followed Him. Levi left behind the riches of a comfortable way of living, left behind the scorn of His fellow countrymen, who hated the tax collectors ... and took on the life of a traveling student and preacher, and earned the scorn of the government he had formerly served.
One more--and chronologically speaking, this may be the first recorded instance of Jesus using the words, "Follow Me," from the gospel of John:

"The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, 'Follow Me.' Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' And Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see'" (John 1:43-46).

In this passage we don't have a record of Philip forsaking everything and following Jesus, but what we do have is significant in its own right. The first thing Philip does after Jesus' call is to go and find his friend, and tell him, "We've found Jesus! Come and see!"
So what is the legacy of their obedience? Jesus called; they followed.
They gave up everything they owned to follow Him--their careers, their families, their way of life, their comforts. And in return, they received intimate relationship with the living God. They received purpose and fulfillment that transcended the duties of mere fishermen and family men. Centuries later, the world still knows the names of Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Matthew. But worldly fame was not their legacy; the fact that we still know their names is not worthy to be compared with the fact that God knows their names: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine," prophesied Isaiah (Isaiah 43:1).
To be sure, part of their legacy was also that they suffered scorn and abuse; they suffered martyrs' deaths. But they live on, not only in our memories, but much more importantly in the presence of the Lord, where they will rule and reign with Him throughout all eternity.
When Jesus said, "Follow Me," in the pages of scripture, you might almost expect that everyone He called would be compelled to follow--compelled by His presence, compelled by the Holy Spirit--something. But we find that that was not the case:

"Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, 'Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' Then He said to another, 'Follow Me.' But he said, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.' And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.' But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God'" (Luke 9:57-62).

The Scripture doesn't say definitively that these three people did not follow Jesus. It's just that something was standing in their way. Perfectly natural things, really. For the first, apparently, it was the desire for personal comforts, for the second, a dying parent, for the third, "Just let me say goodbye." No record that they didn't ultimately follow Jesus--they were certainly on the right track--but who were they?
One young man in particular serves as our best example this morning: the nameless inquirer known as the "rich young ruler." Let's read his story again:

"Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' So Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not bear false witness," "Do not defraud," "Honor your father and your mother."’ And he answered and said to Him, 'Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.' Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, 'One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.' But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions" (Mark 10:17-22).

What was the legacy of these four would-be followers of Christ? Most likely they continued on with their pursuits in this life, perfectly natural pursuits, nothing inherently dishonorable: Comfort. Family. Wealth and prosperity.
But who were they? Did they ever find a purpose that transcended the sum of their lives, their comforts, their possessions? History does not recall the events of those lives; history does not so much as record their names. Now, this is a small thing, for many, many humble believers have lived and died without history taking so much as a glance ... but what if God does not regard their names? What if God included them among the nameless masses who will hear those terrifying words, "Depart from Me, for I never knew you?" (Matthew 7:23).
When the rich young men sorrowfully went on his way, Jesus, who loved him, turned back to His disciples:

"Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!' And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, 'Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God'" (Mark 10:23-25).

Hear this, America! "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" Hear this, Americans! "How hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!"

"And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, 'Who then can be saved?' But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible'" (Mark 10:26-27).

It's not hopeless, saints. For us it is impossible to save ourselves from our riches, just as it is impossible to save ourselves from our sins. But not with God. Cast all your hope upon His mercy and His grace, you rich people.

"Then Peter began to say to Him, 'See, we have left all and followed You.' So Jesus answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first'" (Mark 10:28-31).

Jesus has one further "Follow Me" directed to us all:

"And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, 'Who do the crowds say that I am?' So they answered and said, 'John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered and said, 'The Christ of God.' And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.' Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels'" (Luke 9:18-26).

I tell you truly, there have probably been many times in my life where I felt the Spirit of God urging me, "Follow Me," and I replied with something like, "Can't I just go and say goodbye first?" That is, when I bothered to reply at all. I can't tell you how many times I have deliberately ignored the call of Christ to follow Him instead of my own vain pursuits. And that knowledge causes me to tremble now.
I can't change what is past. But I can, by God's grace, change what I will do today.
I don't know what it will mean for you to forsake everything, if you hear Jesus calling you to follow Him today. I don't know what it will mean for you to pick up your cross daily. That will be between you and Jesus.
But I do urge you, as much as it lies within your power, to be willing to pick up that cross. Be willing to lay down your lives, to deny yourselves.
May the legacy of our lives be that we were counted among those who resolved to store up treasure in Heaven, rather than trinkets here on earth. May we be those who laid down our lives here, in order that we might find them forever. May our names be inscribed upon the palms of God's hands; may they be written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
To Him be the glory forever. Amen.