The Four Calls on Every Christian’s LifeSample

Jesus Calls Us to Follow Him

Once we’ve repented of our sins and chosen to walk in faith, Jesus’ third command provides the logical next step: we must learn to live and love the way He did.

Matthew 4:18–20 tells us,

“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. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”

It’s helpful to know a little background on Jewish rabbis during Jesus’ time to understand the fullness of what Jesus was asking of these men.

Jesus lived in a time and place where the men knew Scripture well, respected it highly, and debated it regularly. However, only a select few of the very best and brightest students applied to study under a rabbi as one of his disciples. This was a rare and great honor.

Once a disciple was accepted into a rabbi’s talmidim, the rabbi and his disciples lived in a close community for a period so the disciples could learn to emulate their rabbi. Rather than giving quick tips, easy answers, or straightforward advice, a rabbi would encourage and invite his disciples to think and discern for themselves. This way, the disciples could live and make decisions the way their rabbi did, even after he was no longer around.

As a Jewish rabbi, Jesus followed a very similar process with His disciples—except, instead of waiting for the most prestigious to apply, Jesus sought out a ragtag bunch no one would ever expect. Jesus invited everyday, ordinary people to follow Him and become His disciples.

Jesus still invites each of us to follow Him today. When Jesus says, “Follow me,” He’s inviting us to go on an intimate journey and an exciting adventure with Him—to discover how He lived, loved, thought, and taught so that we can do the same.

Read Matthew 4:18–22. Why do you think these men followed Jesus immediately? What might they have had to leave behind to do so? Read Matthew 9:35–38. Given all the miracles Jesus was performing at the time, why wouldn’t more people have wanted to be His disciples? Why don’t more people want to be His disciples today?