Jesus singled out Peter and Andrew, and then James and John. We know that Zebedee, was in the boat with James and John, and there likely could have been other men fishing alongside Peter and Andrew. In addition, Mark adds that there were hired servants working with Zebedee (Mark 1:20). But the call of Christ focused upon these four men. “Follow Me!” These four took up the mantle of following Christ.

 It was not unusual in the first century for men to follow a rabbi as his disciples. But it was unheard of for a rabbi to call men to himself! The normal process was for someone to decide that he wanted to join himself to particular rabbi, so he sought out the rabbi and asked to join his ranks. But men in the darkness of sin do not seek after Jesus Christ. They love darkness rather than the Light. They do not come to the Light because to do so would expose their evil deeds; so they avoid Jesus Christ (John 3:19-20). Instead, men naturally pursue the way of sin and rebellion against God. Mankind does not have a divine spark in him that causes him to gravitate toward the Light of the gospel, rather mankind is at enmity with God, and hates the Light (Rom 8:7).

 2. It is decisive

 But we also see the decisiveness of this call. “Follow Me!” You will notice that he did not ask a question: ‘Would you like to follow Me?’ or ‘Are you willing to follow Me?’ He looks at them and commands, “Come here after Me!”  Peter and Andrew heard this, and “immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” The same with James and John, “Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” No discussion, no hedging, and no wondering about what they might miss out on if they obeyed; they simply followed.

 These men understood something of the urgency of following Christ. They were not the theologians of Israel, just fishermen of Galilee. But they understood that when Jesus calls it is time for decisive action. Have you known this decisiveness in your own life? I know I need more of it in my life. 

3. It is missional

  He is calling them to do something.  I am making a distinction here between a disciple who sits at a master’s feet in order to learn something or a disciple who follows the Lord in order to become and to do something.  And this was a call to a discipleship unlike that of any rabbi who’d ever taught in Israel.  They were called to do something. We come to Christ and He makes us fishers of men!

This is just what I needed today. How about you?