WE ARE CALLED…TO FOLLOW
Mark 10: 17-22
Matthew 4: 12-23

           The Bible makes it seem so…simple. It is a detail that has been the focus of countless sermons; some of which I have preached. What am I talking about? I am referring to the reaction of the fishermen when Jesus calls to them. As we read in the text, Jesus says “Come” and they come; Jesus says “follow” and they follow. Anybody with children knows, from experience, that such an invitation, or command, is rarely met without questioning, negotiation, or flat-out refusal. Yet these fishermen, we are told, “immediately left their nets and followed him (Jesus)”.

           The word “immediately” is what can make this passage difficult to swallow or emulate. When we see these first disciples making the decision to follow Jesus, seemingly without thinking about it or without questioning it, it presents us with a difficult challenge. There are times when I wonder if the passage would be easier to digest and emulate if these fishermen had been like the rich young man we read about in Mark’s gospel. It seems that he, upon hearing Jesus’ answer to his question, takes stock of things before deciding that the cost to follow Jesus was just too high. Would the example of these first disciples be easier to follow if Matthew had only recorded them giving the invitation a little bit of thought before leaving things behind and following Jesus?

           With all this being said, I wonder something else, though. I wonder if the decision these disciples made was really as simple as the Bible portrays it. Is following Jesus really as simple as just dropping everything and going? I want to contend that the answer to this question is “no”, and that following Jesus is not as simple as it is made out to be. Jesus’ overarching invitation, the big picture if you will, is to “come, follow me”. Underneath this invitation, though, are other invitations that come as a consequence to following Jesus. The invitations are to do something different with and in life; something that brings with it a great cost.

           Looking at these first disciples, we see Jesus inviting them to leave the predictability of their everyday routine. Fishing was hard and dangerous work. While the condition of the seas or the size of the catch was never predictable, fishing brought with it a predictable routine to life. They sat out as the sun was going down, they worked all night, in the morning they sold their catch, they tended their equipment, then they went home. They followed this routine for six days, rested on the Sabbath day, and repeated the routine all over again. Jesus’ invitation to follow him was an invitation to leave this predictable life for a life that was anything but predictable.

           We see in Jesus’ invitation to follow Him an invitation for these fishermen to risk being an outcast in their society by bringing dishonor to themselves and their family. To forsake one’s family, in that society, was to forsake the most basic social unit. It brought dishonor to the family to the one who forsook the family. Yet Jesus invites them to come along behind him, without regard for family. At the same the invitation was to risk ridicule and rejection by following Jesus. Often times in the gospels, the disciples are called to answer for Jesus or defend him when Jesus conflicts with the authorities or even the crowds of commoners. In many cases, the disciples themselves have no clue how to respond and they themselves do not understand what Jesus is doing.

           The invitation is also issued to them to embrace values and a lifestyle that, at times, ran counter to their culture. Taking that a step further, they are invited to use their lives as a witness to this lifestyle and faith in such a way that is attractive to others and those others are led to embrace the same values and lifestyle. In other words, it is an invitation to be completely subservient to someone, something, else; an invitation to surrender control of their life and to serve God instead of self.

           These were invitations that came at great cost—leave security, surrender control of self, risk dishonor and ridicule. Yet, we see that they, at least through the lens of Matthew, willingly and immediately took on those costs and followed Jesus. That invitation, these invitations, which Jesus gave to those fishermen by the sea so long ago is the same invitation that Jesus gives to us today. Jesus gives us this invitation each day of our life; as we wake up each day, Jesus is there, beckoning us to come and follow him that day. Just as the invitation is the same, so too are the costs of this invitation.

           Each day, we are invited to leave the predictable and be open to the unpredictable. Speaking for myself, I am a person that appreciates schedules and finds it unsettling when there are deviations to a schedule. Many people have a daily routine they follow; even if life is hectic, that is their routine. Jesus invites us to be open to having that routine upset and our schedule interfered with. I would go as far to say that Jesus majors in the unpredictable and the inconvenient. Often, it is the midst of a either a very hectic time or we are drowning in a routine that Jesus most clearly calls us to follow him. I have a clergy colleague that is fond of saying that she “lives life in pencil”; that is to say, she has learned that Jesus’ call might necessitate the rearranging of schedules or activities. The call to follow is a call to be open to the unpredictable.

           Each day, we are invited to take a risk and be different. Human begins often find it very difficult to “be different”. We don’t want to see as “odd” or “weird”. We want others to like us and try to conform to what others are doing or being, so that we do not draw attention to ourselves. Jesus’ invitation is to take a risk at being different from the crowd—however that might look. Jesus’ invitation is to embrace values and a lifestyle that might be outside the mainstream of societal values. The call to follow might be a call to hold as truth that which others deem offensive; the call to follow might mean standing our ground in the battle over what is or isn’t ethical or moral. As we accept this invitation to “be different” we also accept the vulnerability it brings. It is easy for us to attack or pick on those that are labeled as “different”. Take a peek inside a school if you want confirmation of that! Yet, we are invited to be a target; a target for lies, for hatred, for being picked on. The call to follow is an invitation to be different than the world.

           Each day, we are invited to allow our lives to be such a reflection of the life and faith we have that others are drawn to it. It is an invitation to surrender ourselves for the sake of the One who loves us and calls us to be disciples. It is not always easy, but it is what Jesus means when he talks about “fishing for people”—attracting to them to the love and grace of God that is in Jesus Christ. The call to follow is to allow ourselves to be used by God for God’s purposes in the world.

           In spite of all these costs, there is a shred of comfort and Good News in this invitation. Jesus does not invite us to come and learn all we can and then go embark on a journey all by ourselves. Instead, the invitation is to follow—to allow Jesus to do the leading and the bulk of the work. Our calling is simply to follow wherever he might lead us and follow his example. Each day, the invitation is there, “come and follow me”. Will we follow…or is the cost just too high? AMEN.

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