Thought for 5 February 2025

          Matthew 4:18-22

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. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,  and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus saw Peter and Andrew while they were in their boat, fishing. When Jesus called for them to follow Him, they left their nets and followed, no hesitation at all. As they walked on, they saw James and John and Jesus also invited them to follow Him. James and John ‘Immediately left the boat and their father’ and followed Jesus.

What was it about Jesus that made their choice so easy? They did not ask why or wonder who Jesus was. They just stopped what they were doing and  went with Him. In fact Levi (Matthew) couldn’t believe Jesus actually invited him into His inner group, and even when the other disciples questioned Matthew’s inclusion, he was willing to put up with their unkind remarks, just to be in this group of Jesus’ followers. Matthew just walked out of the tax booth and his well-paid job and (easy) life to follow Jesus regardless of what anybody said.

Even when Philip told Nathaniel about Jesus of Nazareth,

‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked in John 1:46

‘Come and see,’ said Philip. Nathaniel did ‘come and see’ and also stayed.

The disciples left their lives behind to follow Jesus. Even though most of the time they didn’t understand Jesus, they seemed to know instinctively if they stayed with Him Jesus would provide what they needed.

These men had the hunger for truth. To learn what Jesus had to teach them. They believed Jesus was the one Moses had spoken about, but I don’t think they fully understood who Jesus really was or why He was there.

People are still leaving their past behind to follow Jesus, not always with the same conviction but always with the hunger for knowledge of Him. They surrender their lives to Jesus in order to obey His teachings.

Surrender is the most important concept for all of us. If we don’t surrender everything to Father, Son and Holy Spirit what will we gain? Nothing! We hear of people trying to ‘find themselves’ when it’s not themselves they need to find…it’s Jesus they miss in their lives and by meeting Jesus they find their answers.

Are we still looking for answers? Jesus has all the answers we need in this life.

 

Prayer

Almighty Father, we still have questions but not all of us have the same questions. We see so many fall away from their faith and follow worldly paths. Strengthen us to stay on the path Jesus trod, the path that His disciples were so eager to walk. Bless those who are only now finding Jesus and hearing what He did for us on the cross. For those of us who have heard, give us courage and words to tell out the Good News of when Your Son came to earth to carry our sins to the cross on a broken body. Help us to speak boldly about His resurrection and ascension and how You sent Your Spirit to dwell in our hearts, teaching and guiding until Jesus returns, in His precious name we pray, amen.