Two Simple Words

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Two Simple Words

Matthew 4:12-25

Two simple words: Follow Me. This is the life-changing call of Jesus in Matthew 4:12-25. This passage helps us see what it means to follow Jesus at the most basic level. In response to this passage, we should be asking ourselves the question, "Am I following Him?" No more important question can be asked.

Me

Many people are familiar with Jesus' command to "Follow Me" in verse 19. The command is not complicated, but what do those two words actually mean? It will help to consider these words in reverse order, so that we first get a grasp of the "Me" we're called to follow.

This is where it may be helpful to quickly review the first four chapters of Matthew, because this Gospel has already given us a stunning and majestic picture of Jesus from a number of different angles. Consider what we've already seen.

Matthew 1

The first verse of Matthew's Gospel speaks of "the historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." From the very beginning Matthew makes clear that Jesus is the Savior, which is actually what78 His name means. Jesus is also the Messiah, which is signified by the title "Christ." Christ is not simply Jesus' last name; rather, it designates Him as the Anointed One. Matthew also points out that Jesus is the Son of David, born into Israel's kingly line. Then, at the end of verse 1, Jesus is called the Son of Abraham, the father of the people of Israel. Matthew's genealogy helps us see that the whole Old Testament points to Jesus Christ. That's a theologically loaded first verse! In the second half of chapter 1, we considered the mystery of Christ's incarnation. He is fully human and fully divine. Jesus was born of the Spirit through a woman, something no other man can claim. The Incarnation is a miracle and a mystery. Jesus Christ is Immanuel, literally "God is with us" (1:23).

Matthew 2

In the second chapter Matthew shows us that Jesus is the Sovereign over the wise and the Shepherd of the weak. Wise men came looking for a King, a Sovereign, and they bowed before the child Jesus. Matthew quotes from Micah 5:2, where Jesus is prophesied as the "ruler" who would shepherd God's people. Using other Old Testament quotations, Matthew shows that Jesus inaugurates the new exodus (2:15 citing Hos 11:1) as God brings His Son out of Egypt, and He ends the mournful exile (2:18 citing Jer 31:15) by bringing hope to God's beleaguered people. Jesus also loves His fiercest enemies. The Son of God came for the despised and the destitute, even those committed to destroying Him.

Matthew 3

Jesus was proclaimed by John the Baptist, and John announced that He is the Savior King and Righteous Judge. "Repent," John said, "because the kingdom of heaven has come near!" (v. 2). In other words, the King is here and the King is coming to save all who will trust in Him. Yet, this will also bring judgment: "His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out" (v. 12). John also tells us that Jesus is filled with the Spirit and loved by the Father. In a rare glimpse into heaven, we hear the very voice of God declaring, "This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!" (v. 17).

Matthew 4

Jesus was led into the desert to be tempted by the Devil, where we find that He is the new Adam and the true Israel. Whereas the first Adam79 gave in to the temptation of the Devil in the garden, Jesus stood against that same serpent. He did what no one else in history has ever done or will ever do—He resisted temptation fully and completely, never giving in once to sin. Jesus is the true Israel, the faithful and obedient Son of God who passed the test of Satan's temptation and conquered sin.

Here, in the latter half of chapter 4, Matthew continues to paint a portrait of Jesus Christ, the One whom we're called to follow. In verses 12-25 He is the light of the world and the hope for all people. After hearing that John the Baptist had been thrown into prison, Jesus withdrew into Galilee. Once again Matthew shows how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy: "Land of Zebulun and land of Napthali, along the sea road, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles! The people who live in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the shadowland of death, light has dawned" (vv. 15-16). This quotation is from Isaiah 9:1-2, and the surrounding context of Isaiah helps us understand what Matthew is saying. Isaiah 8 contains a prophecy of coming judgment, but in chapter 9 God promised to deliver His people through a child who would be born, whose name would be "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa 9:6). That promise was given particularly to Jews living in Galilee, a city far from the center of Jerusalem. These Jews were living in darkness among the nations, and to them Isaiah says, "A light has dawned" (Isa 9:2). All those who dwell among the despised, in the midst of darkness, enveloped in the "shadowland of death," are now being introduced to the One who is the light of the world and the hope for all people.

At the end of Matthew 4 we read that Jesus was "teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people" (v. 23). Matthew describes His ministry as threefold: teaching, preaching, and healing. Jesus' teaching and preaching were accompanied by His healing ministry; He healed the sick, diseased, demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics (v. 24). This ministry consisted of both word and deed—proclamation of the good news of the kingdom alongside demonstrations of the greatness of the King.

Conclusion

In light of everything we know about Jesus from the first four chapters of Matthew, we should feel the wonder and weight of the One who gives this invitation, this command, to four fishermen to "Follow Me"80 in verse 19. This is Jesus, the Savior, the Messiah, the One promised to come in the kingly line of David and from Abraham, the father of Israel. He was fully human and fully divine, the One to whom wise men from the nations bow down, the One whose birth and life are the culmination of generations of prophecy and anticipation. He is the Savior King and Righteous Judge of the world, perfectly filled with God's Spirit and loved by God the Father. He is the only man who has conquered sin, and the true Son that Israel could never be.

There is only one conclusion to draw when we hear the invitation "Follow Me": Jesus is worthy of far more than church attendance and casual association. We have such a dangerous tendency to reduce Jesus to a poor, puny Savior who is just begging for you and me to accept Him into our lives. As if Jesus needs to be accepted by us! Jesus doesn't need our acceptance; He is infinitely worthy of all glory in the whole universe, and He doesn't need us at all. We need Him.

We dare not patronize Jesus, for He is worthy of total abandonment and supreme adoration. We're talking about the Savior King of the universe and Righteous Judge of all nations—God in the flesh—saying, "Follow Me." That thought alone is mind-boggling. There is no potential casual response to Jesus. It's either "turn and run" or "bow and worship." Luke's Gospel records that as soon as Peter caught a glimpse of Jesus' power and authority, He fell on His face, and then rose and followed (Luke 5:1-11). Everything is different once you meet this King. That's why we know that people who profess to be Christians but whose lives look just like the rest of the world are lying.

Many people claim to have made a decision, prayed a prayer, signed a card, walked an aisle, accepted Jesus into their hearts, but their lives don't look any different. These people say they're Christians, but the reality is that they've never met Jesus. Because when you do, everything changes.

Follow

After seeing the portrait of the One who used those two simple words, "Follow Me," we need to see what it means to respond. Having looked at the "Me," we turn to the "Follow."

Radical Abandonment

Matthew is clear that to follow Jesus means to live with radical abandonment for His glory. This word "abandonment" takes us back to Jesus'81 call to repent in verse 17, and prior to that to the beginning of chapter 3 where John the Baptist said the exact same thing that Jesus now says: "Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!" (3:2; 4:17). That word "repent" means to admit your sin (confession), to express sorrow over your sin (contrition), and to turn from your sin (conversion). Repentance is illustrated in baptism, which is a picture of totally renouncing your dependence on self. Consider how that "renouncing" played out in the lives of the disciples.

Just as Jesus' invitation to those first disciples was a call to leave behind all things, so also when we follow Him we leave behind all things, including our comfort. The early disciples left behind everything that was familiar and natural for them. They exchanged comfort for uncertainty. They didn't know where they would be going; they only knew who they would be with. All followers of Christ must respond to this same call today: we may not always know all the details about where Christ is leading us, but we do know who we're following.

As followers of Jesus, we also leave behind our careers and our possessions. The disciples re-oriented their life's work, being willing to follow Jesus with nothing in their hands. Now to be sure, these guys may not have been among the economically elite in society, but the fact that they had this boat and a successful trade as fishermen shows that they had much to lose in following Christ. When we follow Jesus, we also lose our position. In Jesus' day, disciples would attach themselves to a rabbi to promote themselves. Discipleship could be a step up the ladder toward greater status and position. But this wasn't the case with these early disciples; they were stepping down the ladder. They would eventually find this out when the One they were following was tried and killed.

In addition to leaving behind comfort, careers, possessions, and position, we also leave behind our families, our friends, and our safety. Jesus would later tell the disciples, "I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves" (Matt 10:16); "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). Obedience to Christ is costly. Following Him must be put even before our own physical security. Martin Luther's hymn "A Mighty Fortress" says it well: "Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever."

While following Christ requires abandoning everything, at the core it means that we must abandon our sin. That is, we admit our sin in brokenness before God, and then we run from it. That's what it means82 to abandon ourselves. This is the central message for any prospective disciple: "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matt 16:24). That's where following Jesus starts. In a world where everything revolves around self—protect yourself, promote yourself, preserve yourself, take care of yourself—Jesus says, "Slay yourself."

Now let me be very careful here: I am not saying, and I would not say based on the whole of the New Testament, that all followers of Jesus must lose their careers, sell or give away all their possessions, leave their families behind, and physically die for the gospel. But the New Testament is absolutely clear that for all who follow Jesus, comfort and certainty in this world are no longer your concerns. Your career revolves around whatever Jesus calls you to do and however He wants to use you to spread the good news of the kingdom. Your possessions are not your own, and you forsake material pleasure in this world in order to live for eternal treasure in the world to come. And this could mean that you sell or give away everything you have. After all, position is no longer your priority.

When it comes to family, the Bible is clear that you are to honor your parents (Eph 6:1-3; Exod 20:12), love your spouse (Eph 5:22-33), and provide for your children (1 Tim 5:8). So don't use a command like "Follow Me" to justify being a lousy husband, wife, or parent. Nevertheless, as we'll see in Matthew 10:37, your love for Christ should make love for your closest family members look like hate in comparison. God may call you to leave your family for His own purposes, perhaps to make His gospel known across the world.

The costly call to abandon everything for Jesus can be stated another way. We lay down all things so that we live for one thing: to honor the King. To follow Jesus means to hold loosely to everything else and to cling tightly to the person of Christ and the mission of His kingdom. This may sound extreme to some people, but we can't forget who the "Me" is here. To lay down everything in your life doesn't make sense until you realize who the King is. Once you realize this, leaving behind all things is the only thing that makes sense. Remember Matthew 13:44: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field." We have Someone worth losing everything for!83

Joyful Dependence

It should be clear by now that following Christ is not easy. However, this is not a call to earn something from God by our sacrificial lifestyles. As we live with radical abandonment for Christ's glory, we are to live with joyful dependence on His grace. See the beauty and wonder of God's grace in those words, "Follow Me." God takes the initiative to choose us. While potential disciples in first-century Judaism would seek out a rabbi to study under, Jesus did the seeking in this passage. The disciples didn't come to Jesus—He came to them. Jesus does at the beginning of the New Testament what God did throughout the Old Testament. God always chooses His partners. He chose Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. He also chose the prophets. And he chose Israel to be His people (Deut 7:6-7). Just as the Father chose His people in the Old Testament, so Jesus chose His disciples in the New Testament. Jesus will tell the disciples later, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you" (John 15:16). This choice was not because of anything in them; it was all because of grace in Him.

It's common to hear people give reasons for why Jesus would choose fishermen to be His disciples. It may be that four to seven of these men were actually fishermen, and, it is pointed out, fishermen have certain tasks and skill sets that make them likely candidates as disciples and disciple-makers. But if that's the direction we go, we'll miss the whole point of the text. Jesus did not call these guys because of what they brought to the table. These four guys, and the disciples that came later, didn't have many things in their favor. For starters, they were Galileans, deemed to be lower class, rural, and uneducated by many. They were hardly the cultural elite, and they certainly weren't the most spiritually qualified for this task. Instead, they were narrow-minded and superstitious, full of Jewish prejudices, misconceptions, and animosities. These are the ones Jesus chose.

This may sound like a harsh description of these 12 men, but the reality is that it's not just them; it's us too! You and I have nothing in us to draw Jesus to us, to elicit this invitation. We are sinners—rebels to the core—running from God. And the beautiful, gracious, glorious reality of the gospel is that Jesus comes running to us. He calls our name. He chooses us. To use the words of Ephesians 1:4-6,

God the Father sent the Son to bear the wrath you and I deserved on a cross so that we, by His grace, might be drawn to Him. Praise be to God that He takes the initiative to choose us! But why does He do this?

Right after telling us that He chose the disciples, Jesus gives us the purpose of their choosing: "I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit" (John 15:16). Likewise, the command to "Follow Me" has a purpose: "Follow Me... and I will make you fish for people!" (Matt 4:19). So Jesus not only takes the initiative to choose us, but also He provides the power to use us. Notice that Jesus does not command the disciples to fish for people; rather, He says, "I will make you fish for people." In other words, "I am going to do a transforming work in your life that will enable you to spread the message of My kingdom around the world." The power to follow Christ and make Him known comes only as we rely fully on His strength. In John 15:4 Jesus tells His disciples, "Remain in Me, and I in you." The fruit we bear in following Jesus only comes as we remain in Him by faith. There's no way these men could carry out the commands given from Jesus, and so Jesus says, in effect, "I will enable you to do all that I command."

God takes the initiative to choose us, He provides the power to use us, and He gets the glory through us. Consider how God used this unlikely group of men:

• Peter, the disciple with the foot-shaped mouth, preached the first Christian sermon and led more than 3,000 people to Christ, literally increasing the church by 2,500 percent in one day (Acts 2).
• John wrote books contained in the NT that are still used to lead people to Christ 2,000 years later.
• Other disciples would scatter to the nations proclaiming the good news of God's kingdom, even at the risk of their own lives.

Human history was altered forever by this group of disciples, and it began with four local fishermen. Hardly a world-changing task force! But this is the beauty of God's design, namely, to take weak and lowly sinners and enable them to do far more than they (or anyone else) could ever imagine, all to the praise of His glorious grace! May He use us and our churches to change our own world today.85

Faithful Adherence

Next, we see that to follow Jesus means to live with faithful adherence to His person. This is what the disciples did; their commitment wasn't perfect and their understanding was often cloudy, but they were loyal to their Lord. It's worth noting that the word "disciple" appears more than 250 times in the New Testament, but it doesn't always refer to these 12 men. Sometimes the word "disciple" refers to the crowds who were following Jesus and simply listening to Him (Luke 6:17). Other times, the word "disciple" refers to the people who seemed to be convinced of what Jesus was saying, but they weren't "all in." However, there were 12 guys, and a few women, who after these many days of teaching and preaching and healing in Galilee, would follow Jesus all the way to Jerusalem to the cross. As we'll see clearly in the upcoming Sermon on the Mount, nominal adherence to Jesus is not something new to the twenty-first century (Matt 7:21-23). It has been prevalent ever since the first century.

Throughout history, there have been crowds of people who were content to hear from Jesus, maybe even to agree with Jesus, but they didn't truly follow Him. In the place where I pastor, Birmingham, Alabama, it is no big deal to go to a church. In fact, so many people go to church that it becomes a game to see which church can draw the biggest crowd. But this is not New Testament Christianity. New Testament Christianity is a narrow road, a costly road of continual obedience. Anyone who wants to become a follower of Jesus needs to know what they are signing up for.

First, we are not casual listeners. True disciples don't simply listen to the words of Jesus week by week and then move on with their lives. Second, we are not convinced listeners, people who are content to merely affirm belief in Jesus. Even demons believe Jesus is who He says He is (Jas 2:19)! Intellectual belief alone ultimately damns. Followers of Jesus are not simply casual or even convinced listeners; we are committed learners and followers. In a world, even a church world, full of casual and convinced listeners, I want to invite you to yield your life as a learner and follower of Jesus, being willing to go wherever He asks and to do whatever He says, no matter what it costs.

Total Trust

Next we need to see that to follow Jesus means to live with total trust in His authority. We might put it this way: He is the Master of every domain86 in our lives. Luke records that just before Jesus called these four fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, and John), He was able supernaturally to determine where they should drop their nets for a massive catch (Luke 5:1-11). From the beginning, then, the disciples realized that Jesus was sovereign, even over the fish of the sea. For them and for us, it is important to realize that there is nothing in our lives or our professions that is outside Jesus' authority.

All of us have the dangerous tendency to compartmentalize Christianity. We relegate Jesus to the religious realm, not realizing that He is the Lord of every detail in our lives. He is Lord over politics and policies. He is Lord over budgets and bank accounts. He is Lord over houses and cars. He is Lord over words and thoughts, attitudes and actions. And to follow Him is to live with total trust in His sovereign, supreme authority in every domain and in every detail of your life.

Urgent Obedience

Finally, to follow Jesus is to live with urgent obedience to His mission. This is integral to why He called us in the first place. Every follower of Jesus is a fisher of men. Using imagery that was familiar to their vocation, Jesus was calling the disciples to a mission. Instead of searching for fish all over the lake, they would spread the gospel all over the world. At the close of this Gospel, this message remains front and center. Jesus met the disciples on a mountainside in Galilee, and He commanded them, "Go... and make disciples of all nations."

The theme of mission is prominent in Matthew's Gospel, for every disciple is a disciple-maker. This is admittedly an unconventional plan. With the good news of a kingdom to spread throughout the world, Jesus gathered a few men around Him for three years. He loved them, cared for them, taught them, and trained them, and when He left this earth, He only had a handful of people who were actually following Him. But each one of them knew that he (or she) had one mission—to fish for men and make disciples. The advancement of the gospel in the world came about as the Spirit of God used every single one of those early disciples to accomplish His grand and global purpose.1387

We desperately need to be reminded that the Great Commission and the call to fish for men are every Christian's privilege and responsibility. This is an unconventional plan that demands a universal response. This is one of the deepest burdens of my heart for the church I pastor. I want every member, every disciple, to see themselves as disciple-makers. So biblically, if we're not making disciples, then we have missed what it means to be a disciple in the first place. This is one of the reasons I encourage every member of our church to be a part of a small group, where the goal is not simply to meet, but to come alongside other believers and ask, "How can we make disciples?"

You may be thinking, "I can't do that." To which I say, "Yes, that's the point." We can't do it. That's why we need Jesus to make us what we cannot be in and of ourselves. This is the core of discipleship: we follow Him, and He makes us fishers of men.

Will You Follow Jesus?

A passage like Matthew 4:18-25 isn't intended simply to be analyzed. It's intended to confront us with the question of whether or not we will follow Jesus. Therefore, consider the cost of discipleship. That is, consider the cost of what it means to follow Jesus, to live with radical abandonment for His glory, to lay down and leave behind all things in order to live for the King. And this is to be done with joyful dependence on His grace, faithful adherence to His person, and total trust in His authority. Disciples of Jesus ought to live with urgent obedience to His mission.

Discipleship is undoubtedly costly, but as you consider the cost of discipleship, I beg you to consider the cost of non-discipleship. What if you choose to reject Jesus, to live for yourself and to die in your sin? What if you choose to settle for casual, cultural Christianity that never truly encounters Christ?

Consider what the cost will be for our lives. Eternity is at stake. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), and death apart from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ means that an eternal hell is your destination. Don't be deceived: the cost of non-discipleship is far greater than the cost of discipleship.

And also consider the cost for our community. Your non-discipleship means that the people who know you get a picture of a half-hearted, lukewarm Christianity and a puny, pathetic Christ. Instead, we want to show people that Jesus is worthy of more than Sunday morning or even88 small group attendance; He's worthy of our lives and our possessions, our dreams and our ambitions. He's worthy of it all, and we gladly lay it all down for Him. Let's make known the good news of a King for whom it is worth losing everything.

Finally, consider the cost for the world if we aren't committed learners and followers of Christ. How is it that billions of people have still never heard this gospel? Surely it is at least in part because we have been content with business as usual in the church, instead of realizing what it means to really follow the Jesus of the Bible and to spend our lives spreading the gospel of the kingdom to the ends of the earth. Failing to follow Jesus truly has global consequences.

Reflect and Discuss

1. How would your friends and coworkers answer the question, "Who is Jesus?"
2. Why is an understanding of Matthew's teaching about Jesus' identity up to this point so crucial to understanding Jesus' command to "Follow Me"?
3. In light of who Jesus is, why do mere church attendance and casual association with Him not make sense?
4. How would you explain what it means to "repent" to someone who had never heard the term?
5. Following Jesus costs us everything. What might that look like practically in our own culture? How might this look different in a hostile Muslim context?
6. If we must abandon everything for Christ, then how does God's grace play a part in our salvation?
7. In what ways has the call to follow Jesus been watered down in our culture?
8. Explain the idea that every disciple is to be a disciple-maker. What might this look like for a mom with young kids? For an accountant? What about a college student?
9. Explain the following statement: "The New Testament pattern for discipleship is more about 'go and tell' than 'come and see.'"
10. What are some of the costs of non-discipleship that you see around you?