John 1:35-42
Matthew 4:18-22
Luke 5:1-11
Psalm 37:23-24
Mark 8:34-38

I’ve often wondered what it was like for Simon Peter and the other fishermen when, as they went about their work on a seemingly ordinary day, they were suddenly interrupted by Jesus’ approach and His call:

“Follow me […] and I will make you fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19)

It’s a simple calling, yet also mysterious. I wonder how much the fishermen really understood, and what was so compelling they were willing to leave their nets and their boats “immediately.” (Matthew 4:20,22)

After looking more closely at today’s passages, I discovered this calling was not a one-time thing. In fact, there are at least four different occasions recorded when Peter receives a call and chooses to follow Jesus.

We read of the first in John 1:35-42. It is actually Peter’s brother, Andrew, who first discovers Jesus. When John points Jesus out as the Lamb of God, Andrew and his fellow-disciple choose to follow Him literally. After spending time with Jesus, and concluding He is the Messiah, Andrew’s first action is to tell his brother and invite him to come and see, and Peter responds positively to this invitation to meet Jesus for himself.

Maybe this helps explain the fishermen’s willingness to leave their nets when Jesus calls them later. (Matthew 4:18-22) At least Peter and Andrew had encountered Jesus before. They had recognised Him as a rabbi (John 1:38) and as the Messiah. (John 1:41)

Maybe they were also delighted at having been chosen.

In pastor and teacher John Mark Comer’s book, “Practicing the Way,” he explains the Jewish education system. By the age of twelve or thirteen, the vast majority of Jewish children would have completed their education and be expected to work in their family business. The very best would go on to a second stage of education until the age of seventeen. 

After this, only very few, the best of the best, would be chosen to continue their education as apprentices to a rabbi, and the invitation would be issued with the call, “Come, follow me.”

When Peter and the others began working as fishermen, presumably they thought they had missed their chance to be chosen in this way until Jesus surprised them with His unexpected call to follow.

On the third occasion Peter is called by Jesus, (Luke 5:1-11) he has already responded to Jesus’ call, spent time with Him, and seen His power miraculously displayed (John 2:1-12) but for some reason, he has returned to fishing.

Jesus surprises him with another miracle – an amazing catch of fish – which seems to bring Peter to an even deeper understanding of Jesus, a greater awareness of his own sinfulness, and a fresh determination to respond to Jesus’ call to follow. 

In the previous encounter, Peter left his nets (Matthew 4:20); here, he leaves everything including, presumably, the best catch of his fishing career in order to follow Jesus. (Luke 5:11)

The final calling is much later, after Jesus’ death and resurrection. (John 21:15-22) Peter has denied Jesus, and we see him back fishing once again. Perhaps Peter’s guilt has made him question his calling as a disciple, but Jesus has not given up on Peter. He gently restores Peter and calls him again to follow.

Mark 8:34-38 shows us that the invitation, “Come, follow me,” is not only for Peter, but for each of us. It is open to “anyone” (Mark 8:34), not only the intelligent, the skilled, or the respected, but anyone who is willing.

It is a costly calling to deny self and put Jesus first. (Mark 8:34) In “Practicing the Way,” John Mark Comer describes it like this:

“To follow Jesus is to become His apprentice. It’s to organise your entire life around three driving goals:

1.     Be with Jesus
2.     Become like Him
3.     Do as He did” 

Despite the cost, the calling is worth it. (Mark 8:35-37) As we step out in faith to follow Jesus, we gain so much more than we ever give up as we go deeper in knowing Jesus and participating in His work.

Thinking of the occasions where I have responded to Jesus’ call, “Come, follow me,” two spring to mind.

The first was starting out in youth ministry. This meant leaving my family home, the church I had grown up in, and the town where I had lived all my life, to step into something unfamiliar and unknown. As I look back on that time, it was incredibly challenging, but it was also a time of significant growth as I met amazing people, gained huge amounts of knowledge and experience, and, most importantly, deepened my faith in God.

Then there was the call to be part of a new church plant in my community. It was one of those moments that looked like nothing outwardly, but which changed everything inwardly. As I stood in my community one evening, waiting for a friend, God opened my eyes to the need for this church plant and its potential. I had planned to decline the invitation to participate, but the unmistakable sense God was calling me changed everything. In an instant, my reluctance melted away and I stepped, full of fear but convinced of God’s call, into a community that has brought me much blessing. 

How is Jesus calling you to follow Him today, and how will you respond?