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Why Did They Follow Jesus?

by Jack Earl  
12/18/2014 / Bible Studies

I admit that this question has been on my mind for nearly forty years. I have not yet come up with an answer that completely satisfies me. Notice the response from Peter and Andrew:

"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 make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-20)

Again with James and John we read this:

"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." Matthew 4:21-22)

Jesus received a similar response from Matthew:

"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him." (Matthew 9:9)

Notice the immediate response. There was no hesitation. They dropped everything and followed Jesus. There was not even an invitation hymn.

Notice, also, that these were not likely candidates for Jesus' team of evangelists. They were not trained in the schools of the rabbis. There were only fishermen and tax collectors. Hardly the kind of prospects that anyone would choose to become the foundation of the future church.

So why did these unlikely candidates respond so quickly. Did they have any idea as to the true identity of Jesus? Did they have any understanding of forgiveness and heaven? Did they know anything about the "abundant life" that Jesus would speak about later on? What was in it for them?

This was very early in the ministry of Jesus. These prospective apostles may have observed some of His miracles. They may have heard some of his sermons and parables. Their understanding of the true identity of Jesus and His mission was obviously limited.

So why did they jump at the opportunity to follow Jesus? It had to be something about Jesus, not for some personal reward. They followed Jesus because of Jesus, not because they were going to benefit in some way.

What a radical departure from today's approach! We treat our message today like an insurance salesman trying to sell insurance. We present all of the benefits and warn of the dangers in order to persuade people to come and follow Jesus. What would happen if we just presented Jesus in all of His beauty and power, and invited people to come and follow Him?

Jack Earl is a retired Christian Bookstore manager, a graduate of Moody Bible Institute. He now lives in the Seirra Nevada Mountains in central California. He may be reached at [email protected]

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