“Come, Follow Me”
Matthew 4:12-25

Click for Audio

Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Third Sunday after the Epiphany—January 26, 2014

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Our message is based on today’s Gospel Reading, in which Jesus calls his first disciples: “‘Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once they left their nets and followed him.”

For many centuries Britannia ruled the waves—the navy of Great Britain the most powerful in the world.  And at one time the British navy had a most unusual recruiting method, “impressing” sailors into service.  A ship in need of additional crew would dock at a port and send a “recruiting” expedition into the city. If they needed ten new sailors, the first ten men of the right age that they happened upon would simply be hit over the head with a club, knocked unconscious, and dragged back to the ship.  Next thing these surprised young men knew they woke up at sea, in a uniform of his majesty’s navy.  They might not know how to swim, or suffer from chronic seasickness, or maybe not even be citizens of the British Empire.  But, like it or not, till their time was up, they were in the navy now, “impressed” into the king’s service.

In today’s Gospel Reading, King Jesus also “impresses” four sailors into his service: Peter, Andrew, James, and John.  But, he doesn’t compel them to serve him by hitting them over the head and dragging them off.  Instead, King Jesus “impresses” them in a different way.  He “impresses” them with power of his Word, his marvelous teaching, which convinces them that he is the long-awaited Messiah.  He “impresses” them into service as his disciples with a simple but compelling invitation: “Come, follow me.”

We see from the Gospels that even before this encounter these men were actually already well-acquainted with Jesus.  He wasn’t just some stranger passing by on the shore as they cast their nets.  They had heard him preach; they had witnessed John the Baptist declare, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”; they believed Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Savior, as prophesied by Isaiah in today’s Old Testament Reading, and the other prophets of old.  As Andrew excitedly tells his brother Peter, “We have found the Messiah,” and Philip tells Nathanael, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth.”

Now Jesus is on a recruiting expedition as he walks along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  He needs a few good men for his mission, and he starts with Peter, Andrew, James, and John as his first disciples.  They already had faith in Jesus; now Jesus calls them to show forth their faith by devoting themselves to wholeheartedly serving him.

“Come, follow me.”  His first disciples heed his call, leaving their nets and boats to follow him, to become for him “fishers of men.”  Still today, Jesus needs a few good men and women for his mission.

Like those first disciples, he is no stranger to you, you are already well-acquainted with Jesus.  Like those first disciples you have heard the preaching of his Word.  Like those first disciples, you believe he is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Savior.  Like those first disciples you worship him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, including your sin.  Like those first disciples, you have faith in him as your Savior and Lord.  And like those first disciples, Jesus is calling you, today, to show forth your faith by wholeheartedly serving him.

“‘Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once they left their nets and followed him.”   Jesus is calling you, but, unlike those first disciples, we often hesitate to sacrifice everything and follow him.

The church bell rings out his invitation to worship him: “Come, follow me. . .  Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  But, we hesitate to sacrifice our other preoccupations, that keep us away from worshipping him, and instead of finding rest in him, here in his house, we look for our rest somewhere or in something else.

Jesus invites you to follow him through reading and studying his Word, the Bible: “Come, follow me. . .  If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples.”  But, even though we seem to find plenty of time for entertainment and other amusements, we hesitate to sacrifice our time for reading and studying his word.

Jesus invites you to follow him through prayer: “Come, follow me. . .  Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened unto you.”  But, though we find time in the day for all sorts of other things, again we hesitate to sacrifice our time for prayer.

Jesus invites you to follow him through giving of your possessions to support the work of his Church: “Come, follow me. . .  Freely you have received, freely give.”  But, we hesitate to sacrifice our possessions for his service, even though all that we possess is a gift from him.

Jesus invites you to follow him through a life of love: “Come, follow me. . .  Love one another as I have loved you. . .  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”   But, we hesitate to sacrifice our conflicts and grudges and anger, and instead of living for him a life of love and forgiveness, we bitterly hold on to our hostility.

Jesus invites you to follow him through a life of good works done to God’s glory: “Come, follow me. . .  Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.”  But, we hesitate to sacrifice what we want in order to do with our lives what he wants.

“‘Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once they left their nets and followed him.”  Those nets they left behind can symbolize all the cares and concerns and things of this world.  The danger is that like a net we become so entangled, so caught up in this world that we do not heed our Savior’s call to follow him, through this life and into the next world.

“Come, follow me.”  With those words Jesus today is “impressing” you into his service.  Like those first disciples, do not hesitate, do not hold back.  Sacrifice your other preoccupations to worship him; sacrifice your time, for prayer and reading and studying his word; sacrifice your possessions, to support the work of his Church; sacrifice your hostility, to show forth in your life his love; sacrifice what you want, in order to do with your life what he wants.  Like those first disciples leave behind all the nets of this world that threaten to entangle you and show forth your faith by devoting yourself to wholeheartedly serving him. 

“‘Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once they left their nets and followed him.”