Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.”
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. ~ Matthew 4:12-23
In Greek, the words here that Jesus uses, "Follow me," actually translates better as:
"Hey come on. Come after me!"
This isn't Jesus ordering men to be follow his instructions.
This is Jesus saying, "See what I've got to offer! Come along for the ride."
What if we looked at Jesus' call to us less as a command, and more as an invitation?
Less as a requirement and more as a promise of the new? The great? The surprising? The exciting? The awe-inspiring?
The life-giving.
An invitation to community and relationship.
What would it be like to see following Jesus as the adventure of a lifetime rather than as a way to get to heaven or a way to keep a moral compass?
What would it be like to read scripture not because we are told we should, but because it is a way to enter into the adventure of Jesus?
To go to church not because that's what you do on a Sunday, but because Jesus has something to show us and give us and feed us?
Come on...let's see...
I'm coming Jesus! Lead me and I will follow. Amen
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