Jesus says to the disciples, “Follow me.” Where is Jesus going? Jesus is going on a journey, one that will be arduous, both physically and emotionally. In purely geographical terms, Jesus will take his followers across miles and miles of difficult terrain. They will enter hostile villages and risk attack by bandits. They will climb mountains, cross rivers, and be dependent upon the hospitality of strangers. Jesus is not calling them to an easy life. Following Jesus involves going into places where they themselves would not choose to go.

Like the disciples, we are being called by Jesus to undertake a journey. There is nowhere in this world where Jesus has not already gone ahead of you and prepared the way. There’s an African saying that, when you are on a journey, your spirit goes on ahead of you. I like to think of the spirit of Jesus going on ahead of us. The path has been made ready for us to follow.

When Jesus calls Simon and Andrew, he says to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19) What happens next is this: “Immediately, they left their nets and followed him.” Notice that word immediately. It’s a direction to us about how to respond when Jesus calls you. Don’t delay. The time is now! If you wait until you think you are ready, then the opportunity will have passed. 

The urgency of Jesus’ call is meant to cause a little crisis in your life - he is saying, “where are you now? Are you happy with your life? Has everything worked out as planned? Are you ready for a change?” 

The most important change happens within. We are being called to follow Jesus, which means we are being called to pray more than we do, to think more about the well-being of others than we do, to be more forgiving of others than we are. To follow Jesus means to say, “I’m not ready, but I will make a start.” Do you think the disciples were ready when Jesus called them? In one sense they were, but in other ways they were not. 

Let me share with you a personal story about a time soon after I was ordained, and I was among a group of freshly minted priests who stood before the bishop. He asked us, as clergy about to begin ministry, “are you ready to do this work?” You might have thought we would have responded in unison with a hearty “Yes!” and thrown our caps into the air, if we had worn them. However, it was more of an embarrassed murmur. “Er, yes.” It was a moment of honesty to admit that, for all of our training, we did not feel ready for what lay ahead. The bishop reassured us, “Of course you’re not ready, but God sends you out nonetheless.” 

Looking back, I think that for a moment we had forgotten something important: we had forgotten that what we needed to do was to follow Jesus. To follow Jesus means to lean on him and to ask for his help, continually. It was a good lesson in avoiding the trap of self-reliance.

It is a deep and abiding mystery that God so loved the world that he gave his only son that we may live. He calls us to follow him, in faithfulness, love, and in expectation. With Christ leading the way, everything is possible. 

Listen again to his call: “Follow me.” Who, me? Yes, you.

Father David