“Come, Follow Me…!”

“Come, Follow Me…!”
The first four disciples of Christ were from two families. They were all fisher men. The first two were Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. Jesus’ words to these were, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
When he saw two other brothers James and John he “called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”
The disciples were not called to comfort. The life of a fisherman is risky. You never can tell wether as you go out to fish in the night you will survive a stormy sea. Jesus called them but did not change their proffession, rather he changed the specie they had to fish.
Immediately after calling them, he “went throughout Galilee, teaching,…preaching the goodnews of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”(Mt. 4:23). This verse is a summary of Matthew’s gospel. Matthew places those teachings in what is now called “Sermon on the Mount” because it was at the mountainside (5:1-7:1ff).
After the teachings and preaching, chapters 8-9 is healings. After having groomed the disciples, he now “gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness”(10:1ff).
We are called not to a life of comfort but to go and liberate the souls of lost humanity and bring them back to the kingdom of God.
We are called, groomed and asked to go call others, free them from disease and sickness and give them hope in the face of hopelessness! We are not called to a life of comfort, but to a life of danger!
Responding to the call “follow me” is not conclusive. Once you have followed, you are commissioned to go and bring others in. That is the mission each one of us must carry out. My friend, call somebody today, or teach somebody today. Or be a source of healing to somebody today and be a source of hope to somebody today! Remember that it is never a bed of roses. Jesus says “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves…”(Mt. 10:6).
But even so, there is nothing to fear because he assures, “and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”(Mt. 28:20b).
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!