“Jesus said: Follow Me”
Matthew 4:19
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Ever heard of Amy Nelson of Fence, Wisconsin, (population 221)? Well, you have now! She’s the 21st member of the Green Bay Packers Fan Hall of Fame!
So what’s the Fan Hall of Fame? It’s an award the Packers give to the one person who’s gone above and beyond what any other fan would do.
For example, each year, she memorizes the schedule as well as all the jersey numbers of all the players. (Clay Matthews, #52, was her favorite, by the way). Then each week, she checks in with everyone in her family to see who plans to come and watch the game. She wears Green Bay Packers clothes to work, not to mention jewelry and accessories, and, of course, green and gold nail polish.
According to the Packers: “Amy is a great example of true team spirit by supporting the team through the ups and downs of each season and through the passing years. Amy’s faithful and positive outlook at all times is an example all Packers fans should follow.”
And in honor of her selection, she was given four club seats to a home game, a road trip for two to an away game, and a Packers Pro Shop gift certificate worth $500. Congratulations, Amy!
But she’s not the only amazing Packers fan. Oscar-winning actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster is a Packers Fan, and so are Brad Paisley, Ryan Reynolds, and Larry the Cable Guy. And back in 2018, when Justin Timberlake was asked, just before the Superbowl, if he was rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles or the New England Patriots, he said: “Go Pack Go!”
There’s something special about fans, no matter where you go.
But in our text for today, Jesus isn’t looking for fans. He’s looking for followers.
Please turn in your Bible to page 1028 as I read the words of our text. I’ll start at Matthew chapter 4, verse 12: “Now when He heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth He went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled; ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
It’s been said that ever since God gave man the ability to speak, no one has spoken more wonderful words than Jesus. His words were not only, “thoughts that breathe and words that burn,” but ones that have shaped the destinies of men and nations.
Think about it. In the book of Luke, just as soon as He read the words of Isaiah the prophet, and handed the scroll back to the attendant, He said: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled.” And when He finished speaking that day, the Bible says: “All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His mouth.” And in the book of Luke, when the chief priests and Pharisees sent men to arrest Him, they came back without Him, saying, “No one ever spoke like this Man!”
And think of the things He said! To Satan in the wilderness, He said: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” To the scribes and Pharisees, He said: “You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s bones.” And to the crowds seated on the ground before Him, He said: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
No one ever spoke like Jesus.
So it was in our text. Look now at chapter 4, verse 18: “While walking 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 fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.”
It’s funny if you think about it. When Jesus chose men to follow Him, He didn’t choose priests or Levites, or the politically, socially, and culturally elite. Instead, He chose plain, ordinary men. Matthew was a tax collector. Simon was a zealot. And Andrew, Peter, James and John were nothing more than fishermen.
And it showed! How often He said: “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand?” And He said: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe!” Even the book of Acts called them, “unschooled, ordinary men.”
But just as soon as He asked them to follow Him, what happened? Verse 20: “Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” And verse 22: “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.”
In an instant, they left their homes, their businesses, and even their families, just to follow Him.
In a book called, Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus, the author Kyle Idleman writes: “Are you a follower of Jesus? I would say the chances are pretty good that you just skipped over that question. You may have read it, but I doubt it carried much weight or had any real impact. But would you let me ask you this question again? It’s the most important question you will ever answer. Are you a follower of Jesus?”
It’s a good question. Are you a follower of Jesus?
Let me explain. You see, a fan is a guy who goes to the football game with no shirt and a painted chest. He sits in the stands and cheers for his team. He’s got a signed jersey hanging on his wall at home and bumper stickers on his car. But he’s never in the game. He never breaks a sweat or takes a hard hit like the players do in the open field.
He knows all about the team and the players’ latest stats. He yells and cheers, but nothing is really required of him. There’s no sacrifice he has to make. And the truth is, no matter how excited he might seem to be, if the team he’s cheering for starts to let him down or has a few off games, his passion wanes pretty quickly. And if they keep on losing, don’t be surprised if he jumps ship and starts to cheer for some other team.
He’s not a follower. He’s a fan.
Remember a man named Nicodemus? He was a well-known and well-respected member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews. For a long time, he had listened to Jesus, and couldn’t help but wonder about Him. He might have even witnessed some of His miracles.
But it wasn’t simply what Jesus said that impressed him so much. It was His compassion and love. That’s when he knew he had to learn more.
But it wouldn’t be easy. There was, after all, quite a lot to lose if he went public as a follower of Jesus. I mean, what would people think when they learned that he, a leading member of the Jews, was seeking out some homeless carpenter-turned-rabbi from a know-nothing-town up north in Galilee? At the very least, he would lose his reputation. At the most, he would lose his seat on the Sanhedrin. Being a “secret admirer” of Jesus would cost him nothing. But to become a follower would cost him everything. That’s why he came to Jesus at night.
At night, he could hide under the cover of darkness. No one would see him. No one would ask any questions.
And as a candle’s light flickered across the room, he said: “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who’s come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
“Truly, truly,” Jesus said, “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
“But how can a man be born again? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb?”
Still in spite of his many doubts and questions and uncertainty, he heard the most precious word of gospel that anyone could hear: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
A pastor tells the story that, one day, he got an email from one his members, asking him to remove their name from the church membership. The stated reason for leaving was, “I don’t like your sermons.”
That’s all it said. And since a statement like that begs for some kind of explanation, he decided to call him. He checked the name and the phone number, just to be sure it wasn’t his own wife. That, he said, would have been awkward.
He said, “Hi, this is Kyle Idleman. I understand you’re leaving the church because you don’t like my sermons.”
There was a brief silence. He had caught him off guard. Then the man started talking, trying to explain what he meant. Then finally, he said it. He said: “Whenever I listen to one of your sermons, I feel like you are trying to interfere with my life.”
In other words: “I believe in Jesus. I’m a big fan, but don’t ask me to follow Him. I don’t mind coming to church on weekends. I’ll even pray before meals. But don’t let Jesus change my life.”
Fans are in it for themselves. Followers are in it for God. Fans come and go. Followers stay. Fans are partly in. Followers are all in. Fans are half-hearted. Followers are whole-hearted. Fans want only the good times. Followers want Jesus.
“Follow Me,” says Jesus, “on a cold winter morning, when the warmth of your cozy bed is so much more alluring than a wooden pew. Follow Me, on a bright summer morning, when friends are calling and fish are biting. Follow Me, when you see a coworker or classmate who needs you to listen to their story and give support. Follow Me, when you see someone who’s hungry or lacks decent clothes. Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
One more thing. You know the book of Romans and the many treasures we find there, like the words of chapter 6: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” or chapter 8: “Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love.”
But at the very beginning, in chapter 1, the apostle Paul wrote this: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel.”
He could have been ashamed. To put all his faith and hope and trust in a Man who was crucified seems to be the most ludicrous thing anyone could do. Why not bow a knee to Zeus or burn a pinch of incense to the emperor? It would have been a whole lot simpler!
So why was he not ashamed of the gospel? Because it’s the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to Jews, to Gentiles, even to you and me.
You once called twelve ordinary men to follow You, dear Jesus. Call us and use us, that we too may faithfully follow You, for Your sake. Amen