Digging Deeper: Follow Jesus First
13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor
Luke 6:13-16 (ESV)
FOLLOW JESUS FIRST
There are thirteen instances in the four Gospels where Jesus directly asks someone to “follow me” (English Standard Version). He doesn’t ask to see their résumé or request a list of references. When God chooses David to be king, He reminds Samuel that “the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7, ESV). Jesus knows the heart of a man, and all He asks of those who follow Him is to deny themselves and take up their cross daily (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:24). Jesus isn’t asking much from us, is He? Fortunately, through the regeneration of our hearts by the work of the Holy Spirit, we who believe are drawn to answer His call to “follow me.”
We begin this week with Luke’s account of the choosing of the twelve apostles. All twelve men are part of a larger group of disciples who follow Jesus. They have all left their families and vocations to become His disciples. Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew, along with James and his brother John, are fishermen. Matthew (whose Jewish name is Levi) is a tax collector. Simon is a political zealot. Judas Iscariot will become a traitor. All answer the call to follow Jesus during His earthly ministry.
In Luke 18, we witness an encounter between Jesus and a rich (Matt. 19), young ruler (Luke 18:18–23). The young man asks Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 18). Jesus recites a list of commandments, and the young man promptly replies that he has kept all of them (v. 21). The young ruler has obeyed the laws and commandments that refer to his relationship with others. Jesus then asks him to sell what he owns, give to the poor, and follow Him (v. 22). This is a step the young man cannot take, and he sadly retreats into the background of history (v. 23).
Jesus is calling the ruler to obey the greatest commandment from the Old Testament: to love God with all he has (Deut. 6:5). This means putting Him first above all else. Jesus walked the earth with an open invitation to set aside everything we cling to and simply “follow Him.” As James Earley writes:
Jesus said, “Follow Me.” Jesus did not say, “Follow a set of rules” or “Follow a series of rituals.” He said, “Follow Me.” Discipleship is an intensely personal pursuit. Make no mistake about it. Being a disciple of Jesus is more than adding a new set of activities to your already busy life. Being a disciple of Jesus is, first and foremost, a response to His call to pursue Him passionately.
I challenge you this week to take an honest look at your life and identify those areas that are restricting your “passionate pursuit” of Jesus.
Digging Deeper (er):
Luke 18:18-23; Deut 6:5; 1 Pet 2:21.
Phil Meade is a father of 3, and grandfather of 6. He has a Masters Degree in Theological Studies from Liberty University, and lives in Acworth. He has led various small groups throughout his 25 years attending NS. He retired after 8 years as an Air Force pilot, and 33 years as a Delta pilot.