Don’t Delay, Just Obey
The Gospel of Matthew tells of the occasion when Jesus called the first disciples to follow after him. In Matthew 4, we find that Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee when he saw men fishing. He called out to the men to come and follow after him and he would make them fishers of men. Matthew told us that the men immediately stopped their work, left their father, and followed after Jesus. The passage challenges believers today to don’t delay in responding to the Lord’s calling, but just obey.
First, we must hear the calling of the Lord. The calling of the Lord is “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” The two-part calling launched with the invitation to follow Jesus. The invitation centers on the opportunity for people to respond to Jesus. The request is not mandated or forced, but an opportunity to respond in faithfulness to the Lord. The invitation comes with a whosoever will respond to the request of the Lord and not a forced obedience. Upon hearing the call, the person’s responsibility is to either say yes or no to the offer to follow Jesus.
The second component of the Lord’s call is a promise. Jesus invited them to follow him with the promise that he would make them able to fish for people. When a person follows the invitation, then the Lord works in one’s life and forms them into a fisher of people. Notice that the Lord does not expect his children to form themselves into obedient fishers of people, but instead he is the one who equips them and forms them.
When I was a child my father asked me if I would like to go fishing. I had never been fishing and did not have the needed equipment to fish or even understand the skill of fishing. I said yes and followed his leading for the activity of fishing. Upon arriving at the lake my father provided me with the equipment, bait, and lessons needed to fish. I could not provide the needed equipping myself but depended that he would equip me if I responded positive to his offering. Likewise, and in a greater manner, Jesus invites us to fish in the lake of salvation and promises to form us into the fisherman we need to be.
Second, we must respond to the calling of the Lord. Matthew described that the invitation was responded to in an affirmative nature as each individual followed Jesus and the response occurred in an immediate fashion. The future disciples responded without delay or hesitancy. They did not allow the necessity of worldly responsibility to hinder their following. The term used for “immediately” indicates a response without hesitation. Though they held a responsibility to their fishing boats, the men saw the greater responsibility of following Jesus. This did not mean that they completely abandoned their occupation, in fact, they would return to fishing, but it meant that the calling of Jesus outweighed the responsibilities of the world.
What types of worldly responsibilities hinder us from responding to the Lord’s calling with immediacy? When do we allow the urgency of the moment outweigh the urgency of the eternal? When do we choose good or great or world over God? It is critical that believers seek to hear the Lord but commit to responding to the call with an urgent and immediate response. Believers need to recognize that a delay in response leads to a sinful lack of obedience and often leads down a path of missing the joy of working for the Lord that is in store for the believer.
Third, we must surrender, sacrifice, and submit. Matthew noted that the followers left their boats and their father. These two statements mark a life that is surrendered to the Lord and willfully sacrificing the immediate for the eternal and a life that submits completely to the Lord. The disciples surrendered to the Lord meaning that they laid down and abandoned their own desires in order to obediently follow the Lord. Surrendering indicates that one is giving allegiance to the Lord as the one who has the authority to guide and lead in their life. Likewise, this occurrence demonstrated the act of sacrifice. Sacrificially, the followers left their occupation and future, as well as their family. They sacrificed the certainty of the moment to follow Jesus due to their understanding of his greatness and as a result of their surrender. Thus, genuine surrender leads to obedient sacrifice.
These two acts lead to the third act of submitting. Each follower submitted their life to Christ meaning that they submitted their will to the Lord’s will. Thus, the immediate response was marked by a proper surrender, sacrifice, and submitting. As Jesus called his followers in Matthew 4, so he calls us today. He calls us to follow him. He promises to form us into the fisher of people he calls us to be. The question is: Will we hear his call? Will we respond immediately? Will we surrender, submit, and sacrifice? The Lord is calling, what will you do?
