In today’s Gospel we witness Christ calling His first disciples to follow Him. These humble ‘working class’ men were already faithful Jews. As fishermen, they knew hard and about long days. They knew how to put their faith in God to ‘provide’ for their livelihood and fill their nets. They knew that every blessing for God required patience and discipline. All their knowledge prepared them for what was to come next.
As Christ walked by, He said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” That is where everything changed for these men. “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Others, even left their father to finish working in the boat, and followed Christ. Time and again, the response to Jesus Christ calling was immediate! There was no delay. There was no pondering. There was no ‘weighing the pros and cons,’ and they were all rewarded. For those who said, “Let us first go and bury our dead,” Christ said, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8.22)
These first disciples of Christ were blessed to enter the Kingdom of God, and witness His Power. They witnessed miracle healing and feedings. They even witnessed miracle loads of fish in their nets. All this was to reveal to them the power of God. It was enough to inspire them to leave behind what they knew of ‘how the world worked’ and begin their new lives in Christ.
Today Christ is calling us to follow Him into a new life, a life filled with blessings. Like the life of the first disciples, it isn’t an easy life. It will require hard work and long days. It will require patience and faith, but most of all it requires an immediate response. If we delay, we risk being left behind.
Christ didn’t just call anyone to follow Him. He called everyone to follow Him. Yes, some were called as leaders, but among the leaders Christ also was followed by thousands of others as He went from place to place teaching and preaching. Everyone who followed Him, received the same blessing, no matter what their ‘job’ was in the Church. They all received eternal life and union with God in heaven.
If you are looking for the blessings of God, then be ready to act immediately and follow Him. Don’t just think about Him. Don’t just talk about Him. Follow Him. The first disciples were willing to leave everything they ‘knew’ behind to follow Him. They were rewarded and so will you be rewarded.