Matthew 4:18-22 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. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Reading this passage, one might get the idea that Jesus just picked up any old people off the street to be His disciples. While He does receive all who will follow, there is more to the story. A study of the other gospels along with this one reveals that these men had encountered Jesus before. They had heard some of what He had to say, and what others said about Him (like John the Baptizer.) Their choice to follow Him was to find out more, to hear more of what He had to say. They committed themselves to His Word, to be instructed, to live His lifestyle, and to bring others along in following Jesus. Does that describe your life of "following Jesus"?
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