BEFORE WE START
What does it actually mean to follow Jesus? It's a simple question. But maybe it's not as simple as we think.
We use the word follow all the time. We follow people on social media. We follow a sports team. We follow directions. We follow a recipe. We follow a plan. But when Jesus says, "Follow Me," He isn't asking us to click a button or simply agree with what He says.
He's inviting us into a life with Him. And that's where our journey through Mark begins. Not with a complicated theological argument, not with a list of rules, not with a perfect person who has everything figured out. It begins with Jesus walking into ordinary people's lives and saying two simple words: Follow Me.
READ IT
Read the passage below. As you read, pay attention to the people Jesus encounters, what they are doing when He finds them, what Jesus says, and how they respond. Don't rush past it. We're going to spend some time simply looking at what the text says before we start asking what it means for us.
As he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. “Follow me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat putting their nets in order. Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. - Mark 1:14-20 (CSB)
UNDERSTAND IT
Jesus begins His public ministry by proclaiming the good news of God: The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent. Believe the good news.
And then Jesus begins calling people to follow Him. Mark introduces us to Simon and Andrew. They're fishermen, they're working, they're doing something they've probably done hundreds of times before.
Then Jesus says: "Follow Me."
A little farther down the shore, Jesus sees James and John. They're also working, they're in a boat with their father, preparing their nets.
And Jesus calls them too, and something remarkable happens...they go.
Mark doesn't give us a long conversation between Jesus and these men. There isn't a detailed explanation of everything that's going to happen. Jesus doesn't hand them a five-year plan, He doesn't explain every difficulty they're going to face. He simply calls them and they follow.
There's something easy to miss in this story. Look at what these men were doing when Jesus called them.
They were working. They weren't sitting in a synagogue waiting for the Messiah to arrive. They weren't professional religious leaders. They weren't famous. They weren't powerful, they were fishermen. They were living ordinary lives, and that's exactly where Jesus found them.
That's encouraging because most of us aren't living extraordinary lives either. We're going to work, taking care of our families, going to school, paying bills, doing laundry, we're just trying to get through another Monday.
And somewhere in the middle of all that ordinary life, Jesus still calls people to follow Him.
You don't have to wait until your life becomes extraordinary before you can follow Jesus. Jesus meets us in the middle of ordinary life.
This passage tells us something important about Jesus, He is the One who calls.
Simon and Andrew didn't discover Jesus and then ask Him if they could follow. James and John didn't come looking for Jesus. Jesus came looking for them.
He saw them. He approached them, and He called them.
That's important because following Jesus begins with Jesus.
Before you ever decided to seek Him, He was already pursuing you. Before you understood everything, He was inviting you. Before you had your life together, He was calling.
Jesus doesn't stand on the shore waiting for perfect people to become qualified. He calls ordinary people. People with questions, people with baggage, people with imperfect faith, people who don't know what the future holds. People like Peter, like Andrew, like James, like John. People like us.
There's a difference between believing in Jesus and following Jesus.
Believing in Jesus means trusting that He is who He says He is. Following Jesus means allowing that belief to shape the way we live.
Jesus didn't say: "Learn everything about Me."
He didn't say: "Agree with everything I say."
He didn't say: "Add Me to your life."
He said: "Follow Me."
A follower doesn't simply admire the person they're following. A follower allows that person to influence their direction, and that's where following Jesus becomes personal.
Because following means Jesus gets to lead.
And if Jesus is leading, then sometimes He's going to lead us somewhere we wouldn't have chosen for ourselves.
He may ask us to forgive when we'd rather hold onto the hurt. He may ask us to step out in faith when we'd rather have all the answers. He may ask us to let go of something we've become comfortable with. He may ask us to trust Him when we can't see what's ahead.
That's what makes following different from simply believing.
We can believe Jesus is Lord and still want to remain in control. We can trust Him with our eternity while struggling to trust Him with our Tuesday.
But Jesus isn't asking us to follow Him only when His direction makes sense to us. He's asking us to trust Him enough to follow even when we don't know where He's leading.
That's exactly what these fishermen were being asked to do.
Jesus didn't explain everything, He didn't give them a detailed plan. He simply called them, and they took the next step.
Mark tells us that Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed Jesus. James and John left their father and the hired men in the boat and followed Him. That doesn't mean following Jesus requires everyone to quit their job or abandon their family.
The point is something deeper: They were willing to let Jesus change their direction.
Think about it like this: their nets represented what they knew, their boats represented their livelihood, their routines represented their normal lives. And Jesus stepped into that normal life and gave them a new direction.
Following Jesus doesn't necessarily mean leaving everything behind physically. But it does mean being willing to surrender everything to Him.
Your career, your relationships, your plans, your finances, your future, your time, your reputation, your dreams, your fears. Your whole life.
Jesus isn't asking for a Sunday version of you. He's asking you to follow Him with all of you.
There's another thing we need to understand, the disciples didn't know everything that was coming. They didn't know where following Jesus would eventually take them.
They didn't know about the miracles, they didn't know about the opposition, they didn't know about the cross, they didn't know about the resurrection, and they didn't know what their lives would eventually look like.
They simply took the next step.
That's often what following Jesus looks like for us too. A lot of times we want the entire map, but God often gives us just the next step.
We want certainty. God asks for trust.
We want to know what's around the corner. Jesus says: Follow Me.
You may not know what the next year holds, but you can know who holds you.
You may not understand what God is doing, but you can still trust Him.
You may not know where the road leads, but you can take the next step with Jesus.
LIVE IT OUT
Following Jesus happens one step at a time.
You don't have to figure out your entire life today. You don't have to know what the next year will look like. You don't even have to know what the next ten steps are. You simply need to be willing to take the next step Jesus puts in front of you.
So here's your challenge for this week:
Ask Jesus to Lead You Each morning, before the day gets busy, take a moment to pray: Jesus, I want to follow You today. Show me where You're leading, and give me the courage to follow.
Then pay attention. Look for the moments when you have a choice. The choice to forgive or hold onto the hurt, the choice to speak with grace or respond in anger, the choice to obey or make an excuse, the choice to serve or stay comfortable, the choice to trust God or take control.
You may not hear an audible voice. You may not receive some dramatic sign. But as you spend time in God's Word, listen to His Spirit, and learn the way of Jesus, you'll begin to recognize the places where He's calling you to take the next step.
Don't worry about all the steps ahead. Follow Him today.
THINK ABOUT IT
Take some time to honestly consider these questions.
1. When you think about the word "follow," what does it mean to you?
2. What stands out to you about the way Jesus called these fishermen?
3. Why do you think Jesus called ordinary working people instead of religious leaders?
4. Is there a difference between believing in Jesus and actually following Jesus? What does that difference look like in your life?
5. What area of your life is hardest for you to let Jesus lead?
6. What might it look like to take one step of obedience in that area this week?
Don't rush through these questions. You don't have to write the "right" answer. Be honest. This is about learning to follow Jesus—not pretending you've already figured it all out.
PRAY IT
Jesus,
Thank You for calling ordinary people to follow You. Thank You that I don't have to have everything figured out before I come to You. You know my questions. You know my fears. You know my failures. You know the parts of my life I want to control. And still, You call me.
Help me trust You when I don't understand. Help me obey You when following is difficult. Help me surrender the things I'm holding onto. Help me recognize Your voice and respond when You lead.
I don't know everything that tomorrow will bring. But I know I want to walk with You.
So today, Jesus, help me follow You. One step at a time.
Amen.
