Matthew 4 - 11.10.25

Scripture

Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

Observation

In this passage, Jesus is walking along the seashore of Galilee. He comes across two sets of brothers who happen to be fishermen. In the first boat Jesus comes across, He meets the first set of brothers, Simon (later to be named Peter) and Andrew. Then, as Jesus continued to walk along the shoreline, He comes across another boat with the other set of brothers, James and John. Jesus calls both sets of brothers to “Come and follow me.” And immediately they left everything behind to follow Jesus.

Application

Are you willing to leave it all behind to follow Jesus?🤔

Imagine being any of these brothers on the boats. They literally dropped everything to follow Jesus! They left their jobs as fishermen. They left all their possessions, like their boats and homes. They even left their families behind. (James and John left their dad on the boat to follow Jesus)! 😲I mean did they know where Jesus was going? Did they have a backup plan in case things didn’t work out? Did these brothers really think this whole thing all the way through?

But, these two sets of brothers heard the whispers of the coming Messiah. They heard the stories. Then, they came face to face and encountered Jesus. All it took was four words from Jesus, “Come and follow me”, and it changed these brothers’ lives forever. There was no hesitation. These brothers were willing to take that leap of faith. They were willing to trust in Jesus. They were willing to leave it all behind because they knew Who called them mattered more than where they were going. The brothers knew the future that awaited them from following Jesus is far greater than what they were leaving behind. 

So are you willing to trust Jesus wherever He takes you? Are you willing to leave it all behind the way these brothers did? Are you willing to believe that a life following Jesus leads to a path much greater than you can ever imagine? If so, what are you waiting for? Come and follow Him.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”-Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭

Prayer

Dear Jesus, there is no better example, no better role model, no better leader to follow, than You. You are perfect in every way and I choose to follow You. I understand that following You won’t always be easy, but I know that You will always be there by my side, every step of the way. I may not always know where I am going, but as long as You are leading the way, I’m in the safest place I can be. Thank You for that assurance. Thank You for being my light and for being by my side in this world. In Your Holy and precious name I pray, Amen.🙏🏽 

-Moses Gaddi