Close Your Laptop and Follow Me!

Can you put yourself in the disciples' sandals?

This man comes along and tells them to drop what they are doing and follow him. Some of these guys had jobs, some had families and homes. The most amazing thing here, to me, is that they actually did drop what they were doing and followed a stranger. There was no reason to believe that fame or riches would accompany the decision to follow. In fact, just the opposite is true; they were leaving everything in order to be buds with a poor guy.

So, why did they do it? Why did this group of twelve men leave everything behind and walk away with Jesus? Some of the twelve knew each other and some did not. Some were religious and some were not. Some had good reputations and some did not. This was not a group of the brightest and strongest - the pick of the litter; no, most were hard working labor-types. The fishermen left their boats and nets to follow an X-carpenter. The tax collector walked away from a good paying job where he had favored status with the Romans.

Put yourself there, on those dusty roads, or next to the sea, with personal responsibilities. What would you have done? If this were taking place today, in modern society, what would you do? If Jesus walked down Main Street, clothes a little dirty, no job, homeless; and approached you, would you walk away from your job, your home, your family, your responsibilities, your reputation, your perks, your soft bed and warm meals; to follow this guy?

I have thought at times that it would have been great to have been there and walked and talked with Jesus face-to-face. But when I think it through, I am so thankful that I am here and was not there. I have the benefit of hindsight. I can see that this "guy" was and is the Son of God. I know that Jesus ended up being the best One, ever, to follow. I am glad that I was not put on the spot, without this knowledge and perspective, and asked if I would drop everything and walk away. Those who rejected Jesus did not end up doing so well.

My explanation as to why these men did what they did is this, God worked on their hearts and prepared them, He chose them to be in this special and small club. They followed because God made them an offer they could not refuse - they were handpicked by the Almighty. They may have had no idea as to why they did what they did, but they found themselves following this amazing man. I would think that some of them had moments where they wondered to themselves, "What am I doing here?" Step by step, they began to see and believe that they had just made the best decision of their lifetime and eternity. They began to see and believe that they were walking with God in the flesh.

Can you imagine!