Passage: Mark 1:16-20

The Big Idea

Jesus began His mission to bring God’s kingdom not with a political plan or a military strategy, but with people: “Follow Me.” Simon, Andrew, James and John had met Jesus before, but this was the day they left everything to follow Him. Following Jesus isn’t a destination; it’s a relationship that radically changes how you live, in three directions: with God, with His family, and with the world. And everything else, compared to knowing Him, is rubbish.

People First

Jesus was beginning His great work of saving the world, bringing the kingdom of God, turning every wrong to right and every pain to joy, delivering every nation, city and family from darkness into light.

So He must have had a new political program, right? A plan to fix things through taxes? At least a strategy to overthrow the people in charge?

No. Jesus’ first order of business was people. He called disciples: people who would follow Him, learn from Him, and be loved and transformed by Him. Later, after a long time, they would be used by Him. But for now, all they needed to do was follow.

Charles Spurgeon wrote: “You cannot be Christ’s servant if you are not willing to follow him, cross and all. What do you crave? A crown? Then it must be a crown of thorns if you are to be like him. Do you want to be lifted up? So you shall, but it will be upon a cross.”

“Follow Me” (Mark 1:16-20)

As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. A little farther on, He saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee, in their boat mending nets. He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went after Him.

This wasn’t the first time Simon and Andrew had met Jesus! John 1 tells us Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, was there when John pointed to Jesus, and already believed Jesus was the Messiah (John 1:35-42).

So why does Mark skip that and tell us this is when they started following?

Because this is when they left everything behind. This is when they truly followed. Before, they were probably just “checking Him out.”

Why did Jesus find them fishing that day? Because they weren’t following. If they had been, they wouldn’t have had time to fish. For some reason they had gone back to their old lives after meeting Jesus.

Everyone has to make their own decision to follow Jesus. He calls many. But will we respond? These men would become Jesus’ closest friends and chosen leaders, and they didn’t even choose Him the first time they met. Good thing He’s patient!

What Is a Disciple?

What’s the mission? Make disciples (Matthew 28:19).

What’s a disciple? Someone who does stuff? Someone who knows someone?

A disciple is someone who:

Follows Jesus,
Has left everything behind, and
Lives by His life, His Spirit and His love.

“Follow Me” isn’t an invitation to a destination. It’s an invitation to a relationship with a Person who will radically change the way you live.

Christianity isn’t a religion; it’s a relationship with Jesus that always results in a changed life.

Three Relationships

All four Gospels are about relationship. And following Jesus shapes three relationships:

A relationship with God: a daily, intimate fellowship with our heavenly Father.
A relationship with a family of believers: connecting in community with other Christians.
A relationship with the world: building friendships with people who don’t know God, to introduce them to Jesus.

Every relationship in life grows by choosing to invest time in it. Here’s one simple way to think about it:

Time with God: abide in God’s Word and prayer every day. Just 2% of your day is about thirty minutes.
Time with God’s family: weekly worship and fellowship with other believers, plus time in a small group or with Christian friends. Just 2% of your week is about three hours.
Time with the world: going on mission to love and serve another culture. Just 2% of your year is about a week.

That’s only about 6% of your life. And your life will be forever changed if you invest it in the relationships Jesus calls you to.

A Self-Check

“I go to church. I say I love God. I vote for what’s right. I’m not a rule-breaker. I try my best and give what I should. But am I really a Jesus follower?”

Let’s look at the marks of those three relationships.

Relationship with God: Am I abiding?

Identity: Do I find my identity in what God says about me? Do I believe I’m loved, forgiven, useful, called and valuable?
Obedience: Do I yield to what the Spirit leads me to do, or resist Him?
The Word: Do I trust the Bible to guide and teach me?
Prayer: Do I talk with God consistently, honestly and trustingly?
Intimacy: Do I understand that God is jealous for my heart and mind? Do I respond to His loving invitations to abide?

If not, the answer is time with God, invested in humility and faith.

Relationship with God’s family: Am I connecting?

Love: Do I love others as Christ loves me?
Honor: Do I treat others as more important than myself?
Reconcile: Do I ask for forgiveness and give it?
Serve: Do I meet others’ needs?
Disciple: Do I help others live by the grace of Jesus?

If not, the answer is time with God’s family, invested in humility and faith.

Relationship with the world: Am I sharing?

Generous: Do I give to support what God is doing through my church?
Story: Am I ready and willing to share how grace has changed my life?
People: Am I building new relationships with people who don’t know God?
Local: Do I care about God’s kingdom in my town?
Global: Do I care about God’s kingdom in the world?

If not, the answer is time in the world, invested in humility and faith.

Why Follow Jesus?

Paul says he counts everything as loss compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. For His sake he has lost all things and counts them as rubbish, that he may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8).

Paul teaches that knowing and following Jesus is worth more than everything else in the world.
A relationship with Jesus is so excellent that everything else is garbage. (The Greek word is even stronger. Think “dung”!)
Are we holding on to our garbage when we should let go and hold on to Jesus alone?

What won’t you let go of?

A relationship where you feel loved or valuable? Compared to Christ, rubbish.
A job where you feel important or needed? Rubbish.
A luxury where you feel rested? Rubbish.
An unforgiving spirit where you feel justified in your anger? Rubbish.
Pleasures that feel fun and happy? Rubbish.
A political idea or philosophy where you feel right and have a plan to fix the world? Rubbish.
Anything we trust in or turn to other than Jesus is an idol, and compared to Him, it’s rubbish.

Tim Keller put it this way, in effect: Jesus wants us to follow Him so fully and intensely that every other attachment in our lives looks weak by comparison.

When we cling to idols, we lose our peace. Something in a believer won’t settle for idolatry. That Something is the Holy Spirit.

Billy Graham made the point that when we come to Christ, we’re no longer the most important person in our world; Christ is. Instead of living only for ourselves, we have a higher purpose: to live for Jesus.

So we either:

Follow Jesus and have peace, or hold on to other things and miss His supernatural peace.
Follow Jesus and experience what is excellent, or hold on to other things that are imperfect at best, and rubbish in the end.
Follow Jesus, who is pure, or go play in the steaming pile of this world’s riches and glory, and try not to get any on you!

Why follow Jesus? Because He is life! Anything outside of Him isn’t really living. Follow Him. Turn from everything else and follow Him.

“But it’s hard to leave everything behind!”

Oswald Chambers wrote: “If I am going to know who Jesus is, I must obey Him. The majority of us don’t know Jesus because we have not the remotest intention of obeying Him.”

Jesus asks for full surrender, not because He’s harsh, but because He loves you and wants what’s truly best for you. He’ll bring you out of the garbage heap and into the kingdom of His love!

Why would anyone reject that offer? I really want to know!

Jesus is calling you today: “Leave everything behind and follow Me. You’ll experience everything I’ve promised. I’ll do it all for you. But I want your heart, your whole trust. And you’ll receive all of Me and all My work in return.”

My life isn’t my own. I’ve been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I’ve willingly surrendered my life, possessions and relationships to the lordship of Jesus.

Can you say that?

Grace Takeaway

Jesus didn’t start with a political platform; He started by calling people to follow Him. Peter and Andrew had met Him before, but they went back to their nets until the day they left everything. Following Jesus is a relationship that reshapes everything: your time with God, with His people, and with the world. Compared to knowing Him, everything else is rubbish. Let go of the nets, and follow Him.

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Am I a Jesus Follower?