A disciple's call: what Jesus asks us to leave behind
"Follow me." Two words, spoken at the edge of a lake or in front of a tax collector's desk, and lives change direction. This quest invites you to read an account of a call and to look closely at what the one who answered left behind. It is not a test: it is a mirror.
What it looks like in your day
Choose an account of a call:
- Matthew 4:18-22: Peter, Andrew, James and John leave their nets and, for two of them, their father.
- Matthew 9:9: Matthew leaves his tax collector's desk.
- John 1:43-51: Philip, then Nathanael, come to Jesus.
As you read, note:
- How Jesus calls. By a word, a look, a gesture? The first move comes from him.
- What the disciple leaves. A trade, an income, a security, a family, a reputation. Every call has a price.
- What the disciple receives. A mission, companionship, a direction. Jesus doesn't only ask them to leave, he offers them to follow.
- How quickly they respond. Often, it is astonishingly quick, but it assumes that the disciple already knew something about Jesus.
Then turn the gaze toward yourself: what is Jesus calling me to leave behind right now? Not necessarily a job: a habit, a grudge, a fear, a comfort. Write one honest sentence without condemning yourself.
If you are in a hurry, an account of ten verses is enough. If you are shy, the mirror stays inward. If you are in the middle of a trial, remember that Jesus's call is also an invitation to be with him.
What the Bible says
Here is the call of Simon and Andrew, beside the Sea of Galilee:
“Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.”
"Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men": Jesus speaks their language (they are fishermen) and offers them a future. He doesn't tear them away from who they are, he transforms them. "Straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him": the response is immediate.
In the same region, Jesus passes in front of a man sitting at his tax collector's desk, a hated trade, and simply says to him: "Follow me" (Matthew 9:9). Nothing suggests that Matthew was a moral model. Jesus calls him as he is. The call doesn't depend on your past, but on the one who calls.
Pitfalls to avoid
Thinking you have to leave everything. Not all the disciples left their trade: Jesus calls each in his own way. Some go back home to bear witness. What matters is the direction of the heart.
Feeling guilty. If you tell yourself, "I haven't left anything for him," you risk locking yourself in shame. Jesus's call is an invitation, not a reproach.
Idealizing the disciples' response. These same men doubted, fled, denied. Jesus didn't call them because they were perfect.
Looking for a great sacrifice. Many wait for a spectacular call. Sometimes what Jesus asks us to leave is discreet: a way of speaking, a pride, a habit.
Forgetting the joy. Following Jesus is not only a renunciation: it is a discovery. Keep in mind what you have received by following him.
Today, read an account of a call. Note what the disciple leaves and what they receive, then write one sentence about yourself.