¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

²¹ 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, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. ²⁴ News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,^[g] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

Follow

Jesus, you called the disciples to follow you and they did.  Crowds walked after you but Peter and the others followed more closely.  I am following you, but I am sometimes envious of those who saw you with physical eyes working miracles and heard you with physical ears.  What did you look like?  Jewish, I know, but what did you look like?  I wish to think of you with me but when my mind visualizes you, there is no distinct form.  There is a blank.  You weren’t the Jesus on my childhood flannelgraphs.  You were more earthy, sweaty perhaps.  You crunched the rocky shore near Capernaum and asked fishermen to walk in your dust.  I wonder if I would have followed.  You had no Ph.D or rabbinical sanction that we know of.  You just spoke truth.

I want to be healed.  I want to be free from self-doubt.  I want to be free from too many thoughts of myself and consumed with thoughts of you.  I want to see the world as you see it.  I want to know the truth and have the truth set me free.

Questions

1. Where was Jesus?
2. What did he tell Peter?
3. Why did disciples follow Jesus?
4. Why would you follow Jesus?
5. What do you want from Jesus these days?  Do you feel he is on your side?