Matthew 4: “Come, Follow Me…”

Jesus never messed around with words. When Satan tempted him, Jesus responded with Scripture (He especially liked Deuteronomy). When Jesus was ready to gather disciples, he walked up to people and said, “Come, follow me.”

Interestingly, four of the first disciples were fishermen from Capernaum in Northern Israel. He chose common laborers rather than the religious elite. In fact, much of Matthew’s Gospel reveals Jesus blasting the religious leaders of his day while healing, teaching, and performing miracles among everyday citizens and the poor. What can I (and we) learn from this?

It’s easy to see ourselves as the ordinary ones, but our lives may honestly more closely resemble the Pharisees. We follow human traditions and the approval of people much more quickly than the teachings of Jesus.

The big insight in my writing of Matthew 4 was not resisting temptation or leaving the fishing industry. I found myself most overwhelmed by the fact that I hold so closely to the things of this world that when I put myself in the sandals of those first disciples, it is hard for me to drop everything and pursue Jesus. It’s easier to stay at work, continue the routine, and not take the risk of following Jesus into unknown adventures.

But Jesus didn’t come to offer comfort; He came to seek and save the lost. He came to serve. May our lives reflect this attitude today.

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Dillon Burroughs has written, co-written, or edited over 60 books, including the upcoming devotional work Thirst No More (October 2011). He served as an associate editor for The Apologetics Study Bible for Students and is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. Find out more at DillonBurroughs.org.