Matthew 4:19, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
The main reason to follow Jesus Christ is here in this Scripture. The call, “Follow me…” also come with a promise, “I will make you…” Charles Spurgeon says that this call and promise should lead us to repent of who we have been and rejoice in what we may be. The promise is just as important to us today, “we have been made new creatures in Christ, the old things have passed away and behold all things have become new.” (1 Corinthians 5:17) The “I will make you…” is just as much for us today as for the ones to whom it was spoken. Notice also that Jesus doesn’t say to them, “Follow me, you know you guys are just the people I have been looking for. You are so skilled in your job, and you are prepared to come work with me”. Nor does He say, “Follow mw, I see real potential in you, you guys might turn out to be somebody some day and I want you on my team”. Nope, Jesus Christ says, “follow mw and I will make you”. These two who Jesus called were fishermen. They were brothers named Simon (Peter) and Andrew. They were from Capernaum and they were Galilean. History states of the Galileans that they were more anxious for honor than for gain, quick tempered, impulsive, emotional, impulsive, easily aroused by an appeal to adventure, LOYAL TO THE END.
Jesus says to them. “I will make you…” And what did they become? Both became leaders in the establishing of the Christian Church. Both became Martyrs for their faith in Christ. Both were crucified on a cross, both begged that they not be crucified as Jesus Christ had been because they were not worthy. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross, and Peter was crucified upside down.
There is a price to pay for following Jesus. We may not be physically crucified on a cross, but self, the things we want to do and control needs to die daily in order to follow Him and become what He wants us to be “fishers of men”, daily walking the talk and leading others to Him.
