Sunday January 18th, 2015 2nd Sunday after Epiphany John 1:43-51
He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." (verse 43)
If someone were to come to you from up the road and say, “Follow me,” would you do it? Would you question who this person is and what authority he holds? And would you leave everything else behind-your job and family-for something that seemed uncertain?
When Jesus called his disciples, they followed. The biblical accounts made it look so easy, that “they left their nets” (Matthew 4:18) and went along. Did they know what they were getting themselves into?
Perhaps God was urging them forward, saying, “This is real.” There’s no reference to a trade for Philip and Nathanael as there was in the gospel of Matthew with fishing, but it seems that Philip knew who Jesus was, whereas his friend Nathanael questioned it.
Jesus made promises to the fishermen that they’d be catching people. It turned out to be true. Yet might there have been a time they thought they’d made a mistake? Might they have wanted to return to their old lives?
Following Jesus comes with risks. Like us, the disciples must have questioned their choices at times. We know that God goes with us on those rough roads.
Dear God, following can be scary, but thank you for the promise that you go with us. In Jesus' name. Amen. — CRW
Contributed by Follow Me
If someone were to come to you from up the road and say, "Follow me," would you do it? Would you question who this person is and what authority he holds? And would you leave everything else behind-your job and family-for something that seemed uncertain?
When Jesus called his disciples, they followed. The biblical accounts made it look so easy, that "they left their nets" (Matthew 4:18) and went along. Did they know what they were getting themselves into?
Perhaps God was urging them forward, saying, "This is real." There's no reference to a trade for Philip and Nathanael as there was in the gospel of Matthew with fishing, but it seems that Philip knew who Jesus was, whereas his friend Nathanael questioned it.
Jesus made promises to the fishermen that they'd be catching people. It turned out to be true. Yet might there have been a time they thought they'd made a mistake? Might they have wanted to return to their old lives?
Following Jesus comes with risks. Like us, the disciples must have questioned their choices at times. We know that God goes with us on those rough roads.
