THE SEND: Luke & ActsSample

Being a follower of Jesus requires a response.

Luke 5 tells us the story of Jesus calling His first disciples. Notice how they respond.

Before Jesus invites Simon to follow him, he tells him to try fishing somewhere else, somewhere Simon has already tried before. Now I don’t know how you would feel after a night of no sleep, but I can’t imagine Simon was feeling too excited when Jesus, a carpenter, started giving him pointers on how to fish after a long, long night with little success. And yet, what’s Simon’s response?

“But because You say so...” (Luke 5:5)

Just a few moments later, Jesus asks Simon to follow him (Luke 5:10), and Simon’s response is to leave everything and follow him (Luke 5:11). He said ‘yes’ to what Jesus was calling him to, even though it didn’t make sense.

Then we meet Levi, who also chooses to leave everything and follow Jesus (Luke 5:28)—even when it would have been far easier to stay in his comfortable life as a tax collector.

In chapter 6, Jesus goes on to talk about what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. He takes all that made sense to them, all the things that they were used to, and he flips everything on its head. He rewrites the narrative of what life can be like. Life in the Kingdom of God. Life walking in obedience to Jesus.

You see, according to these chapters, being a follower of Jesus is not just something that happens when we raise our hand in church or post a Bible verse on our Instagram story. Being a follower of Jesus looks like doing what he asks of us. In our everyday actions towards others, in our sharing the Gospel, even in our thought lives, it looks like radical obedience. Saying ‘yes’ even when it doesn’t fully make sense to us straight away.

Luke chapter 6 ends with a challenge from Jesus to build our lives not on the logic of the world, or the opinions of others, but rather to hear what he says and put it into practice (Luke 6:47).

Radical obedience to Jesus is the call of a disciple. We are called to live differently, talk differently, act differently, and love differently as we reflect the Jesus who has changed our lives. Being a follower of Jesus requires a response.

As you read through today’s passage, notice the message Jesus is trying to get across in his stories, and ask yourself: What’s one thing Jesus is asking of me right now that feels hard or doesn’t fully make sense?

Where can I walk more in obedience to Jesus today?