Follow Me
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | January 25, 2026
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Read: Matthew 4:12 – 23 (NIV)
Our New Testament lesson for today comes from the Gospel of Matthew and I want us to pay particular attention to verses 18 – 22 as we consider the subject FOLLOW ME.
Now, as I thought about the sermon for this morning... my thoughts drifted back to that old childhood game, “Follow the Leader.” The rules of the game are fairly simple. One person is designated as the leader... and all the other players line up behind that person.
The leader then moves around... and the followers have to mimic the leader’s actions. If anyone fails to follow or do what the leader does... that person is out of the game. When only one person other than the leader is left... that player then becomes the leader... and the game starts over with all the players joining in to follow the new leader.
Thinking about the concept of following the leader reminded me of something humorous I heard my Dad say... “If an alien came to earth and saw a human walking a dog... seeing the dog out front on the leash and the human trailing behind picking up after the dog… which one would the aliens think is the leader?”
Now in all seriousness, let me pose this question... as we reflect on our own lives, who do we acknowledge as being the leader or leaders that we are committed to following? That is a question that requires serious consideration as we think about the individual, or individuals, we look to follow... the person or persons we look to for guidance and direction.
Several years ago, I came across a story relating to leadership that I have used as a sermon illustration before.
It is credited to a man named Stuart Briscoe and comes from a book entitled, Everyday Discipleship for Ordinary People. The author writes:
One of my young colleagues was officiating at the funeral of a war veteran. The dead man’s military friends wished to have a part in the service at the funeral home, so they requested the pastor to lead them down to the casket, stand with them for a solemn moment of remembrance, and then lead them out through the side door. This he proceeded to do, but unfortunately the effect was somewhat marred when he picked the wrong door. The result was that they marched with military precision into a broom closet, in full view of the mourners, and had to beat a hasty retreat covered with confusion. This true story illustrates a cardinal rule or two. First, if you’re going to lead, make sure you know where you’re going. Second, if you’re going to follow, make sure that you are following someone who knows what he is doing!“If you’re going to lead, make sure you know where you’re going. And, if you’re going to follow, make sure that you are following someone who knows what he [or she] is doing!”
(Retrieved from https://bible.org/illustration/know-where-you’re-going).
This statement seems particularly relevant in this current climate with heightened tensions surrounding the actions of those who are currently in leadership... but I think I better leave that subject for another sermon on another day.
Now, in our text for today, it would seem that Simon, Andrew, James and John had a good sense for who they were following. And even if they did not fully understand where Jesus was going or what He was doing... they had no doubt that Jesus knew... and they were confident that Jesus would do the right thing.
Perhaps that explains why the two sets of brothers mentioned in our text did not hesitate to accept Jesus’ invitation to walk away from their lives as fishermen so they could follow Him.
But it does make me wonder, if Jesus showed up today and said, “Come, FOLLOW ME,” would we be ready, willing, and able to simply stop what we were doing to go with Him?
Would we jump at the invitation like Simon and Andrew and James and John did... or would we try to come up with the most plausible excuses we could find for why this is just not the right time for us to go?
As we look at the text that calls for our attention this morning... when Jesus saw Simon and Andrew casting a net into the lake, He said, “Come, follow me… and I will send you out to fish for people.” The text then informs us that “At once they left their nets and followed him.”
And in the following verses... when Jesus saw James and John in their boat with their father, Zebedee... He issued them an invitation as well... and according to the text, “immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”
At once… immediately… in other words, without hesitation or reservation… these four men literally dropped everything and followed Jesus.
Although we might be slightly more hesitant to stop, drop and roll than these brothers were... in our defense, James, John, Simon and Andrew did have the home court advantage... they worked and lived in close proximity to Jesus while He was physically walking the earth. So, perhaps, it didn’t seem like that much of a stretch for them to pick up stakes and follow Him.
After all, they had more than likely heard John the Baptist’s proclamations about Jesus... and would have conceivably heard Jesus, Himself, as He preached repentance and announced that the kingdom of heaven was near.
Now, as Christians, we, too, should be prepared to go when Jesus extends the invitation and says, “FOLLOW ME.” However, it can be all too easy to give in to the fear of the unknown when we are not sure of where Jesus is calling us to go or what Jesus is expecting us to do once we get there.
But that is the point where our faith steps in. As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been credited with saying, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
And chances are, when we answer Jesus’ call to “FOLLOW ME” ...we won’t be able to see the entire staircase in that moment... that is what makes it a faith walk like the Apostle Paul referenced in his letter to the Corinthians when he said, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
But if we take the time to look at the life that Jesus led... we can get a fairly good idea of what He is calling us to do and even where He is calling us to go.
Now, just to be clear, when Jesus told Simon and Andrew that they would become fishers of people... He was not suggesting that they pull out their fishing rods and reels... or cast their nets out over the crowds to see how many people they could snag.
No... the concept behind fishing for people meant that the disciples were to go out and spread the Good News that the kingdom of heaven was at hand... this was the means by which they would be able to draw people to Christ.
And we are called to do the same… to tell that dying world out there about our Living Savior.
And make no mistake, the world out there is dying. People are living as though there is no God and as though there is no need for them to be responsible and accountable for their own actions.
For some, lust, greed and pride are seen simply as plotlines for the latest reality TV series with no understanding or serious concern with the fact that lust, greed and pride are actually sins (see Proverbs 6:16).
It is in 1 John 2 (15-17) we read:
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes [in other words, greed], and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.Now, as the church, we are to make it our mission to learn for ourselves what the will of God is [and is not] for our lives... and then we are called to help others to learn that as well. In other words, it is up to us to follow the path that Jesus forged for us and invite others to take the journey along with us.
And it is really not all that hard to do... that is if we are following the example that Jesus set for us.
Although it can feel more than a little challenging... what should be one of the easiest things for us to do... is to extend the love of Christ to the people we meet... whether it is in our homes, at church, in our schools, on our jobs, or out and about at the bank, the post office, the grocery store, or anywhere else we go.
We can and should extend the love of Christ wherever we are because as Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). And He set the perfect example for us to follow.
I read a devotional In Mornings with Jesus a while ago... and the writer talked about being able to tell who a person is and what is important to them by looking at their calendar. After all, it is only natural that we devote the most time to the people and activities that are the most important to us.
The devotional writer then talked about following Jesus through the stories in the Gospels to see how He spent His time and to see who and what was most important to Him…
The author wrote, “He’s visited by shepherds. A man who eats locusts prepares the way for His ministry and His best friends are smelly fishermen.” Not exactly the kind of folks many of us would likely hang out with.
The writer then highlighted a list of people Jesus was concerned about... the people we find in the verse that follows our text for the morning… people who “were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed…”
And the writer added to that list, “Children, prostitutes, tax collectors, Samaritans, Gentiles, and slaves,” ...explaining that if she were to follow Jesus... she would likely be afraid of the people Jesus encountered and the places that Jesus went.
And there are still more people that could be added to the list of those who Jesus is most concerned about... those who are homeless and hungry, those who are sick and imprisoned... and let us never forget that He was concerned about immigrants as well.
Jesus was concerned about all of the people that so frequently get pushed out to the margins… the people that we are sometimes afraid to encounter and are unsure of how to interact with.
Yet those are the very people that Jesus calls us to love when we accept His invitation to “FOLLOW ME” ...because those are the very people that He loves.
And how can we know that with any certainty?
It’s simple. Jesus’ love for all of us is unconditional. It is not based on race, gender, age, sexual orientation, financial status, political affiliation, immigration status, height, weight, hair color, style or any other category or dividing line that we can come up with.
When we make the decision to follow Jesus... we will see that “differences are not deficiencies” (Rev. Teresa Hord Owens).
Jesus’ command is direct and to the point, we are to love God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (see Matthew 22:34-40).
And just to be sure there was no ambiguity about who our neighbor is... Jesus used the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25 – 37) ...highlighting the fact that a neighbor is not simply the person who looks, acts, thinks, worships or votes the same way that we do.
A true neighbor is the person who is willing to look beyond someone else’s differences and still lend a hand when they see that person is in need.
A true neighbor is the person who does not care about anything other than showing kindness and compassion... and honoring the common bond of humanity that lies within all of us.
If we were to turn on the news or scroll through the various social media platforms... we might get the sense that kindness and compassion are not nearly as commonplace as they once were.
It seems like it has become more the exception than the rule for people to willingly share what they have with someone else... to do unto others as we would want them to do unto us.
But despite what we may see happening in the world around us... we do not have to follow the example of those who make a habit of practicing selfishness, hatred and bigotry.
On the contrary, when Jesus says, “FOLLOW ME” it is an opportunity for us to show kindness and compassion by reaching out a helping hand to our neighbor... blessing them, even as we have been blessed.
It is also a chance for us to extend love, grace and forgiveness to one another just as Christ has done for each and every one of us...
And while we may all be hunkering down in our homes... doing our best to stay safe and warm in the face of the snowstorms that serve as a reminder that God is still in control... let us make it our mission to always be prepared to say, “Yes,” whenever we receive Jesus’ invitation to FOLLOW ME...
Amen.
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