Walking Around Like He Owns The Place

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”   Matthew 4:19

Why did the first disciples follow Jesus? What did they find attractive in his offer? And why should we consider the same offer that he makes to us today?

Imagine that you are a secretary working on the second floor of a large multinational corporation. You have a pile of work on your desk, and you’re rushing to meet several deadlines. As you pound away on your keyboard, a stranger walks into the office. You’ve never seen him before. He walks around like he owns the place, and people start getting annoyed. Then he arrives at your desk. He stops and waits for you to look up from your screen, and when you do, he says, “Follow me.”

There’s no way you’re going to get up, leave your computer, and follow him! In fact, your first thought is probably to pick up the phone and call security. The next thing you’d be tempted to do is say, “Excuse me, but who do you think you are?”

Now, let’s rerun that scene with one additional piece of information—as the stranger walks into the office, the receptionist scribbles a note on a piece of paper, and it’s quickly passed from one secretary to the next, until it eventually comes to you.

The note says, “It’s the CEO!” He’s never visited the second floor before; this is the first time he’s even been in the building. It is, after all, a multinational company. But the receptionist is sure it’s him, and no one doubts that she’s right.

It doesn’t bother you now that he walks around like he owns the place. And when he stops at your desk and says, “Follow me,” you get up and leave your computer, because you know that whatever he wants you to do is a higher priority than anything you were doing before.

You will never follow Jesus Christ until you are convinced that he’s more than just a historical figure. But once you know who he is—the Son of God—you will jump at the great privilege of his offer to “come, follow me.”

For further reading, see Matthew 4