Discipleship Is Responsive
Mark 1:16–20
16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.
20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
Discipleship begins with a response — Jesus calls, and we follow and are made.
The Call — “Follow Me”
Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
(Mark 1:17)
When Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, He didn’t call these men to a religion, an idea, or a self-improvement plan. He called them to Himself.
Christianity is not first about moral behavior, it’s about personal devotion to Jesus.
Notice the immediacy: “Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” They didn’t have all the answers. They didn’t know the details. But they knew the Caller was worthy of their trust.
In a world that prizes affiliation over devotion, being “around” Jesus rather than following Him, this call is confrontational. It cuts through our tendency to do “Christian things” without truly walking with Christ.
Reflection: Am I following Jesus today, or just doing things about Jesus?
The Commission — “I Will Make You Become Fishers of Men”
Jesus connects relationship with responsibility. Following Him always leads to joining His mission.
Charles Spurgeon once said,
“The work of soul-winning is the grandest work that can be entrusted to human beings. He that is called by Christ must be made into a fisher of men, and if he is not a soul-winner, he is not following in the steps of Jesus.”
Notice the phrasing, Jesus doesn’t say, “I will make you.” He says, “I will make you become.”
That’s a promise of process, not performance. Mission is not something we master overnight; it’s something Christ forms in us over time. We don’t start ready, we’re shaped as we follow.
Fishing is a fitting metaphor: it requires patience, persistence, and proximity. You can’t catch fish from the shore; you have to go where they are. And just like fish, people often resist being “caught,” but the gospel rescues them into something far better, life with God.
Evangelism isn’t flashy. It’s slow, relational, and Spirit-dependent. Kingdom growth happens one life at a time.
It’s been said: “Jesus doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called.”
The Cost — “They Left Their Nets… They Left Their Father”
Their nets represented livelihood. Their father represented identity and security. Following Jesus reorders every allegiance.
Not career first.
Not family first.
Not comfort first.
Christ first.
This doesn’t mean abandoning responsibility; it means everything now finds its purpose under His lordship.
The call to follow Jesus always confronts our idols — comfort, success, control. The disciples’ response was immediate because they recognized the worth of the One who called them.
Whatever previously came first is now a distant second.
The Challenge — Following and Serving Always Go Together
Some want to follow Jesus without serving Him — to receive grace without joining the mission.
Others serve Jesus without truly following Him — loving the work of the Lord more than the Lord of the work.
True discipleship holds both together: affection and action.
To follow Jesus is to serve Him; to serve Him rightly is to follow Him closely.
Jesus told His disciples, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
Ministry is never our identity — being known and loved by Jesus is.
We don’t work for Jesus to earn His love — we work from His love to make Him known.
The Bottom Line
Discipleship is a response.
It starts with hearing the call of Jesus, leads to becoming like Jesus, costs us our former priorities, and continues through loving service to Jesus.
Mission creates community.
For too long, the Western church has reversed that order — assuming if we just gather people, we’ll join in God’s mission. But the gospel gives us a different picture.
Jesus’ first call is to follow Him (salvation).
His immediate purpose is mission (making more disciples).
And through mission, community forms.
When the Spirit filled the early believers in Acts, multiplication followed — disciples were being made, the gospel was being proclaimed, and people were growing in faith.
As we follow Jesus and obey His command to make disciples, God Himself builds the community around us.
17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.
20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
Discipleship begins with a response — Jesus calls, and we follow and are made.
The Call — “Follow Me”
Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
(Mark 1:17)
When Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, He didn’t call these men to a religion, an idea, or a self-improvement plan. He called them to Himself.
Christianity is not first about moral behavior, it’s about personal devotion to Jesus.
Notice the immediacy: “Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” They didn’t have all the answers. They didn’t know the details. But they knew the Caller was worthy of their trust.
In a world that prizes affiliation over devotion, being “around” Jesus rather than following Him, this call is confrontational. It cuts through our tendency to do “Christian things” without truly walking with Christ.
Reflection: Am I following Jesus today, or just doing things about Jesus?
The Commission — “I Will Make You Become Fishers of Men”
Jesus connects relationship with responsibility. Following Him always leads to joining His mission.
Charles Spurgeon once said,
“The work of soul-winning is the grandest work that can be entrusted to human beings. He that is called by Christ must be made into a fisher of men, and if he is not a soul-winner, he is not following in the steps of Jesus.”
Notice the phrasing, Jesus doesn’t say, “I will make you.” He says, “I will make you become.”
That’s a promise of process, not performance. Mission is not something we master overnight; it’s something Christ forms in us over time. We don’t start ready, we’re shaped as we follow.
Fishing is a fitting metaphor: it requires patience, persistence, and proximity. You can’t catch fish from the shore; you have to go where they are. And just like fish, people often resist being “caught,” but the gospel rescues them into something far better, life with God.
Evangelism isn’t flashy. It’s slow, relational, and Spirit-dependent. Kingdom growth happens one life at a time.
It’s been said: “Jesus doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called.”
The Cost — “They Left Their Nets… They Left Their Father”
Their nets represented livelihood. Their father represented identity and security. Following Jesus reorders every allegiance.
Not career first.
Not family first.
Not comfort first.
Christ first.
This doesn’t mean abandoning responsibility; it means everything now finds its purpose under His lordship.
The call to follow Jesus always confronts our idols — comfort, success, control. The disciples’ response was immediate because they recognized the worth of the One who called them.
Whatever previously came first is now a distant second.
The Challenge — Following and Serving Always Go Together
Some want to follow Jesus without serving Him — to receive grace without joining the mission.
Others serve Jesus without truly following Him — loving the work of the Lord more than the Lord of the work.
True discipleship holds both together: affection and action.
To follow Jesus is to serve Him; to serve Him rightly is to follow Him closely.
Jesus told His disciples, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
Ministry is never our identity — being known and loved by Jesus is.
We don’t work for Jesus to earn His love — we work from His love to make Him known.
The Bottom Line
Discipleship is a response.
It starts with hearing the call of Jesus, leads to becoming like Jesus, costs us our former priorities, and continues through loving service to Jesus.
Mission creates community.
For too long, the Western church has reversed that order — assuming if we just gather people, we’ll join in God’s mission. But the gospel gives us a different picture.
Jesus’ first call is to follow Him (salvation).
His immediate purpose is mission (making more disciples).
And through mission, community forms.
When the Spirit filled the early believers in Acts, multiplication followed — disciples were being made, the gospel was being proclaimed, and people were growing in faith.
As we follow Jesus and obey His command to make disciples, God Himself builds the community around us.
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