If there is a single two-word mantra that captures the leadership spirit of the U.S. Army it is this, the motto of the Infantry: “Follow Me!”  This phrase, in its context, is full of vigor and energy.  It hearkens back to that foundational American grit, to the initiative and courage necessary to accomplish anything worth doing.  This motto says, “I may not be in charge, but I’m willing to take charge if needs be.”

The lowliest private is ingrained with this motto at the Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia, where we turn young men into soldiers in the Georgia heat and mud.  Leadership is nowhere more important in human affairs than in matters of life and death.  Soldiers are trained this way because their job is ultimately to kill the enemy or die trying.  Either way, the successful soldier is sacrificing something important for our freedom.  If they are going to survive, it will be in part because someone leads them to their objective and back home with skill and aggressiveness.

Doctors and nurses understand the value of leadership, as they deal with life and death all the time. So do police officers, firefighters, and EMT personnel.  The more dangerous the enterprise–and consequently the more vital to others’ survival–the greater the need for quality leadership.

Hand-in-hand with the initiative and courage we see in “Follow Me!” goes the personal integrity that makes the leader someone worth following.  Leadership is just as important in the mundane, day-to-day preparations of life as in the execution of the rarer, more glorious operation because the quality of the former so often determines the success of the latter.  It is the simple, consistent presence of a leader and his character  that defines the character and priorities of his outfit, whether it is a platoon of Marines or the staff of a supermarket.

The Command:  Matthew 4:19

“And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ” (Matthew 4:19, NAS)

This is Matthew’s portrayal of the beginning of Jesus’ three-year ministry between the Baptism of John and the Cross.  He meets two brothers by the “Sea” of Galilee who are fishing, and he commands them to follow Him for a change of vocation.

I find it encouraging to observe the wit of our Savior. He employs a pun on their existing job, fishing for fish, and suggests (in the imperative) that they embark on a whole new kind of fishing career.  He means that instead of seeking fish in the net, they will be seeking men for the Kingdom, whose Gospel He is preaching (v17).

The command itself is the word DEUTE (δευτε, <dyootuh>), and it is not a normal verb in the imperative mood.  Greek scholars consider this word as technically an adverb that is used idiomatically for an interjection that invites motion, as in “come on!” or “come here!”  Really the basic notion is “here!” with an understood verb to get you there like “go” or “come.”  In Texas we would say “commere!”  Or if feeling more verbose, “Git over here.”

In the thirteen uses of this word in the Bible, it is always introducing an invitation, for good or for ill.  How do we get “Follow me” out of “come here!”?  The next word is OPISO (οπισω), another adverb that is used in combination with DEUTE to mean “Come behind.”  That is the terse way in Greek to invite others to follow you.

The Interlinear

Καὶ   λέγει   αὐτοῖς,       Δεῦτε       ὀπίσω     μου, καὶ     ποιήσω       ὑμᾶς    ἁλιεῖς  ἀνθρώπων.

And  He said  to them, Come here  after     Me,   and   I will make  you   fishers  of men.

The command is to “fall-in” behind Jesus.  By the way, “follower” is not the meaning of the word disciple.  Disciples must follow their teacher to be taught by him, but the word disciple, (MATHETES, μαθητης) means “learner” or “student.”  Yet, as the presentation shows here and in the other Synoptic Gospels, if they will follow where He wants to take them, a transformation will occur.  The learning process for the disciple is portrayed as a journey, and the journey ultimately takes Jesus, and us, to the fullness of blessing and glory in the presence of God the Father[1].  They have to stop what they are doing and enter his training regimen, though, if they want that transformation into the new vocation.

The New Vocation

What are these Galilean fishermen going to do in the new vocation?  They are going to catch people for their living.  Notice that the verb is “I will make.” This is a future verb that indicates something special about our relationship to the Creator.  He does the making of His student into an angler.  First He tells them their responsibility, “follow,” and then He explains what will happen as a consequence by His action, not theirs.  You will pray in accordance with God’s will for you if you ask Him to make you this kind of fisherman.  The Infantry School makes Infantrymen, and I thank God for it.  However, the Savior’s School makes fishermen.  I happen to know several Infantrymen who fish quite well.

Three Thoughts:

1.  Christology: There has never been nor will there ever be a leader of men more worthy of following anywhere for anything at any time than Jesus Christ.  The leadership He offers here is the most crucial in the world, dealing more with life and death than any other vocation.  His battle is not for the preservation of temporal life but for the impartation of Eternal Life.

2.  Witnessing: The objective of the mission on which Jesus lead His disciples is people.  As you read the Bible, you find that there is nothing more important in your life than your relationship with God.  But once you understand that, you will have no trouble seeing that His plan for you involves your impact on other people, specifically with the Good News of Jesus, our Savior.

3.  Sanctification: (The Believer’s Walk): Jesus promised the disciples that He would do the making.  There is a task at hand, but He has to equip them for it.  We are given the mission statement so we will orient ourselves on God’s objectives.  But never forget Jesus’ strong conclusion about our being branches from the True Vine:  “…without Me you can do nothing.”

Passage to Pray:  John 15:1-11

Memory Verse:  Phil 2:12-13

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. ” (Philippians 2:5–13, NAS)

[1] I do not think the Text suggests that every true believer is a disciple.  Likewise, as in the case of Judas Iscariot, every disciple is not a believer.  However, it is unquestionably the presentation in the Bible that every believer should be a good disciple, committed to a lifetime of transformational learning from our Lord.  Those who fall short are really missing out now and in eternity on the fullness of God’s blessings and design.