Faith is often called a journey and with good reason. Faith is a process of moving deeper and deeper into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Christian faith comes in an instant but it takes a lifetime to grow and develop. The moment that you accept Christ as Lord and savior, the work of salvation has only just begun.
Salvation restores us into a right relationship with God. Imagine a pre-Christian life as a building that is condemned. The building is not suitable for living in but with a great deal of work that building could be restored. When the faith journey begins the building of our life is in shambles and as we grow in our faith, our life is gradually changed.
One of the best examples of the faith journey in the New Testament is the Apostle Peter. When Jesus calls Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, it is not their first encounter. The first encounter that Peter has with Jesus is recorded in the gospel of John. John records that Andrew takes Peter to meet Jesus. There is no mention that Peter follows Jesus after this encounter. The second encounter with Jesus is one we are most familiar with. Luke records that Peter encountered Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus provides Peter with an incredible catch of fish and at the end of that encounter Luke says that they left their nets and followed Jesus. The assumption is that Peter followed Jesus from that point on. If that was the case, why is there a different encounter recorded in Matthew and Mark? We just read that Jesus called Peter to be a fisher of men what is going on in this passage?
The key is the word follow. There are two different Greek words that we translate follow. The first is opiso which means to believe and become a disciple. What Luke is telling us is that Peter left and followed Jesus that day. Matthew and Mark are showing us that Peter went back to fishing. When Jesus calls Peter to follow this day on the shore of the Galilee, a different word is used. The word here is akolutheo and it means to follow and leave everything. Peter had to make a choice to change his life with following Jesus. This was a choice to move beyond the role of fisherman to become a fisher of men.
Notice that each of the gospels emphasize a different aspect of what it means to follow Jesus. Matthew emphasizes that the call of Jesus is to His mission. Mark emphasizes that Jesus is calling the disciples to a changed life. Luke focuses on the fact that Jesus is calling the disciples to a new profession. John emphasizes that Jesus is calling the disciples to personal relationship with Him.
Answering the call of Jesus is part of the journey. For Peter, there was a process in moving into a committed relationship with Jesus. It took the process to draw Peter deeper. To follow means to accept Jesus as the authority of your life. Following Jesus means that you are pursuing His calling, to adapt the model of His life to yours and to join your life with His. Many times we settle for the spiritual depth of a mud puddle, small and shallow.
