The Word was in the beginning, before the heavens and earth, before sunsets and the Pacific, before wildflowers and whales and strawberries and freckles. He was before all of it because He made all of it. The Word spoke the world into existence, which is perhaps why Jesus was called the Word. By His words came all that we know, and by His words come light and knowledge, healing and hope. The words Jesus spoke changed the course of history--along with lives of twelve very ordinary men. 

The disciples were an unconventional group made up largely of fishermen, an anarchist Zealot, and a thieving tax collector--none of whom would've scored very high on a likability scale. They were rough around the edges and ranged from salt-of-the-earth and smelly to downright sketchy. They were loud, proud, greedy, defensive, skeptical, and independent, or some combination thereof, so it's a wonder such men wholly responded to Jesus' simple words in Mark 1:17: "Follow me."

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. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 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. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. (vv. 16-20)

What in the world! They dropped everything and followed Him, just like that? We get a little more context regarding Simon Peter and Andrew in Luke 5:1-11. Jesus had performed a miracle just before His audacious request. But still, it was crazy talk. So I have to imagine the words sounded different from Jesus than they would've from anyone else--anyone other than The Word. "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:4-5)

As strange as it is to imagine dropping everything thing familiar for what is entirely unknown, somehow the trade made sense. In Jesus is life, so His words transcend circumstance and break down barriers. They light up dark corners, removing fear, doubt, and self-preservation. They bring clarity and elevate our understanding of what's real, true, and important. They take us from completely missing our purpose to seeing in neon that our only reason for being is to follow the one who spoke us into being.

The disciples gave up all they had to follow Jesus when He called them. For three years they sat under His teaching and listened to Him pray. They watched Him welcome children and honor the least of these. They heard Him tell jokes, laugh at their jokes, and be respectful to His mom. They witnessed Him heal the sick, defend His Father's House, and chastise the self-righteous. With words.

And they stood helpless when He said no words on His way to the cross. So of course twelve ordinary men, initially full of hot air and void of purpose, became the very ones so changed by Jesus' words that they would fearlessly take them to the ends of the earth.

PRAYER FOCUS

Thank the Father for whatever works impacted your life most, such as your favorite Bible verse. And recommit to Him to read His Word and say His words to others.

MOVING FORWARD

• Describe your first "Follow me" moment with Jesus.
• Which words of Jesus do you cherish most?
• How can you make your own words (particularly on social media) more like Christ's words?