Then he said to him, “Follow me!” – Jn. 21:19

It was a cold and breezy morning on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (Jn. 21:1-23). The resurrected Jesus appeared to seven of His disciples after a night of fruitless fishing expedition. He dined with them over some hot broiled fish and bread, after which Jesus reinstated and commissioned Peter (9-17). After revealing the cruel and painful future demise of Peter, Jesus said to him, “Follow me” (19).

It was a privileged and private invitation from the resurrected Christ. So, what was Peter’s problem? Somebody else was following them when Peter turned around, and that distracted  him. If nothing at all, Peter should have remembered from his sea-walking experience with Jesus that it was suicidal to take one’s eyes from Jesus and fix them on anything else  (Matt. 14:28-33). He didn’t! Rather, Peter concerned himself with John’s situation and received a harsh rebuke from the Lord (Jn. 21:22).

Sadly, that’s human nature. We quickly forget the lessons of our past. Our tendency often steers towards self-gratification instead of God-focused attention. We allow our environment to shape our thinking, and other people and things become our concern rather than what God is doing with us.

 As Disciples of Christ, we are personally accountable to God for our lives. Environment and circumstances are not acceptable excuses. Our only duty to Christ is absolute obedience; and that’s discipleship!

True discipleship is about doing the will of God through Christ Jesus. It is more than intellectual accent and mere works. It is a heart yielded completely to the life of Christ, and a commitment to total obedience. Selfless devotion and self-emptying are its basic and fundamental prerequisites (Phil. 2:5-8). Discipleship is neither a title nor a program. It is a personal relationship with Christ. It is therefore, a Christ-centered and Christ-focused living with hopeful expectation. The disciple has their heart set on heavenly things, and their minds are absorbed in eternal considerations. They are convinced that their decision to follow Jesus is a personal choice. They are disciplined, unyielding, and joyful in their walk with Him. That is the life Christ calls His followers to live and to commit to, in the power of the Holy Spirit. So, when Jesus commanded Peter to follow Him (Jn. 21:19), that’s exactly what He expected of him. Likewise, His command to us carries the same responsibility.

Meeting the expectations of genuine discipleship requires discipline and trust in our Savior and Lord at all times. Like Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Daniel and the three Hebrew boys, the focus of our lives should be on the author and finisher of our faith, not on anyone or circumstance.

Finally, discipleship requires that we quit concerning ourselves with that sneaky expectation to see others behave as we do. We cannot peek to know what others are doing and focus on Christ at the same time. Single devotion is His clarion call, and we must obey for His glory. God has written His screenplay for all of us. Our parts are custom-made to our unique personalities and divinely appointed abilities. We will do well to focus on our part and be faithful to our call.

The command of Christ today is: “Follow me!”