The First Followers

It is hard to figure.  When Matthew writes the narrative of Jesus' ministry, he speaks of it beginning as several things happened.  First, Jesus made the decision to leave Nazareth.  He was finally leaving home and the responsibilities which were his as the oldest son.  With a sense of purpose He went to the Jordan River where His kinsman was baptizing folks.  He not only went, He was baptized.  After the baptism He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights.  After all these things had come to pass, He heard the ominous news that John the Baptist had been arrested.    

As this news came to Him, the Word says He went forth preaching, "Repent...the time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near...believe in the good news."  (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15).  It would seem that one event in His life was not singularly responsible to send Him forth, but all of them working to bring Him to a point of action.  No longer would He choose the road that kept Him hidden; instead, He was determined to walk the way which challenged the status quo of the religious community and called people to radical change in their lives.  While these moments may not carry with them the center stage drama of the Day of Pentecost, they were days in which the Spirit of God was hovering on the stage of history knowing that resurrection power was about to be unleashed upon the world.   

Those of us who have read the gospel story know this to be true.  Those who walked alongside of Jesus had no idea where their decision to follow would take them.  It is likely that they had little understanding that they were actually on a journey to "know not where."  Though they could not see, they followed Him.  Many of them followed Him to the cross and then to the empty tomb.  What they could not see, we see; yet, we are the ones who hesitate to turn loose of everything for Jesus even though we know the end of the story.