From Darkness to Light: The Call to Follow Christ

When the prophet Isaiah was writing, the world was falling apart. The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were gone, destroyed and never to be restored. As Isaiah says, the people walked in darkness. Yet even in that darkness, there was hope. A light would shine. Abundant joy would come.

That light is Jesus Christ. His coming into the world marks the inauguration of the kingdom of God. But what is a kingdom? A kingdom is the land ruled by a king. The kingdom of God, then, is all of creation under the rule of God Himself. Every person within it must choose how they will live. Either they remain slaves to their passions, or they repent of their inordinate love of self and learn to serve the King who loves perfectly.

Jesus begins this kingdom in a strikingly humble way. He does not seek out kings or princes or generals. Instead, He calls fishermen. Ordinary men. He asks them to abandon everything and follow Him.

This was not a small request. In the ancient world, to become a disciple meant far more than attending lessons. It meant leaving your former life behind and living with your teacher completely. Day and night. Everything changed, including who you were becoming. The student was shaped into the likeness of the teacher.

Simon and Andrew. James and John. These men were not important in the eyes of the world. They were nobodies. Yet when Jesus called them, they responded. They left their former lives and followed Him. By the time Pentecost arrives, they are transformed. Fear has given way to boldness. This is the difference Christ makes. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. They were not chosen because they were great. They were ordinary. Christ made them what they were called to be.

Those of us who follow in their footsteps are called to the same surrender. To sit at the feet of the Master requires that we abandon whatever holds us back. We are drawn into one common mission: to go out to the nations, to baptize, and to teach all that Christ commanded.

This mission is what unites Christians. Yet even today, divisions persist. “I follow Paul.” “I follow Luther.” “I follow Calvin.” Saint Paul already warned against this way of thinking. There is only one Christ, and He founded only one visible society to carry on His work. That society is the Church.

If the Lord is your light and your salvation, then you must follow where He leads. You must obey what He teaches. And you must be willing to be changed by Him.