Early + Adventure + Luke 5:1-11 + Monday + 2023

Jesus wants us on the adventure with Him.

Jesus is “the Way” because there is a way, an adventure to be lived. Jesus is “the author and pioneer of faith” (Heb, 12:2 CEB) that we might follow Him in faith.

The purpose of Holy Week is that we might follow Jesus from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. If we do not follow him in the 6 days in between, Palm Sunday is nothing but an annual plant show and Easter is the oddest of days, leading to legit questions like, “He was raised from what???” and a fashion show at church that is akin to the Kentucky Derby.

Simply put, we gotta follow Jesus. And our following should be like a toddler follows his mother relentlessly around the house. In my mind, I’m thinking about how our children stalk their mother even when she attempts to use the restroom. They know how to follow.

But perhaps, you think you are not good enough to follow Jesus, perhaps you want to keep him at arms length, as if he would be scared away if you showed him the real you. So let me address that point. In vs. 8, Simon Peter, upon realizing who Jesus is, says to Jesus, “depart from me, I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Peter says 3 things, 1) Depart, 2) Sinful, 3) Lord.

In Peter’s world, Peter is absolutely correct on all three, however, in the Kingdom, in the Way of Jesus, Peter gets one wrong and two correct. Peter is correct in that he is sinful and Jesus is Lord. Well done, Peter, 2 out 3 isn’t bad! What Peter did not realize, but would realize on the adventure with Jesus is that Jesus came because God so loved the world, not that God was so annoyed or mad at the world.

Upon seeing the great haul of fish they had just obtained, Peter knew he was an unholy man in a knotty old fishing boat, but a holy man had just stepped foot into his boat. The man, Jesus, came, not through invitation, the man came because he wanted Peter on the adventure with him, he wanted Peter to follow. Jesus as rabbi, Peter as disciple. May I be so forward as to say to you, “he wants you to follow too!” Jesus as rabbi. You as a disciple.

When Jesus got into that boat he knew Peter was a hothead, he knew he was a sinful person, he knew the situation he was getting into by boarding Peter’s boat, yet he did it anyway. And though Peter said to Jesus “depart from me”, Jesus said to Peter, “follow me” (Mt 4:18). “Come close,” says Jesus, “learn about me, know me, listen to me, know my smell, became acquainted with my sense of humor, learn what breaks my heart and what brings me joy, learn about Kingdom, let your life be an adventure, follow me, that you can know the heart of God”.

Peter, like you and me, was sick with sin and self, Jesus, while our physician, is also the cure to our disease, the remedy to our situation, the pioneer of the adventure.

So this week we will adventure with Jesus into Jerusalem, at the table with the 12, in the garden with our Savior, and then to Calvary. Why? Because Jesus wants us to follow him. So let’s follow.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Luke is Pastor of Discipleship to the saints, in Christ, at Nashville Methodist.