Follow Me: The Man Who Missed The Boat
But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. Matthew 8:22-23
Matthew paints the scene: Disciples of Jesus approach him as he is about to enter a boat. Jesus gives an invitation to follow Him. They turn back toward home and miss one of the greatest displays of His power – the calming of the sea. The disciples in the boat respond with “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (8:27)
The first psalm in the order of our Bibles is actually found in Exodus 15. Israel sings of the deliverance by the Lord and in verse 10 “Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them“. They conclude with “Who is like unto thee, O LORD” (15:11). How similar this response is to that of the disciples on the boat. The One who spoke creation into existence and brought forth the dry ground out of the seas is able to send a wind to divide the waters as a path of escape for His people and to still a might story with the sound of His voice.
Now back to the man who missed the boat. He may never have learned what he missed that day. This experience changed the lives of the men on that boat but this man fades back into obscurity. What if he had joined the disciples that day? Would we now know his name? Would he have seen “greater things than these”? As far as is known he was never called upon again.
Do you feel the Lord calling upon you to follow? What holds you back? Do you think that if you wait until your education is complete or your house is paid off or your family is raised that you can answer the call then? Sometimes things work that way, but most times they do not. In general when we fail to follow when the Lord calls we can never replace what we missed.
When you hear the call, don’t “miss the boat”. Follow Him!
