“Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). This was the call Jesus gave to some fishermen by the shore of the Sea of Galilee many years ago, and it is the same call that He gives to you and me. This call may be greater than you ever imagined. Jesus was considered to be a rabbi as he traveled around to different towns in Israel. In that day and time, the Jewish children were educated at the synagogue. At the age of 6, they would enter into the school of Bet Sefer where they would study and learn the Torah, the first 5 books of the Old Testament. By the age of 12, they would have memorized the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
For most of the Jewish children, they stopped school at age 12. At that time, the boys would go and learn the family trade or business – fishing, carpentry, agriculture, etc. The girls would go into a stage of preparation for the day that they would be married. A few of the students from Bet Sefer would show a unique grasp and ability with the scriptures. These top students would have the opportunity to go on to further study at the school of Bet Midrash.
The students at Bet Midrash would learn the Tenah, the remaining books of the Old Testament from Joshua through Malachi. This school lasted until they were about 16 years of age. At the end of Bet Midrash, there was another weeding out process. For many this was now the end of their education and they would enter into a normal lifestyle. The elite students, however, would go on to pursue a rabbi and become one of their students or disciples. A disciple would study directly under the rabbi as one of his pupils.
The goal of the disciple was not just to learn from the rabbi. The pupil wanted to be like the rabbi. When a young man finished the school of Bet Midrash, he would seek to go and find a rabbi. When he found a rabbi that he wanted to follow, he would ask, “Would you be my rabbi? Can I come and follow you?”
The rabbi would ask the student a series of questions to see how knowledgeable he was, and how devoted he was. The rabbi wanted to see if the young man had a true fire and desire to become a rabbi. Even at this level, many young men were turned down. They just didn’t make the cut. Very few went on to become a disciple of a rabbi, and even fewer went on to become a rabbi themselves one day.
Now with all of this in mind, think about Jesus’ call that he gave to Peter, James, John and Andrew many years ago. They were fishermen at the Sea of Galilee. Most likely, they had gone to the school of Bet Sefer as young boys and that was it. They were most likely told that they didn’t make it to the next cut. They were not the All Stars, and so at 12 years old they returned home to learn the family trade as fishermen. It was to this group of ordinary fishermen that Jesus came and called them to “Come follow me.” Jesus didn’t go after the All Stars. He went after the guys who didn’t necessarily make the cut and called them to be his disciples. Jesus was telling these ordinary guys that they could become like Him. They could be his followers. He could shape them and use them. And Jesus says the same to us. You may not be an all star, but Jesus calls you to be his follower any way. Follow Him! And that’s the Word.