MAY 29, 2014
Quest
For Stolen Treasure
Read: Matthew
4:18-22
[Jesus] said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” —Matthew 4:19
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s
The Hobbit, the dwarfs gathered to go up against Smaug, the fierce dragon, to
retrieve their stolen treasure. In spite of the dangerously frightening quest,
Balin, the dwarfs’ second-in-command, expressed confidence in Thorin: “There is
one I could follow. There is one I could call King.” His commitment to the
mission, as dangerous as it was, was empowered by his confidence in his leader.
At the beginning of
Jesus’ earthly ministry, He gathered a group around Him that would join Him in
the kingdom task of rescuing the treasure of lost souls from our enemy, Satan.
When He called them, He said, “Follow Me” (Matt. 4:19). For them, following
Jesus would mean a radical transition from catching fish to the enterprise of
being fishers of men and women who were lost in the grip of sin. But the task
would not always be easy; Jesus referred to the quest as taking up our cross to
follow Him (see Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23).
How do we stay engaged
in the battle to reclaim Christ’s lost treasures when it seems intimidating or
awkward? By keeping our eye on our Leader. He indeed is worthy—One we can
follow, the One we call King!
Lord, in the face of
intimidation and fear when
seeking to engage
others with the gospel, remind
me that they are Your
lost treasures. I count it
a privilege to follow
You into others’ lives.
Follow your Leader
into the lives of those around you.
Insight
These two pairs of
brothers (Peter and Andrew, James and John) were the earliest disciples to
respond to Jesus’ call. Most likely, Peter, Andrew, and John had an earlier
encounter with Jesus (John 1:35-42). In today’s passage, the Lord is calling
them to abandon their fishing trade and to follow Him fully and permanently
(Matt. 4:20,22). Later, Peter declared that they had left all to follow Jesus
(19:27). These four had been partners in the fishing business (Luke 5:10).
Peter, James, and John were also privileged to become the inner circle among
Jesus’ 12 disciples (Mark 5:37; 9:2; 14:33).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
