April 13

They Came unto Him

Then Jesus went up on the mountain and called for those He wanted, and they came to Him. — Mark 3:13 BSB

That is how Jesus continually works—standing and calling people to come to Him. And here we see how everyone who hears His voice should respond—leave the company of the world, step boldly out, cross the line, and take their place beside Jesus.

There are a few important things to note about how these men responded to Christ’s call. First, they did it freely. Although He had chosen them from among a whole nation and called them, there was no force compelling them to follow Him. They could have refused if they had wanted to. Christ never makes disciples by force. We must be willing and choose to come to Him ourselves.

They also responded promptly. There was no hesitation. They didn’t ask for time to think it over. They didn’t claim to be unfit or unworthy. They didn’t express fear of not being able to remain faithful. They didn’t say, “We’ll follow you tomorrow.” The moment they heard their names, they answered.

Their answer was clear and visible. When they heard the call, they stepped forward with firm steps, crossing the space between the crowd and the Master, and joined Him. It wasn’t done in secret. They didn’t wait until they were alone with Him to quietly tell Him they had decided to follow. They didn’t plan to follow Him but stay with their old friends and continue their old jobs. They immediately separated themselves from the crowd, went to Him, and put themselves completely in His hands, committing to follow Him and do His will for the rest of their lives. This is how they started, and it’s how everyone should respond when Jesus calls them to be His disciple.