Called for Discipleship: Leaving the Canoes Behind
There's a powerful story about explorers Lewis and Clark that perfectly captures what it means to follow Jesus. These adventurers carried their canoes over mountains, confident that water awaited them on the other side. But when they finally crested those peaks, they discovered something unexpected: more mountains. No rivers. No lakes. Just endless terrain that their canoes couldn't navigate.
Imagine the moment of realization. The tools that had brought them success were now useless. Some might have insisted on dragging those canoes forward anyway—after all, they'd worked so far. Others might have tried pushing them through the dirt, refusing to accept that a new approach was needed.
This is the challenge of discipleship. Sometimes God calls us to put down what we've been carrying and pick up something new. Sometimes following Jesus means adapting to new challenges with new techniques, even when we're desperately clinging to old tools that once served us well.
When Crisis Becomes Catalyst
Matthew 4:12-23 begins with a crisis: "When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee." This wasn't just a transition of time—it was a fulfillment of purpose. John the Baptist's ministry ended so Jesus' ministry could begin in full force.
Sometimes it takes a moment of crisis to give us the nudge we need. We might not know we can hustle until the money is low and bills are due. We might not discover our ability to fight until we're backed into a corner with no way out. We might not realize we have gifts we've never used until circumstances demand them.
Jesus began his public ministry during a crisis, and he chose his location deliberately. Capernaum wasn't an accident. This crossroads town was heavily influenced by Romans, had deep roots in Jewish history, and was a place where cultural shifts were happening. It was the center of revolutionary activity against Roman occupation, yet it still maintained a synagogue. Jesus didn't retreat to safety—he moved into complexity.
He didn't just visit Capernaum; he relocated there. He transferred his residency. If you want to be among the people, you have to be where they are. Jesus didn't stand in the synagogue and quote scripture about coming out from among the world. He went out to the world instead.
The Radical Call to Follow
What makes Jesus' call to discipleship so remarkable is that he went looking for his disciples. This was revolutionary. In Jewish culture, students approached rabbis, not the other way around. If you wanted to learn from a rabbi, you had to ask repeatedly, enduring multiple rejections to prove your commitment.
But Jesus flipped the script entirely. He walked along the Sea of Galilee and found Simon Peter and Andrew casting their nets. He saw James and John mending nets with their father Zebedee. And he issued a simple command: "Follow me."
No debates. No negotiations. No "let me think about it." Jesus said follow, and they followed.
This wasn't a casual decision. These men left their families, their inheritance, their security, their connection to community, and their heritage. This was disruption. This was uncomfortable. But that's what discipleship requires.
Discipleship is hard. Discipleship is costly. If it were easy, everyone would do it.
The Three Requirements of Discipleship
Discipleship Requires Relationships
Jesus spent time with his disciples. He broke bread with them. He did life with them. He went out to get them. Discipleship happened through relationship.
One church discovered this truth the hard way. After experiencing significant attendance drops, they tried everything: changing the music ministry, having the pastor travel less, updating programs. Nothing worked. When they finally interviewed people who had left, they discovered the real problem: the church had failed to maintain relationships during life transitions.
People retired and felt disconnected because there was no senior ministry. Parents left when their children graduated from youth programs. Others faced job loss, family tragedy, or major life changes—and the church wasn't there.
People don't quit churches; they quit people. It doesn't matter how charismatic the pastor is or how good the programs are. If relationships aren't built and maintained, people will go elsewhere. Relationships are what help students stay in college, what inspire priests and pastors to leave behind comfortable lives, what motivate people to devote themselves to something larger than themselves.
Jesus modeled this. He built relationships in the area where he lived. That was his discipleship strategy.
Discipleship Requires Repentance
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This wasn't just Jesus' message—it was his call to transformation.
Repentance means changing the way you think. Remember those explorers with the canoes? They're considered famous now because when they got over that mountain and realized their canoes were useless, they changed their thinking and adapted.
If you keep looking at the same problem and doing the same thing over and over to solve it, you haven't repented. If you feel the same way about it, you haven't repented. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.
Recognizing that the kingdom of God is at hand—literally within reach—means adjusting our lives accordingly. Discipleship requires repentance.
Discipleship Requires a Real Response
The disciples didn't just believe in Jesus; they followed him. Their faith was both belief and practice. There was no hesitation, no "let me pray about it and get back to you." They had action, movement, commitment.
This was at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. He hadn't turned water into wine yet, hadn't healed the sick, hadn't walked on water, hadn't raised the dead. He just said, "Follow me," and promised to make them fishers of men. And they went.
A neurologist once explained that the way to beat procrastination is simple: move. Make one move toward what needs to happen. If a room needs cleaning, stop thinking about it and pick up one thing. Keep moving, and you'll defeat procrastination.
We spend too much time thinking about what needs to happen instead of actually doing one thing toward it. Jesus said follow, and everyone made a move.
Meeting Us Where We Are
The beautiful truth is that Jesus doesn't wait for us to clean up our lives before calling us. He meets us where we are—in our Capernaums, our crossroads, our places of transition and uncertainty.
He came to fishermen while they were fishing. He came to tax collectors while they were collecting taxes. He comes to the broken while they are still broken. And he says, "Follow me."
We don't have to wait for the perfect moment to respond to God's call. We don't have to wait until someone else who seems more qualified or more worthy responds first. Jesus doesn't wait for you to come to him. He comes to you. He's searching for you right now.
The question is: Will you follow?
Will you build the relationships that make discipleship possible? Will you repent and turn toward what God is doing in your life? Will you give a real response—not just words, but actions?
The disciples left everything to follow Jesus. They didn't know where they were going. They didn't know what would happen. But they knew who they were following, and that was enough.
God is calling us to discipleship. He's telling us to pick up some things and put down others. He's calling us to adapt, to change, to move forward even when the path isn't clear.
And the best part? He's right here with us. He doesn't just send us—he leads us. He doesn't just command us—he accompanies us.
It's time to leave the canoes behind and follow Jesus with our relationships, our repentance, and our real response. The kingdom of heaven has come near, and Jesus is calling us all by name.
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