...He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. Luke 5:27-28
Almost every time Jesus says to someone in the Bible “Follow me!”, the person responds immediately, leaving everything behind. I always wondered about that for not really given to impulse, I don’t think I would have followed Jesus so quickly. What was it about our Lord that would have people acting with such alacrity? The answer lies in the verse 32 when Jesus tells the Pharisees and scribes that it is the sinners He has come to call to repentance.
When I think back on my initial conversion, the first moment I met Jesus, I did actually leave everything behind to follow Him - just like that. I did it because He saw past all my sins and forgave me with such compassion that I knew He was the one I had been searching for all my life, the only one who would love me with such incredible and unconditional love, undeserving as I was.
I was ready to follow Him to the ends of the earth if He so commanded for I was set free from living a life with no meaning. As His disciple I was given a higher purpose: to love God and my neighbour as He loves me. I am called to spread the most excellent good news to my fellow sinners:
“So you’re a sinner, no big deal. If you repent, your sins will be forgiven. You are then free to become this awesome person our Father has created you to be. You get a free pass to a new life, a great one, filled with joy, peace and true love. It’s a chance to reinvent yourself. Who gets such an opportunity? Guess what, you do, today, and every day. So what are you waiting for? Repent! Don’t wait a second longer.
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