“Follow Me”

“Follow Me”
Luke 5:1-11
February 16, 2025

It’s an old childhood game — follow the leader.  Players first choose a leader and the remaining players (followers) all line up behind the leader who then moves around and all the players have to mimic the leader’s actions exactly.  Any player who fails to mimic the leader is out of the game.  When only one follower remains, that player then becomes the new leader, and a new game begins.

Adults play a similar game, though not so formally — and it often doesn’t feel like a game.  “Players” are chosen to lead in jobs, families (nuclear and extended), governments, clubs, churches, and civic organizations.  But not all the players like following the chosen leaders:

• “Who made you the leader?”
• “I want to be the leader now…”
• “What you are doing isn’t fair/right…”
• “It’s too hard to follow…I’m tired (or tired of following)…”

Yet leading and following is built into every system of the world.  And supremely it is built into God’s “system” of relationship with His people.  He has designed us to follow His leadership.  Why should we follow Him?  That question is one that is answered by Jesus at the beginning of His ministry.    

In Luke 4, we saw the beginning of Jesus’ formal ministry in Galilee.  In His message to His hometown (Nazareth) He claimed to be authoritative to fulfill the Messianic promise of Isaiah to liberate those who are in bondage (4:18-19).  When He was rejected by the Nazareans, He went to Capernaum to further manifest His authority — He is King (and a good King).  Throughout His Galilean ministry in Luke 4-6, we observe multiple examples of the truth that…

As the Son of Man, Jesus is authoritative…

IHe is the Son of Man.  And there is nothing over which He is not authoritative. We have seen His authority over the spiritual realm and demons and over illness (ch. 4); in future weeks we will see His authority over leprosy and uncleanness, over sin (authoritative to forgive), and over the Law and the demands of righteousness.  This passage reveals His authority over illness and His authority to compel people to follow Him.  As the creator of all things, He has infinite authority over all things.  

1. Christ as the Authoritative Teacher (vv. 1-3)
2. Christ as the Authoritative “Fisherman” (vv. 4-7)
3. Christ as the Authoritative Leader (vv. 8-11)

Download the rest of this sermon on Luke 5:1-11.

“Follow the Leader” by Doug Coldwell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The audio will be posted on the GBC website by Tuesday.