“Follow (Deute) me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:19
Jesus’ words seem pretty straight forward, as He says, “Follow (Deute – dyoo’-the) me”. But what does Jesus mean when He says, “Follow Me”?
When you look deeper into the language and at what Jesus is saying, you find that He uses this form of the Greek word ‘Deute’. Pronounced, ‘dyoo’-the’, only ONE time, and it means come hither! And, it is an exclamatory word and a command which cannot be ignored.
There are thirty-five others times recorded in the New Testament that Jesus uses the Greek word, ‘akoloutheó, which simply means to follow, to accompany or to attend.
By using the word ‘Deute’, Jesus is not making a calm, polite request. He is using an interjection, and an imperative command, “Come here now, and follow Me!”
Jesus, in saying “’Deute’, Come. Follow Me“, is telling His disciples to follow Him closely as if to be upon His back, peering over His shoulder, watching, learning, being closely identified with Jesus.
The reason and purpose for following Jesus in this way is to be identified with and as a disciple of Jesus.
A disciple’s first priority is following Jesus. Everything else is secondary. If Jesus tells them to go, they go. If he tells them to stay, then they stay. They may be like Paul, traveling the world over sharing the good news of Jesus. Or, more likely, they may be like Aquila and Priscilla, tentmakers who served in a local church.
You might be male or female; rich or poor; a preacher, an engineer, or raising children; you might have a variety of skin tones or ethnic backgrounds. But the commitment to follow Jesus, even to the cross, is common to all disciples.
There may be times, when we, as did Peter when he followed Jesus ‘at a distance’ to watch the outcome of the events when Jesus was betrayed by Judas, arrested and led away by Caiaphas, the scribes and high priests. But like Peter, we must confront our fears and confess our failings, and ‘Deute’, follow Him, even to our own cross if necessary.
Discipleship is a term that we often give lip service to. But we often substitute being a fan of Jesus for being a disciple of Jesus. But, as Christians, we are not called to sit in our padded pews, cheering on the worship team and preacher and paying our entrance fee. We are called to be disciples. To give up the life we had and follow Jesus, learning from him and becoming like him.
It is not enough just to evangelize. Bringing a person into a saving relationship with Jesus is just the beginning. We need to teach them to obey what Jesus commanded and to follow him wherever he leads. To be a team player rather than a fan.
And, please, let’s remember: You have to BE ONE to MAKE ONE.
And He *said to them, “Follow Me (deute = dyoo’-teh), come hither! An exclamatory word),
and I will make you fishers of people.” (Used in this context only ONCE in the N.T.).
But Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me, (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend), and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Used in this context 35 times in the N.T.)
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend).
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend).”
The next day He decided to go to Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend).”
My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend).”
If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend), and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
This is offered in humility and love. I fail and fall short more often than I admit. I pray for you and humbly ask that you pray for me as we work to serve God and reach this lost and dying world with His Gospel – Truly, Good News.
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