The following of Jesus may seem hard but it is simple.

SIMPLIFYING RELIGION
Matthew 4:12–23

In today’s Gospel we are given a wonderfully simple picture of what the Christian life is all about.  Jesus is walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee when He sees two fishermen at work.  They are brothers, Simon and Andrew.  He says just three words to them: “Come, follow me.”  And they do.  They leave their nets and follow Him.

A little further on He sees two more brothers, James and John, also fishermen.  He calls them too, and they respond in exactly the same way, leaving their boat and their father behind.  In its most basic form, that is Christianity: responding to the call of Jesus and following Him.  The Christian religion, at heart, is not complicated.  It is about following Christ with our whole hearts.  It is not easy, but it is simple.

Three things are involved.

First, we must learn what Jesus taught.  A clear summary of His teaching is found in the Sermon on the Mount, in chapters five, six, and seven of Matthew’s Gospel.  It can be read in a quarter of an hour, but it takes a lifetime to live.  Scholars study it endlessly; saints struggle to put it into practice.  Yet at its core, His teaching rests on two great truths.

The first is belief in one God, a God who is not distant or harsh, but a wise and loving Father.  The second is the unity of the human family.  Jesus teaches that we are all brothers and sisters.  Every person, even an enemy, belongs to the same family and is to be treated with dignity and love.  This is not easy, but it is clear.  No one can seriously claim to follow Christ without taking these two truths to heart.

Secondly, we are called to imitate His example.  We cannot separate what Jesus taught from how He lived.  His life is the living explanation of His teaching.  Some of His demands seem impossible, especially His refusal to hold grudges. There are moments in every life when resentment feels justified.  Yet Jesus never allowed hatred to take root in His heart.  Even on the Cross He prays, “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.”  He showed us that forgiveness, even in the worst circumstances, is possible.

Jesus never asked His disciples to do anything He did not first do Himself.  He gave us more than rules; He gave us a life to imitate.  To follow Him means learning His teaching and making a sincere effort to live as He lived.

Thirdly, the religion of Christ assures us that we do not do this alone.  When Jesus called the fishermen, He said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  He promised to change them and He did.  When they failed, He forgave them.  When they were afraid, He strengthened them.  When they sinned, He gave them another chance.  They never imagined they could follow Him by their own strength.  They relied completely on His help, even after He was no longer visibly with them.

And so do we.

Lord Jesus, we often make religion more complicated than it needs to be. Help us to see it simply as following You. We know it will not be easy, but we trust Your promise to be with us always, even to the end of time. Amen.

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