Following Jesus is a BROAD path

Jesus' recorded invitation (command?) to Peter and Andrew and James and John in Mark 1 is,

"Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men" Mark 1:17

It is easy, with minds that can reason through a sinful grid, to see following Jesus as the invitation to the narrowest of all lives. We can think, "It's the end to true freedom. HE calls the shots, and all the shots ring with the sound of 'sacrifice." But think for a moment about how their "immediate" response to that invitation broadened their lives.

These men were Galilean fishermen. All their lives were lived in that relatively small geographical area, primarily concerned with boats and nets and weather and counts. "How many today?" was the question that really mattered at the end of the day. There were doubtless occasional trips to the big city of Jerusalem for required feasts. But all in all, these guys were "locals."

However, once they attached themselves to Jesus, their horizons were expanded.

• It was no longer fishing just for fish, but for MEN, the "catch" mattered for eternity,
• It was no longer just caring about JEWS but for GENTILES, ALL men were now in their sights,
• It was no longer just ISRAEL, but the WORLD, their hearts were expanding, "God-size" me,
• They were no longer just followers, they became some of the most impactful leaders in the history of the world,
• They were no longer TIME BOUND in their interests, but ETERNITY was cemented to their hearts,
• They no longer just knew ABOUT GOD, they came to know Him RELATIONALLY, to the point where they died for Him,
• John became the pastor of pastors in Ephesus,
• Peter eventually went to Rome (he was in prison there shortly before his death),
• Andrew (so strong tradition says) went as far as the border of Russia!

So much for restrictive, narrowing of the arteries of life! May the BROADNESS of FOLLOWING JESUS on the NARROW road expand us all.