“At once they left their nets and followed him.” — Mark 1:18
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” — Galatians 2:20
What made Simon and Andrew drop everything and follow Jesus immediately after he said “Come, follow me?” Was it Jesus’ charisma or the promise of reward? The most attractive thing about Jesus is that he is the living embodiment of Truth. Cf. John 14:6 (“I am the way and the truth and the life.”). He is the perfect model of integrity and mercy in action and strength derived from such excellence.
In all of us is a hunger for living by the Truth; that is, to live the way we were designed to live. The hunger may be muted, but it is there. Some, like Simon and Andrew, are very aware of their hunger for truth, and when Jesus appears in front of them, they instantly recognize the answer to their appetite. It is not surprising, then, that Simon and Andrew dropped everything to follow Jesus.
The wonderful privilege of being a follower of Christ is that he comes to live in us. If we live authentically as disciples of Christ, meaning we submit to his lordship, then the qualities that attracted Simon and Andrew to Christ become manifest in us. Not that we attract people for our own glory. As Christ’s ambassadors, we draw people to Christ in us.
