“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
Jesus was saying, “Peter, the great project of your life will be to throw the net of the gospel into the sea of the world and draw people into the shores of God’s kingdom.”
What kind of person can do this? Only some kind of saint. But Peter knew that he was no saint. So, he said to Jesus: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.”
Peter showed tremendous honesty. He didn’t say, “I’ve made a few mistakes.” He didn’t say, “At least I was sincere.” Or “I am a very spiritual person.” He said, “I am a sinful man.”
“Depart from me.” This is what sinners say when they know that they are in the presence of a holy God. If a person is deeply resistant to God, it is sometimes a sign that God is drawing near.
On the last day, God will say to the wicked: “Depart from me.” But there is a profound sense in which, when the day of judgment comes, God will not need to send sinners to hell. They will know they do not belong in heaven and will shrink away themselves.
Peter’s mistake was that he felt his sin was the defining thing about him. “This is who I am—a sinful man. That is all I ever will be, and that disqualifies me from being a disciple of Jesus.”
Maybe you feel that there are sins in your life that would make it impossible for you to be a disciple of Jesus, and the best that you can hope for is to remain on the sidelines as a believer with very little to offer.
If that is where you are, here is some good news. Your sin need not be the defining thing about you. Jesus is calling you to be His disciple. And He will make you what He is calling you to be.
Do you feel disqualified from being a disciple of Jesus? If so, why?
