Drop the Net and Come After Me
Jesus is still saying the very same words today that He spoke on the shore of Galilee some 2,000 years ago:
“Come, follow me.” (Matthew 4:19)
How we respond matters just as much now as it did then!
That Shoreline Moment
Simon (Peter) and Andrew were just going about their day.
Same routine. Same job. Same nets. Same sea.
And then Jesus shows up. He doesn’t give them a sales pitch.
He doesn’t tell them to go pray about it and get back to Him.
He just says: “Come, follow me.”
And they drop the net. Immediately.
Then He calls James and John. They’re with their father, “mending their nets.”
And again—they drop the net and follow; seemingly leaving their father behind.
Lent Is a Season to Drop the Net
That’s what Lent is about.
It’s not about spiritual performances. It’s not about punishing ourselves or checking boxes.
It’s about this:
Letting go of the nets that keep us from following Jesus.
It’s about surrender.
About returning to the Lord with all our hearts.
And if you're thinking, "Well, I haven’t done much this Lent,” or “It’s probably too late now..."
Let me stop you right there:
It’s not too late.
But Here’s the Thing About Nets...
They catch things.
And when we don’t let them go, when we try to follow Jesus but keep dragging them behind us, they fill up—with stuff we never meant to carry.
The shoreline of the world is littered with many things that get caught in the nets we drag behind us:
Distraction
Anxiety
Pressure
Comparison
Division
Comfort
Noise
Greed
Pride
Vanity
And the more the net catches, the heavier it becomes.
Eventually, it slows us down.
It keeps us stuck.
It keeps us from being free to move with God.
So Let Me Ask You…
What’s tangled up in your net right now?
Is it the opinions of others weighing you down?
Busyness that leaves no room for stillness?
Choosing comfort over holiness?
The device you can’t seem to put down?
Relying on your own strength instead of God’s?
Unforgiveness you just can’t let go of?
We Say We’re Following… But Are We Dragging the Net?
Sometimes we like the idea of following Jesus—until it costs us something.
Until He asks us to drop something familiar.
Until He invites us into the uncomfortable.
Until He calls us out of the boat and into the deep.
But you can’t follow Jesus and cling to the net.
You can’t carry your cross if your hands are already full.
Discipleship isn’t about convenience—it’s about surrender.
Jesus didn’t say, “Follow me and I’ll make your life easy.”
He said:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)
But I Don’t Feel Ready...
Let me say this plainly:
You have what it takes—because He has given it to you through the power of the Holy Spirit!
Peter didn’t have it all figured out.
He still made mistakes—big ones.
And yet Jesus called him the rock.
God doesn’t wait for you to be perfect.
He’s just asking for your, “Yes”.
He’s asking you to trust that when you drop the net, He’ll fill your hands with something far greater.
There’s Always a Choice
You’re not the rich young man in the Gospel unless you choose to be (Mark 10:17-27).
Remember him?
He wanted to follow Jesus too.
But when Jesus told him to give up what he was holding onto, he walked away sad.
Not angry. Not defiant.
Just… sad.
Because he knew what was being asked of him, and he wasn’t willing to let go.
How many of us know that sadness?
That ache of a restless heart?
That longing to be closer to God, but the refusal to let go of what weighs us down?
The Reward of Surrender
Jesus asks you to drop the net in surrender, because ultimately He wants to make an exchange.
“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now... and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30)
And Paul writes:
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
What if we lived like that was true?
Because… it is.
The Church Needs Saints, Not Spectators
We talk about the renewal of the Church.
We pray for it.
But do we realize—we just may be the ones God wants to raise up for that very same work?
In every generation, in every crisis, He calls ordinary people to do extraordinary things. I’ll say it again: In every time, in every place, the Lord raises up the right people with the right gifts to meet the needs of the time. Scripture, the history and Tradition of the Church, and the lives of the saints all demonstrate this profound truth.
But it starts with one thing: dropping the net. It starts with you.
Not perfect.
Not polished.
Just willing.
You’re Not Too Late—You’re Right on Time
So wherever you are in this Lent—
If you’ve hit a wall.
If you’ve barely started.
If you’re discouraged or tired or doubting.
Hear this again:
It’s not too late.
Drop the net.
Say yes.
Follow Him.
Not necessarily in some dramatic moment —but in the quiet, daily decisions.
In the way you love your family.
In the way you are available to those who need encouragement.
The way you fight distraction.
The way you turn your heart back to God again and again.
That’s where true greatness is found.
That’s where saints are made.
Closing Reflection
So here it is:
Jesus is still saying:
“Come, follow me.”
Right now.
Today.
The only question is—
Will you drop the net?
Closing Prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit. Inspire our thoughts. Guide our words and direct our actions. May all of these serve to build your kingdom in our hearts, in our homes, in our relationships, and in the world around us. Lord Jesus Christ, as you call us out upon the water, may the Holy Spirit fill us anew, baptize us with fresh fire, and give us the courage to keep our eyes on you in the midst of every storm. Amen.