Peter, Andrew, James & John leave their jobs and their families to follow Jesus. The crowd also follows Jesus, but in a far less costly way. What’s the difference? Disciples give Jesus their whole selves. While they make many mistakes, they are willing to follow in a way that is costly. The crowd, on the other hand, are dabblers. They will follow Jesus to get something from him. They will only follow as long as it doesn’t cost them anything. Jesus has compassion for the dabblers, but the blessings he gives them are temporary.
It’s only when people give themselves to Jesus that he can bless them with eternal treasures that are infinitely more precious. So when Jesus calls me to follow him, I have to decide whether I’m willing to be a disciple or only a dabbler.
