What was the motivation?

[Ramesh Deosarran]

What was the motivation?

Life has two roads. It is also called a stage. Regardless of what you call it, there are two destinies – heaven and hell. We determine our destiny here on earth. Grace enables us to make the right decision.

God has been calling man since creation. Very early in Jesus’ ministry He called some to be disciples.

Question – What motivated the disciples to follow Jesus?

The disciples did not seem to have known Him enough. Also, there was no relationship between them.

[Paul Whitaker]

I am anxious to hear what the participants of NazNet will have to say.

I am not a theolog so will enjoy reading!

[Ed Laubster]

Question – What motivated the disciples to follow Jesus?


The same thing that motivates us all to follow Jesus: Him.


Now, the reasons behind that motivation are going to be different for each one of them (and us,) but that's it.

Some were likely curious about Him, some likely felt compelled by God to follow Him, some may have just been tired of the way things were and wanted a change, and some may have wanted to follow Jesus instead of going home to take a bath. Other may have a more in depth look at it, but ultimately, Jesus being Jesus is what motivated them to follow.

[Randy Dillon]

What was the motivation? God has been calling man since creation. Very early in Jesus’ ministry He called some to be disciples. Question – What motivated the disciples to follow Jesus? The disciples did not seem to have known Him enough. Also, there was no relationship between them.

Hi Ramesh, it is as you've stated it: "God has been calling man since creation." Hence, a preparatory grace had to be already at work in these respondents, and the sequence that followed His successful episode over the devil in the wilderness climaxes with The Spirit empowering His preaching to articulate that 'wooing light' out from darkness - "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." So my answer would be:

1. Preparation - grace that goes before salvation... "The people that sat in darkness Saw a great light, And to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, To them did light spring up."

2. Penetration - grace to effect change through the preaching of the word... "From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. "

3. Purpose - "I will make you fishers of men" Matthew 4:16-22

As Jesus went on to reveal this truth, we see the binding of the strong man in the wilderness, and the captives being set free in Galilee. Matthew 12:29 - Randy

[Randy Wise]

What was the motivation?

Life has two roads. It is also called a stage. Regardless of what you call it, there are two destinies – heaven and hell. We determine our destiny here on earth. Grace enables us to make the right decision.

God has been calling man since creation. Very early in Jesus’ ministry He called some to be disciples.

Question – What motivated the disciples to follow Jesus?

The disciples did not seem to have known Him enough. Also, there was no relationship between them.

Love for God - They knew the God of Israel and believed Jesus was the Christ
Randy

[Billy Cox]

Love for God - They knew the God of Israel and believed Jesus was the Christ
Randy

I can buy the idea that the disciples recognized that Jesus was no ordinary man. Maybe they thought he could be the Messiah. But we must also remember that the disciples had no idea what the Messiah was sent to do and they were constantly fighting to see who would be number one in Jesus' political kingdom.

Minutes before the ascension, Jesus' disciples were still asking Jesus if he was ready to restore the kingdom to Israel.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Question – What motivated the disciples to follow Jesus?

As a pastor ministering in today's American culture, it's been a comfort to me to read the passages where people decided not to follow Jesus. While rejection is obviously not my goal, it gives me a little bit of comfort to know that people rejected the message of Christ even when Christ himself delivered it to their face.

[Randy Wise]

I can buy the idea that the disciples recognized that Jesus was no ordinary man. Maybe they thought he could be the Messiah. But we must also remember that the disciples had no idea what the Messiah was sent to do and they were constantly fighting to see who would be number one in Jesus' political kingdom.

Minutes before the ascension, Jesus' disciples were still asking Jesus if he was ready to restore the kingdom to Israel.

So? How does that take away from what I wrote. Peter did state Jesus was the Son of God.

Randy

[Martijn van Beveren]

I can buy the idea that the disciples recognized that Jesus was no ordinary man. Maybe they thought he could be the Messiah.

Well, since we have the "completed"(?) written part of Jesus time on earth, it's quite easy to convince someone today that this was a good (everybody can agree on this one off course) guy. But in those days it was different matter.
My guess:
It was also in a time where there were several people who sort of claimed messiahhood. The major difference; Jesus character and the message He brings (different kind of kingdom). So, when they met Him face to face they might have known already a little him because of some stories going round town. I wonder if the conversation between Jesus and his disciples is as short as we read it in the Bible. I mean, they didn't wrote it in their daily diary. This was written years after, so probably they still remember parts and the essence of the occurence but not word by word.


But we must also remember that the disciples had no idea what the Messiah was sent to do and they were constantly fighting to see who would be number one in Jesus' political kingdom.
Minutes before the ascension, Jesus' disciples were still asking Jesus if he was ready to restore the kingdom to Israel.

Yeh, they still didn't really have a clue what was going on, and what (and probably when) that kingdom would be. Everytime they ask, they get an unexpected answer which probably was over their heads (still simple fisherman :basic02).

[Jamie Wayne]

Though I don't think that Jesus' immediate disciples always fully understood who Jesus was or what Jesus was doing - in fact, it's clear that often they had no clue, it seems that part of the answer to this question is that they found themselves, as fiercely monotheistic Jews, being incapable of thinking of God without including the man Jesus in their very definition of the word, and they found themselves incapable of thinking of the man Jesus without His being part of the meaning of God.


In short, they could not deny that Truth had broken bread with them, that Life itself had taken on flesh, and that the Way was not a path, but a person.

Thinking about the Gospel of St. John, and how polemical it is, I think that it took many of the disciples years before they could articulate who Jesus was and what He did...and, even then, Trinitarian and Christological debates loomed not to far on the horizon.

Regardless, the link between Jesus and God, God and Jesus, so to speak, was something that they simply could not deny - whether they were capable of articulating an understanding of that or not.

[Billy Cox]

So? How does that take away from what I wrote. Peter did state Jesus was the Son of God.

Randy

It doesn't contradict what you said, but clarifies that the disciples did not have the purest motives in following Jesus.

[Mark Woodward]

Maybe they were just tired of fishing?

[Dennis Bratcher]

What was the motivation?

Life has two roads. It is also called a stage. Regardless of what you call it, there are two destinies – heaven and hell. We determine our destiny here on earth. Grace enables us to make the right decision.

God has been calling man since creation. Very early in Jesus’ ministry He called some to be disciples.

Question – What motivated the disciples to follow Jesus?

The disciples did not seem to have known Him enough. Also, there was no relationship between them.


We can no more discern the disciples’ motivation for following Jesus than we can determine the motives of why people do things all around us today. We look at appearances and circumstances; it is only God who can look into the heart (1 Sam 16:7). Scripture tells us of the disciples’ doubts, their insecurity, their lack of faith and understanding, and their failures, but never tells us their motives. Scripture does tell us that they were a mixed lot of people with different backgrounds and different concerns. That most likely means that they had different motives. And, as with most people today, psychologists tell us that there are rarely pure motives even for the most altruistic actions. So to try to guess motives is an exercise in futility.

Scripture also tells us what some of them accomplished as they followed Jesus, amid all their struggles and failures. Perhaps that is really what Scripture wants us to hear. Our questions beyond that will go unanswered.

Grace and Peace,

Dennis B.