When you study the Gospel account, and you follow the 3 ½ years our Lord taught on this earth, there is an expression that He commonly used when talking with someone.
In fact some variation of this expression is used by Jesus around two dozen times, and that’s just just two dozen RECORDED times. That doesn’t include all the times He may have said it and it NOT be recorded in Scripture.
The Lord would be talking with someone, whether it be a long extended conversation or just a few quick words and frequently it would end with Him looking carefully at the individual and saying “now come follow Me…” or “and come follow…” or just “follow Me…”
Talk is good, and we can stay here and talk longer, but at the end of the day a man has to do something. A person has to put his thoughts into actions, and so Jesus would say: follow Me
Jesus met Phillip and he ended the conversation with a personal invitation: “Now Phillip…come follow Me” (John 1:43). When He met Peter and Andrew He said to them “follow Me…and I’ll make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
When He was met by the rich young ruler, he told the young man that he loved his possessions to much. He said that he should cast them aside and “…come follow me” (Mark 10:21).
Today, 2000+ years since He walked this earth, He is still looking for followers. He is still inviting, He is still saying to all who will hear “come follow Me…”
But let’s ask the question: what does that mean to “follow Jesus?” What must I do, in order to be following Jesus?
To answer that question let’s consider three chapters in succession from John.
From chapters 13-15 we’re going to pull one point out of each of these chapters, in order to answer the question “what does it mean, to follow Jesus.”
What does it mean?
IT MEANS TO LOVE LIKE JESUS
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.John 13:34-35
Now the command to “love” is not a new command; it was given in the Law of Moses for one. But the newness of this command is in the caveat. “love…AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.”
It’s a kind of love that is so unique that people will be able to instantly identify discipleship in the one who loves like this.
What is this special kind of love? Immediately after this statement, Peter says “Lord, where are you going?” (v36). Peter hears the Lord speak and He sounds like a man approaching his end. He’s even talking about Himself in the past tense.
So Peter asks “You’re about to leave…but, where are you going?” He wants to know, because he can’t bear the thought of being away from this Person.
That’s love. But that the kind of love is nothing new.
Jesus said “where I’m going you cant follow Me…but you will follow Me…later.” And that’s when Peter declares his willingness to go and die for Jesus (John 13:37).
Without realizing it, Peter stumbled upon the new kind of love Jesus was describing. He wants more than affection. He wants more than sentimentalism: Jesus wants service. Jesus wants submission. Jesus doesn’t just want your heart, He wants your life!
Remember Jesus’ words:
…Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 8:34
Where is He going? He’s going to Calvary…He’s going to the cross…He’s going to die. And on His way to His death, He’s carrying on His back the means by which He will die.
And He says to me “you want to follow Me? Then follow me…take up YOUR cross and follow Me to YOUR death…”
It upsets me when I hear someone advocating for the religion of Islam say that it is the same as Christianity because both religions teach a willingness to die for the faith.
The difference is I’m not trying to take anyone out with me. I’m not trying to kill as many people as I can, on my way out the door.
My dying is the ultimate act of selfless sacrifice for the one Who died first for me. My dying isn’t about me or you, it’s about Him. And if He says follow Him then follow Him I will, even if that means my death.
Why? Because I love like He loved, with a sacrifical love. I love with the love that is willing to cast aside everything for Him, up to and including my life. Because following Jesus means loving like Jesus.
What does following Jesus mean?
IT MEANS TO REST WITH JESUS
You know, something that continues to amaze me about Christ, when reading the Gospel accounts, is His constant compassion. If I had the ability of Christ – to look into the heart of a person, and know their actions before they commit them — and if I could, as Jesus does with Peter, know that a very good friend of mine was going to betray me, I might have a hard time being polite to that person.
Even though he hasn’t done anything yet, if I knew he would, I would probably give him the cold shoulder in advance. But not Jesus. Jesus looks into Peter’s heart, sees his future and tells him that he will betray Him. He tells the Apostle that he will deny Him three times.
And you know, if you’re Peter, whether you want to believe that or not, it has to be a bit unsettling to hear that. And Jesus says it because He KNOWS it’s going to happen (John 13:38).
And yet, the very next word out of His mouth is “let not YOUR heart be troubled” (John 14:1).
“Peter, you’re going to deny me, deny me, deny me…But Peter…it’s going to be okay…”
How can He say that?! Because Jesus knows that Peter will repent and follow Him again.
What comfort can Jesus give that will bring comfort to Peter, and to everyone there who hears (once more) that their Master is leaving them?
He can say “follow Me.”
It’ll be hard, it’ll be sad. You’re going to be tempted to give up and you will mess up before it’s all over. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, point your nose toward heaven and just follow Him. Because He is heading to a perfect place of rest:
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:1-3
“Let not your heart be troubled” He says. Do not be so unsettled; Do not be so anxious. It’s going to be okay.
Why?
Follow Me.
To where?
My Fathers house.
That knowledge, that promise by God is what keeps us warm in cold nights. It’s what keeps us going through hard days. It’s what calms usdown whenever we become consumed with all the doubts, worries and fears that this world throws at us.
I rest with Jesus. I can’t do that if I’m not following Jesus. Because if I’m not following Him, He wont be coming back for me. But if I follow Jesus, I can go home with Him.
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
IT MEANS TO ABIDE IN JESUS
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.John 15:4-6
How can I say I’m following Jesus if I’m not acting like Jesus, talking like Jesus or living like Jesus? I have to abide in Jesus.
Abide: It’s the same word used to describe God’s presence in the Temple. In the Old Testament the people would set up camp and construct the Tabernacle and when it was finished the glory and presence of God would radiate inside, indicating that God was ABIDING there.
Later when they built the temple in Jerusalem…
Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.1 Kings 8:12-13
Today we enjoy both “abiding” blessings. Our bodies are the temple in which God dwells, and Christ is the temple (His body) in which we are to dwell.
Look at Jesus’ metaphor in John 15: A branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine. In other words, the entire purpose of the branch IS to bear fruit, but it can’t if it’s not in the right spot.
We Christians are supposed to be profitable for God, to bear fruit for God. But we can’t if we don’t abide in Him. If we abide in Him now, then we can abide with Him in eternity.
Look at the contrast: He came the first time to abide with us for 33 years; He’s coming back so that we may abide with Him for all of forever.
Are you a follower of Jesus? If you’re not He says to you: “Come follow Me.” What does that mean?
It means loving like Jesus.
It means resting with Jesus.
It means abiding in Jesus.
But first you must be born into Jesus…
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:27
Are you following Him?
Think about it,
have a great day!
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