"Follow me"
A quick search reveals that Jesus uses the phrase 20 times in the gospels. This was Jesus' call to Peter and Andrew the fishermen, to Philip, and also the call to Matthew the tax collector. The same call to the rich young ruler proved ineffectual because the wealthy lad could not give up what he valued, "Sell all that you have and follow me." Follow me--so simple, yet so difficult for those endowed with much of anything.
Perhaps the greatest quality of any true spiritual leader is this one quality: being a follower. Not a follower of a specific church leader or of a certain philosophy of life. Not a follower of a particular religion. Not a follower of a rule of life, a specific group of teachings, or a series of principles. The call is a call from a Man to follow Him. "Follow me."
Simple, yes? Yet so difficult. Jesus knew that His way was the way of a cross. Thus our invitation to follow is paired with cross-bearing. "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." The simple follow me is inseparably linked with take up your cross.
This, then, is the way of the Kingdom. All Kingdom leaders are expert followers. The greatest is the servant of all. Jesus turns on its head every worldly paradigm and shatters every humanly normal way of looking at things. The paradox is shockingly fresh and beautiful.
Do I want to be a follower of Jesus? Yes! Of course I do! Yet sometimes--No, no thank you! There is no greater calling and no greater joy than to be following Him. Yet sometimes still I want to be like the rich young ruler and cling to the prestige and security which I have inherited or can build in my own strength. But one cannot truly follow Him and avoid the way of the cross.
Thanks be to God for His gift of grace and promise to complete the work He has begun. Help us, Lord to be faithful in following You. Plant in our hearts a desire to follow You that is stronger than our desire to lead others. Amen.
3 comments:
A well illustrated point. I wonder sometimes if "followership" is one of the more difficult principles in scripture for us because of the individualistic culture we live in. We want to be independent and free from relying on anyone. When Christ says to follow him, he pairs it with denying the self. Yet, in a society that values the "Self-Made Man", it is a difficult concept to wrap our minds around.
It becomes even more complicated when the Gospel message is paired with a "clean up your behavior" kind of lesson from the pulpit or ministers. I'm grateful to know that Faith is a gift from the Lord, and that He empowers me to repent and follow him.
Being a follower so often is seen synonymous as being weak. Well; I guess it is weak. Paul said that "when I am weak, then I am strong". Perhaps the common thorn in every westerner's side is our self-reliance and aversion to following at the forbearance of the "self-made man" image. And when I turn aside for the love of self, there is plenty of Scripture that reminds me of His love and unending restoration.
Someone once told me that maturity isn't a mastery over sin, but how quickly we recognize our sin and repent of it. In essence, the mature believer knows his tendencies to stray from his Leader, and hastens to return and follow again.
Thanks Matt for stirring my heart and mind in following the Lord!
Matt,
Good insights on the essence of true leadership--one who leads by example that comes from a life lived in the Spirit, a learner that constantly strives to apply more of the Word in everyday life.
Something else I realized about this phrase, "follow me". This invitation/command is both the first and the last recorded words of Jesus to Peter, the preeminent Apostle. Interesting, eh? (See Matt 4:18, John 21:22).
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