“FOLLOW ME”
Yesterday, we closed by asking the question “What is my North Star?”
Most of us want the answer to be Jesus. And some days, it is. But all too often, we get distracted. Our world specializes in shiny trinkets that cause our hearts to drift from what matters most.
My journey following Jesus has been a series of ups and downs. In some seasons, God has seemed so close that there is nothing I want to do but spend time with him.
Our world specializes in shiny trinkets that cause our hearts to drift from what matters most.
Other times, my pursuit of Jesus has been derailed. I battled an addiction to pornography throughout my early twenties. Today, I must fight business and distraction to focus on God.
If it was easy to make Jesus our North Star, everyone would do it.
So how do we begin? How do we bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be?
FOLLOW ME
I take comfort knowing that Jesus’ original followers weren’t spiritual superstars. Scripture describes them as unschooled, ordinary men. (Acts 4:13 NIV) They were tax collectors, activists, fishermen.
Jesus could have asked the influencers of his day to be in his entourage.
When Jesus invited his disciples to follow him, he knew they weren’t celebrities. We read in Mark’s gospel that one day, passing along the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18)
Jesus could have asked the influencers of his day to be in his entourage. Instead, he invited ordinary men and women. Over three years, he changed their lives. After that, they changed the world.
WHAT DID JESUS MEAN?
If we want Jesus to be our North Star, we must understand what he meant when he said, “Follow me.“
Today, “to follow” means to add someone on a social media platform. We follow friends, comedians, or influences who inspire us with workout videos, and inspirational quotes.
We follow friends, comedians, or influences who inspire us with workout videos, and inspirational quotes.
This was not what Jesus had in mind.
When he said, “Follow me,” he was making a significant request. He wanted to be more than just one of the many voices they listened to.
THE FIRST CENTURY JEWISH HISTORY LESSON YOU NEVER ASKED FOR
Jesus of Nazareth was a “rabbi”, a teacher of the Hebrew Scriptures (aka the Old Testament). First Century Jewish Rabbis would travel from town to town teaching in local synagogues. Their apprentices, known as disciples, would follow them.
The disciples devoted their lives to three goals: Being with their rabbi, becoming like their rabbi, and doing what their rabbi did.
How would the rabbi invite their disciples? You guessed it. He said, “Follow me.”
The disciples spent every waking hour following their mentor so that they could become his duplicate. A common Jewish blessing at the time was, “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.”
How would the rabbi invite their disciples? You guessed it. He said, “Follow me.” (By the way, I stole, I mean borrowed, every idea from the previous three paragraphs from the sermon “Practicing The Way” by John Mark Comer)
When Jesus said “Follow me,” he was inviting his disciples on a journey, and into a new way of life.
FOLLOW ME: A NEW WAY OF LIFE
Jesus was not asking Simon and Andrew to casually consider his perspective among many others. He wanted to change everything. What happened next proves this point:
Immediately, they left their nets, and followed him. (Mark 1:18 ESV)
This is significant. Fishing was not a hobby for the brothers. It was a way of life, the family business, their only source of income. Today’s equivalent would be, “They left the office at 2:17 PM with Excel still open and never came back.”
Jesus does not want to be a neat accessory to our already awesome lives.
I’m not advocating that we quit our jobs. But Jesus does not want to be a neat accessory to our already awesome lives. He invites us into a new way of living.
Like the first disciples, our goal is to live life with Jesus and be transformed by Him. Our thoughts, words, relationships, and credit card statements will look different as we follow Jesus.
FOLLOW ME: A JOURNEY
After Simon and Andrew left their nets, they followed Jesus. No, really. They literally took a three-year walk with Jesus. When he traveled through Jericho, so did they. When he ate at the house of a tax collector, so did they. When he crossed the Sea of Galilee, it was in their boat.
Like any journey worth taking, they were changed in the process. A few years after meeting Jesus, his twelve disciples were credited with turning the world upside down. (see Acts 17:6)
May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.
Today, Jesus invites us on the same journey. He doesn’t need us to be spiritual superstars. But he is asking for our attention.
Over the next 28 days, we will take small steps on the journey of following Jesus. Practicing what we learn will take our entire lives.
But there is no greater journey, because there is no greater treasure. When Jesus is our North Star, he will teach us how to be fully human, the way God created us to be. He will empower us to live our divine destiny, designed for us before he made the universe.
Happy following. May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.
NEXT STEPS
- 1: Read Mark 1:16-20. Write down one thing that you learned.
- 2: The first disciples left their nets to follow Jesus. Have you ever had to lay something down to follow Jesus? (This could be in the past, a current situation, a hobby, relationship, thought pattern, etc).
- 3: Text one friend one thing that God showed you today.
Tomorrow: Week 1, Day 3 – “One Thing (Genie God)”