Title: Following Me
Author: Christopher Harbin
Text: John 12:20-33
Following Jesus is a phrase I have heard all my life. I could not begin to tell you how often the words have been said in my presence in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and several other languages, as well. When I heard them in Korean or Tagalog, I didn't know what they meant. Then again, I have heard the words so often they have pretty much lost all their meaning. That is because I have heard the words used and claimed with no relationship whatsoever with any meaning behind them. In practical matters, the phrase is often used synonymously with being a good person, attending a particular church, not participating in a particular set of sins, or maybe ascribing to a set of beliefs. By contrast, what did Jesus mean by following him?
If I follow you to a particular destination, what matters is that I take the same route you take. If I follow a general, I will obey orders passed down through the command structure between us. If I follow football, I am watching and keeping up with game statistics regarding games, players, teams, and coaches. If I follow a conversation, I am tracking it to understand what is being said. When I was appointed to this church, I "followed" your former pastor. There are some 22 different definitions for the verb in English. Few of those are even closely related to Jesus' meaning.
When Jesus called the disciples, it was with these words, "Follow me." They understood they needed give up their crafts, trades, or jobs and become Jesus' entourage. Beyond that, they understood they were to learn from him with the aim of extending his teaching to others down the road. To follow Jesus was about learning from him, changing their ways, adopting a new way of life, and embracing a new understanding of God. It meant being part of Jesus' entourage, as well as being his advance team and those who would take up Jesus' teaching after him. Following Jesus would evolve into ever more th ...
Author: Christopher Harbin
Text: John 12:20-33
Following Jesus is a phrase I have heard all my life. I could not begin to tell you how often the words have been said in my presence in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and several other languages, as well. When I heard them in Korean or Tagalog, I didn't know what they meant. Then again, I have heard the words so often they have pretty much lost all their meaning. That is because I have heard the words used and claimed with no relationship whatsoever with any meaning behind them. In practical matters, the phrase is often used synonymously with being a good person, attending a particular church, not participating in a particular set of sins, or maybe ascribing to a set of beliefs. By contrast, what did Jesus mean by following him?
If I follow you to a particular destination, what matters is that I take the same route you take. If I follow a general, I will obey orders passed down through the command structure between us. If I follow football, I am watching and keeping up with game statistics regarding games, players, teams, and coaches. If I follow a conversation, I am tracking it to understand what is being said. When I was appointed to this church, I "followed" your former pastor. There are some 22 different definitions for the verb in English. Few of those are even closely related to Jesus' meaning.
When Jesus called the disciples, it was with these words, "Follow me." They understood they needed give up their crafts, trades, or jobs and become Jesus' entourage. Beyond that, they understood they were to learn from him with the aim of extending his teaching to others down the road. To follow Jesus was about learning from him, changing their ways, adopting a new way of life, and embracing a new understanding of God. It meant being part of Jesus' entourage, as well as being his advance team and those who would take up Jesus' teaching after him. Following Jesus would evolve into ever more th ...
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