Why should we follow You?

He wasn’t a newcomer to the area. In fact, people knew that he came from a town with a dubious reputation. People were sure, nothing good could ever come from there. He was simply known as the son of the local carpenter. The townspeople had seen him work in his father’s shop many times.

But at least one guy with a rather strange reputation, living the life of a hermit, surviving on a diet of wild honey and grasshoppers, seemed to know that there was more to him than met the eye. He didn’t mind telling others how special this carpenter’s son was. He was so different, he might as well have been from another “time zone.” Even though it meant he would lose most of his followers, he pointed to the carpenters’ son as the one people should now follow.

The guy pointing to this special person was John, who used to dunk people in the Jordan River as a sign of their cleansing from sin and guilt. He said that the one coming after him, Jesus, would not immerse people with water but with God’s Spirit. Strange talk for most people trying to make sense of it all. Soon though, they would understand.

Jesus, the one John pointed to, began to call on people to change their thinking and to recognize that something new and powerful was available and within grasping distance—the Kingdom of God. He began to call people to follow him. These weren’t people who had nothing else to do, no, they came from a variety of backgrounds. To follow Jesus meant they had to leave their businesses, their homes, and even their families.

So, why did they follow him on the spot?

Can you imagine walking out on everything you have ever known and held near and dear? Walking away from a profitable business, a cozy home, and a comfortable lifestyle? Would I have done it, or would I have had excuses and asked for some time to think about it? One disciple put it this way: “Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

Maybe we need to think more in terms of what we gain by following Jesus than by what we might lose! After all, He who calls us to follow him says that:

whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for his sake will find it.

Jesus Christ