FOLLOWING JESUS



Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher renowned for his great wisdom. One day, he encountered a young man named Xenophon on a narrow path. Blocking the path with his stick, Socrates asked the man where he might find some food.  He immediately got several responses. Then Socrates asked, “And where do people become good and honorable?” With Xenophon looking perplexed, the philosopher told him: “Come follow me, and learn.” If you ever wondered why the apostles left everything they had to follow Jesus, you might find one reason in this little story.

All of us are looking for answers to life’s difficult questions. When we come across someone who might have them, we follow him (or study his books) to discover what he knows. This is why gurus are so popular. All of us are also looking for the meaning of life. Surely there has to be some purpose to it, beyond the monotony of day-to-day existence. How do we find this? This accounts for the popularity of philosophers. However, no matter how profound their ideas are or how deep their insights, there always seems to be something missing in what they teach. 

So, we continue looking, continue searching. But our quest ends once we find the author of life. After all, who knows the answers to life’s questions better than him? However, another question then arises. How do we know who the author of life is? There are, after all, many “authors.” Jesus simplifies it for us. He says, “Come and see” (John 1:39). He’s not telling us to believe in him blindly. He is inviting us to discover him. He knows that we are often doubtful, cynical people, but he also knows that we will believe when we see the evidence.

John the Baptist once sent his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one?” Jesus had just then healed many people who were sick and delivered many who were possessed. He told them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them” (see Luke 7:18-23). Eleven of the twelve apostles whom Jesus invited to follow him discovered the truth of who he was because they accepted his invitation to follow him. 

He’s inviting us to follow him today. What do you want to do?



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