Why should I?
How?
This Lord’s Day, I want to look at that command: Follow me. Just that. I want to see what it means, I want to see why I should do it, and I want to know how. People have done some corny things with it and some foolish things and some cruel things. I want to know how really to do it.
Follow—it’s a very important word in the Gospels, all four of them. It happens every possible way. Jesus invites people to follow him, or orders them to. People accept the invitation. Other people ignore the command. Other people come up to Jesus wanting to follow them. He accepts or rejects them.
I know you’ve heard this all your life and you assume you know what it means. But don’t assume with Scripture. Assume you’re ignorant. I always assume whenever I approach Scripture that I have never really understood it before, or even that I’ve never seen it before. And now at last I shall discover the truth about it. And the strange thing is that’s exactly what seems to happen.
So let’s do. Lets take it seriously. And let’s look at that phrase Follow me for the first time. If I never had heard it before I’d want to know two things. Why should I follow this person: where is he going? And how am I supposed to do it?
Many people imagine it simply means “be nice to others” or something of that nature. Be a good person, don’t lie, don’t hurt anybody, don’t steal. All that is good. Of course. But I don’t think it’s what Jesus meant when he said Follow me. Why not? Well, what does Jesus say when people ask him about being good? This: “you don’t need me to tell you that. You have the Law.” So following Jesus cannot mean being good—because you’re supposed to do that even if you don’t follow Jesus. That’s not an opinion that’s a religious fact.
Then again, many Christian people seem to think Follow me means trust me, I’m your salvation, follow me into belief or into a church. Now those are good things too, and those are healthy holy things to do. But now think about those first disciples. John and Andrew, Nathanael and Peter. Somehow I can’t imagine it. I can’t imagine that if I asked Peter why did you follow Christ, Peter would say “because he can save me.” Or “because I want to belong to a church he’s founding , maybe even get to be the leader of it.” It just does not ring true. I don’t think that’s why James and John left Zebedee behind with their nets that day.
So first, why SHOULD we follow Christ?
Well, why do we usually take someone up on that invitation: “follow me”? Just in ordinary life, everyday experience.
1. When we don’t know where we’re going and someone else does. IOW someone else can provide us with a goal—then we willingly follow him or her.
St Bede tells the wonderful story of King Edwin of Northumbria. Edwin was a wise and a just king. So, when Christians first came to him with the faith, he summoned a counsel and let both sides—his pagan priests and the visiting Christians—state their case. The pagans said whatever they said. They did their best. Then the Christians presented the Good News—this was the way to the kingdom of God. And the chief pagan priest was also a very honorable and honest man. And he said, this is better than what we have to offer. Think of it this way: a moment ago, a sparrow flew into this hall, he’s in the light of the fire and the warmth of the fire for a moment. But then he flies out the window once again. And we don’t know where he came from or where he’s going. We are like the sparrow. Here we are in the hall of life but we don’t know where we came from or where we’re going. Now someone has come to us telling us at least here’s where you may go: the Kingdom of God. And he proceeded to tear down his own idols and help set up a Church.
Most people have goals. Or motivations. Reasons for doing things, plans they want to achieve. Some are good some not, some cheap and some are noble. But they all fall short of the kingdom of God. They just aren’t that good. Jesus says Follow me—I know where I’m going and there’s nowhere that’s better. The Kingdom of God. Follow me, that’s where I’m headed. Nothing is better than that. The kingdom of God: as Origen says, that’s even better than Paradise. Better than the Garden of Eden. Follow me. I have a better place to go.
2. When we do know where we’re going but don’t know the best way to get there but someone else does. In other words, when someone else either knows the way better, or knows a better way.
Strange land or city. A map is a very good thing to have. But a guide is even better.
May be our best answer to the crucial Christian dilemma—what about the majority of humankind who have never heard of Christ? Maybe they are headed for the truth too, but our leader knows the safest and boldest route.
So Christ says Follow me. And if I have to walk to Calvary and through the valley of the shadow of death to get there, trust me. Follow me. I know the way.
3. When we know how to get there and where were going but would like good companionship along the way.
Samuel Beckett Company—shadow Christian’s Christian drama. That word company means “one who breaks bread with me.” A fundamental Christian idea.
It’s part of what it means for Christ to be incarnate. That doesn’t just refer to being rapped in this same stuff as we are. Flesh in the NT is a much bigger word than that. It means sharing our lives, our fears and frustrations, our hurts and temptations.
And there is a very happy paradox about companionship. It’s the one thing that, when you offer it, you also receive it. If I offer you my wallet I must be willing to part with it. If you offer me your word there’s no reason for you to give me yours. And of course, if someone offers love, there’s no guarantee that person will be loved in return. Millions have learned to their utter dismay.
But if I give you companionship, I also get that. Immediately. Inevitably. And the glory of this one is this: perhaps Christ feels the same way. Perhaps since he was a human being he too wanted some company—and that’s part of the reason he said “follow me” to the first disciples and now to us 21st century disciples.
Follow me. I am the way. And as my Father once said it is not good for a man to be alone.
So how do we do it? I mean, how, in concrete terms, do we follow Christ?
St Basil gives us a good starting point. He says this: when Jesus says Follow me, in our case this means “follow in my footsteps.” Not just walk in my direction, not even walk the same path. Trace my steps. You know what that means, to follow in someone’s footsteps. Not just learn from that person but do as that person does, think as that person thinks, look like that person.
Follow me—be like him. Be Christlike. Again, most have got this wrong. Christlike means above it all, a little soft, a little naive, a willing victim.
No, it’s harder than that. And also much much better.
Last week Bishop St John led us beautifully through a meditation on what it means to be called—and the centerpiece of what he said was that being called is something we all share. Jesus says Follow me not just to Andrew St John. Nor to Simon James and John. Not just to the other eight. Not just to priests and deacons or monks and nuns or missionaries and martyrs. Or seminarians and acolytes. He says it to everyone within earshot and that means you and that means me.
Follow Jesus: your Church spells it out exactly. And in exactly eleven weeks we will swear to it. It’s one of my favorite parts of the Book of Common Prayer, it’s one of the most practical. And it’s also one of the oldest things in the Prayer Book, almost as old as Scripture itself.
Our Baptismal vows. First we swear by the Creed—what we believe. Then we say what we are going to do about it. How we are going to follow Christ.
Continue in the Apostolic teaching and fellowship the prayers and the breaking of the bread—that’s following Christ. Jesus did those things conspicuously. We’re in the middle of fulfilling that vow right now.
Persevere in resisting evil. That’s following Christ. He did that at the very outset of his ministry—the first thing he did, all the Gospels agree. He resisted evil in the most conspicuous way. Follow him means doing it too. Not just in general. Evil doesn’t tempt us in general. So it probably means saying tomorrow, when you’re tempted to do something evil and small—some tiny lie, some tiny hurt, some tiny theft--well, that’s evil, and I want to resist it, so, help me God.
Proclaim by word and example the Good News. That’s following Christ. He did that and practically nothing but that for three solid years. It was as I said a few weeks ago practically his job. And he asked us to do it too. It’s what he meant when he said in his most famous sermon, you are the “salt of the world.” It doesn’t mean you’re a down to earth person, it means God wants to use you like salt to give this world its flavor its tang, brings out the best, keeps it fresh. You do that by proclaiming that Good News.
Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving my neighbor as myself. That’s following Christ. Well of course if Jesus loved his neighbor as himself he sought Christ in that person. You follow his lead. The next time someone offends you—that means, sometime in the next twenty four hours, I would say—remember this vow. Say to yourself three things: this is my brother/sister. This is the image of God. This is Christ. Then see how you feel.
Strive for justice and peace among all and respect the dignity of every human being. That’s following Christ. This is possibly the most difficult of the Baptism vows. Because it involves minding someone else’s business. As when, for example, Jesus stepped in when the crowd was very legally about to kill an adulterous woman. As when, for example, Jesus flew into righteous rage at what he saw in the Temple precincts and bodily tossed out the moneychangers and the sellers of pigeons.
Follow me, says Jesus. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a command, an invitation, and a promise.
But it’s no empty command. There are 3 good reasons to follow him: the same reasons we’d follow anybody.
He offers us a goal, a direction, and a friend along the way.
And if you accept, you will very soon discover one more startling thing. Many people think that the idea is this: we follow Christ I thie life, and we reach the Kingdom in the next. Well, it is true that we believe in the Resurrection—we are going to say so in just a minute.
But that’s not what reaching the kingdom means. What happens to just about anyone who walks in those footsteps is this: as you walk that path, walk his way, headed for the Kingdom, one day you look around you and it dawns on you: you’re already there.
