Follow

Who doesn’t ‘follow’ people? Through social media, we follow our family and friends. And perhaps you not only follow the posts they share, but also those of athletes, singers, and other celebrities. Some media even display the number of ‘followers’. There are people with thousands or even millions of followers…

FOLLOW ME

In the Bible, the book of God, we also read about Someone who has many followers. Who is He? And why do people follow Him? His name is Jesus, the Son of God.

His coming had already been foretold by many. For example, by John the Baptist, who also had many followers. John called people to change their lives, to turn back to God. He also told people about Jesus, who would come to save people—that is, to make them perfectly happy. John prepared the way for Jesus. And at the moment when Jesus begins His public ministry, John exclaims: ‘Look, there He is! He has come to seek and to save the lost. Turn around and follow Him!’

It seems that no one is going to follow Jesus. Yet John keeps calling: ‘Look, there He is. He is the Savior, sent by God!’ John does not care about having as many followers as possible himself; he wants people to follow Jesus. And then it happens… we see the first two followers of Jesus. They join Him and want to know everything about Him. Jesus reveals Himself to people. He tells who He is and why He has come. You can read about this in the Bible.

WHO DO YOU FOLLOW?

Jesus seeks out people everywhere. In the Bible, for example, we read about Levi, a tax collector. Today we would say: a tax official working for the occupier. Levi lives in a beautiful house and has a lot of money. Money is the most important thing to him, and corruption is not unfamiliar to him. By asking people for more money than they are required to pay, he enriches himself and thinks he will become happier. Until Jesus passes by. Jesus sees Levi sitting there, stops, and says: ‘Follow Me!’ (Matthew 9:9)

From that moment on, Levi’s life changes completely. He cannot and does not want to do anything else but follow Jesus. Money is no longer the most important thing to him. No, he becomes a follower of Jesus. Levi comes to realize that he was only focused on himself. That is an empty and poor life. The Bible calls that a sinful, aimless life. But now everything changes. Jesus has come to deliver him from this empty, sinful life and to give him a life with real value. A life with God, through faith in Jesus Christ.

LETTING GO

For Levi, following Jesus meant letting go of what he previously considered most important: his money. It meant that he would no longer follow his own wrong desires, but instead would do what Jesus asked of him. The Bible says: I am the light of the world; whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12). That means: ‘Leave behind the things that cannot stand the light, a life in which the “I” is central. And turn to Me, the Light of the world.’ That brings true joy and, ultimately, perfect happiness.