FollowingJesus.me

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.” – John 6:66-67

Jesus was regularly teaching about God’s Kingdom, healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, eating with the downtrodden, giving respect and dignity to those who lacked it, and calling people to learn his ways and follow him. He embodied love and respect, justice and mercy, grace and truth. These were the things our world needed then and certainly what we need now. Yet, many turned their back on Jesus and walked away.

This verse moves me today. I look around me and wonder, “Where did everyone go?” It appears that many of Jesus’ disciples today have turned back and no longer follow him. Or, they try to follow him alone, but that is a topic for another day.

Back when I used to do pre-marital counseling, I thought about asking the question, “At what point will you walk away from this marriage? What will you be willing to go through as a couple and still be devoted to one another and this union?” I knew the couples I counseled would face many difficulties in their marriages – there is no shortage of trouble, crises, difficulties, trials, etc. in this life. My hope, if I asked the question, was to help the couple process some of the challenges ahead of time; to help them open their eyes just a little to the potential difficulties that lie ahead; to help the words they would say ring a little more true – “…for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health…”

Today, I ask the question of myself and you. “What will it take for you to stop following Jesus?” Or, for some, “What has happened that you aren’t following Jesus as passionately as when you first began?”

Today I hear Jesus asking, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”

What will your answer be?

Prayer:

Jesus, thank you for your mercy and your faithfulness to me. Thank you for not giving up on me and for being willing to take me back (with open arms) when I return to you.

Lord, I see many of my brothers and sisters struggling to follow you in the midst of all that is happening in our world. Help me to stand firm in you and then help me to be an encouragement to those around me. Jesus, help me to reflect your love and respect, your justice and mercy, your grace and truth. I need you, our world needs you, and the world needs me to be the person that you are still shaping me to be. Help me to stay close to you so that what people see is not me, but you. Lord, help me to decrease so that you might increase in me.