Following But Not Following
Read John 18:15-27.
Every once in a while, I see comments on Facebook or other social media that just say, "Following." The reason people do that is because they, too, are interested in the topic being discussed and want to be notified when more comments are made. They follow so that they can learn. They follow because they are interested.
In a way, that's what Peter is doing in this account as Jesus is hauled before the authorities. He's following; that's what John says in verse 15. He was in the Garden with Jesus, and now he wants to know what happens to Jesus. He wants to learn. He is interested. He doesn't want to get too close, because as a disciple, he might find himself arrested along with Jesus, but he does want to know what happens to this friend and master. He's following.
But he's not following Jesus the way Jesus intends. When Jesus issued the invitation to people to "follow me," he wanted those who followed to be all in, to join him in his cause. Peter, of course, has done that up until now, but when it gets dangerous, when it gets hard, he backs off. He follows out of interest, but not necessarily out of devotion.
There are still people today, maybe some of us even (from time to time), who follow Jesus out of interest rather than devotion. It's easy to get wrapped up in the stories or to even develop a fascination with Jesus rather than falling in love with the person of Jesus. We show up at church, go through the motions, even learn the songs and the "right answers," but we stop at the line of becoming a true follower. We keep Jesus at a distance, and we stay safe. We watch him, but we don't get in line behind him. We may not deny knowing who Jesus is, like Peter did in this chapter, but we don't want to be known as one of those "Jesus freaks."
One definition of discipleship that I particularly like is that it's walking in the dust of the rabbi. In ancient times, a disciple would walk so closely and be so near to the master that the dust being kicked up from his sandals would get all over them. That's how close we want to be to Jesus: close enough that we don't ever miss where he is going or what he's doing and close enough that the "dust" from his movement gets all over us. We want to be following so closely that we are with him, not just "near" him. We're not just interested; we're involved. Our life is bound up in his life.
Is there anything in your life that can only be accounted for because you're so close to Jesus?
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| First century steps leading to Caiaphas' house |
In a way, that's what Peter is doing in this account as Jesus is hauled before the authorities. He's following; that's what John says in verse 15. He was in the Garden with Jesus, and now he wants to know what happens to Jesus. He wants to learn. He is interested. He doesn't want to get too close, because as a disciple, he might find himself arrested along with Jesus, but he does want to know what happens to this friend and master. He's following.
But he's not following Jesus the way Jesus intends. When Jesus issued the invitation to people to "follow me," he wanted those who followed to be all in, to join him in his cause. Peter, of course, has done that up until now, but when it gets dangerous, when it gets hard, he backs off. He follows out of interest, but not necessarily out of devotion.
There are still people today, maybe some of us even (from time to time), who follow Jesus out of interest rather than devotion. It's easy to get wrapped up in the stories or to even develop a fascination with Jesus rather than falling in love with the person of Jesus. We show up at church, go through the motions, even learn the songs and the "right answers," but we stop at the line of becoming a true follower. We keep Jesus at a distance, and we stay safe. We watch him, but we don't get in line behind him. We may not deny knowing who Jesus is, like Peter did in this chapter, but we don't want to be known as one of those "Jesus freaks."
One definition of discipleship that I particularly like is that it's walking in the dust of the rabbi. In ancient times, a disciple would walk so closely and be so near to the master that the dust being kicked up from his sandals would get all over them. That's how close we want to be to Jesus: close enough that we don't ever miss where he is going or what he's doing and close enough that the "dust" from his movement gets all over us. We want to be following so closely that we are with him, not just "near" him. We're not just interested; we're involved. Our life is bound up in his life.
Is there anything in your life that can only be accounted for because you're so close to Jesus?
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