Follow

Sunday, I will speak about what it means to follow Jesus. "Follow" is the third of the three words we have considered in the past few weeks. "Follow" is not a word that focuses on the moment. It is an open door to the future. In the context of Mark's purpose of introducing us to the Gospel, it is attached to a person. For Jesus, "follow" belongs with "me". But what does it mean to "follow" today. For the disciples that lived in the first century, it meant leaving their old lives behind. It meant that they were no longer fisherman by trade, they were apprentices to this radical teacher, the Savior. For us, we follow Jesus, yet for the most part we continue our vocations. We teach, we work in banks, in service industries, we do sales, marketing...yet we follow Jesus. What does it mean? That is a question that I intend to explore this week. I begin with the realization that we become like the one we follow. The effects are much more significant that changing vocations. Our transformation surfaces on the outside, but it begins on the inside. Following Jesus should affect the heart, the mind and the will. A sincere reading of the Gospels reveals that it was easier for the disciples to change jobs than it was to be transformed on the inside.