January 26, 2023
The Car in the Rearview Mirror
“The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” John 1:43-45 (NASB)
Have you ever taken a trip by car? Once you got on the interstate highway, you notice the same car following you? Then, a few minutes later, the car or truck following you turns off on an exit. He wasn’t really following you. It just seemed that way. His travels brought the two of you in the same direction, temporarily. There are other trips where you have been on the same interstate for hours, and the same car or truck is following you for hours at a time? When you arrive at your exit, the car or truck following you keeps straight ahead. They might be following you, but their destination is not yours. The same is true of those who claim to follow Christ.
This is difference of what Jesus meant when He spoke to John, Andrew, Simon, and now Phillip, and Nathanael. When Jesus originally said to both John and Andrew, “What do you seek?” in verse 37, He received an answer from them of, “Where are you staying?” Where is your house, Rabbi? They obviously wanted to follow Him, but misunderstood Jesus’ intention. His claim to their life was one they didn’t clearly understand at the time. The word, “follow” according to Vincent is, “Also with the meaning of cleaving steadfastly to one and conforming to his example.”[1] This “following” becomes a conforming to Jesus’ teachings. It can only be activated by the power of God. “But when the secret grace of God quickens it, all the senses must be affected in such a manner that men will be prepared to follow wherever God calls them. We ought, therefore, to pray to Christ that he may display in us the same power of the Gospel.”[2]
Jesus didn’t want followers in the sense of those who would just see where He lived. They weren’t supposed to be following Him in the sense of the same direction on a compass like the cars and trucks behind me. This was a cleaving to a new behavior of life. The true nature of Christianity is following Jesus and devoting ourselves to Him. We must tread in His footsteps. When we follow Him, we will find that our roads traveled with Him will be ones that will change our lives forever. Our former lives will be ones that call others to the same following we have joined. Our footsteps will mirror the steps of our Savior.
Today, will you take the time to ask God to examine your heart and see if you are a true follower of Jesus Christ. Maybe you have just wanted to go in the same direction with your life as Jesus in the past being a just or moral person. Today, ask Him to show you how to activate this new behavior in your life. Let Him show you how this following will help you to cleave to Him and conform to His teachings. I promise if you allow Him to teach you how to really follow Him your life will yield such blessings that you won’t be able not to share the love of God with others.
[1] Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 2 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 74.
[2] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 74.