Just Follow
The short excerpt is by Andy Stanley, and the Scripture is Matthew 9:12-13 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
No matter what you believe or how you behave, Jesus invites you to follow him . . . and if we look closely, we make some very interesting discoveries:
First, being a sinner doesn’t disqualify you from following Jesus; it’s actually a prerequisite. The only people Jesus invited to follow him were sinners. In fact, they were often the worst of the worst. The better a person was, the less he was able to even understand Jesus because he kept inviting the most unlikely characters to follow.
Second, being a nonbeliever doesn’t disqualify you from following Jesus. Do you realize that nobody who followed Jesus in the first century initially thought he was the Son of God? They were all unbelievers in that regard. Some people thought he was just a nice guy who had some interesting things to say, while others thought he was a good teacher and were intrigued by the miracles he performed. Nobody really understood who Jesus was, but all were invited to follow.
Third, Jesus’ invitation to follow is not a religious invitation. The message of religion has always been, Change your behavior and you can join us. But Jesus’ message was, Join us and you will change. There’s a huge difference. Jesus invited people to get close to him, to watch him, to listen to him . . . to simply follow him. Because of their proximity to Jesus and their relationship with him, people began to change.
During his time on earth, Jesus continually reached out to sinners, doubters, and nonreligious people. The same is true today. No matter what you believe, no matter how you behave, Jesus invites you to follow him.
Champions, have a great week!-David Vining
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